Alt-Ac Careers: Science Policy Advisor

Have you ever found yourself wishing you could make an impact on how scientific discoveries and innovations are ultimately used?

Or be in the room when governments are reviewing policy to help make sure decisions are based on the best available evidence?

If this sort of applied science communication appeals to you, a career in policy advising is worth considering.

Science policy advisors act as liaisons between researchers and those who make policy, helping them to understand complex scientific findings quickly and having the salient points at hand when making decisions based on evidence. Policy advisors work both inside government and through extra-governmental organizations.

To better understand what it is to be a science policy advisor in Canada, I spoke with Dr. Kimberly Girling, the Research and Policy Director with the non-profit organization Evidence for Democracy (E4D), which promotes the transparent use of evidence in government decisions, and Dr. Shawn McGuirk, Senior Policy Advisor for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Both are former STEM graduates who earned their PhDs in neuroscience and biochemistry, respectively.

The Day to Day

Kimberly Girling | Oliff Photography

The daily work of policy advising can take a lot of different forms. “It’s never the same from day to day,” says Girling.

“Sometimes I work with scientists and researchers, providing training on issues relating to science policy through webinars, seminars, workshops, or conferences. Other days I work with government partners, advocating for issues relating to science policy or learning more about what’s happening in the government relating to science and research. For example, we just finished a cross-Canada election campaign with several other research groups, aiming to make science and research a key issue in the Federal election.”

Girling also does a lot of communication work, including writing op-eds or blog pieces and offering critical analysis of current events in politics and government.

Photo courtesy of Shawn McGuirk

McGuirk’s days are bookended by catching up on science policy news in the morning and figuring out next steps for projects at the whiteboard before heading home.

“For the other seven hours in the middle, my day-to-day can be hard to predict,” he says.

“Some days are spent researching best practices and analyzing research data, to better understand the research ecosystem. Other days are spent on analysis of existing policies and initiatives, or strategic planning and development of new directions… Some days are spent planning or attending meetings and events to ensure our agency is well represented and is engaging the community.”

Is it right for you?

Those working in science policy need to enjoy interacting with others and be open to learning about an array of science-related topics, as well as understanding the ins and outs of policy-making.

Girling points out that knowing where to look for new science, being able to understand it, and communicating it clearly are assets for policy advisors.

“A lot of what I do is help communicate scientific evidence to users of that evidence, like government or the public, so being able to communicate science in plain language is really important.”

Both Girling and McGuirk emphasized their role in bringing others together for mutual benefit.

“By far my favourite part of the job is my ability to make connections where connections did not exist before,” says McGuirk.

“Having been on the other side of the table as a scientist trying to connect with policy-makers, without knowing where to turn, it is incredibly rewarding to connect those who are searching for evidence and new perspectives, with those who can provide it.”

Asked what skills are most essential for a good policy advisor, McGuirk lists good time management, the ability to build and foster working relationships, the ability to thoughtfully communicate lots of information very succinctly (including how one visualizes data), and “the learned reflex to step back and re-evaluate the direction of a project.”

He points out how valuable graduate school was to develop these qualities: “These are largely skills I gained during my PhD [while] planning, performing, and optimizing experiments; writing papers and review articles; and networking and live-tweeting during conferences [which taught him to distill complex ideas into short bullet points].”

Girling and McGuirk both find their work interesting and rewarding.

“I really enjoy getting to work on a large range of topics. After working in a narrow field in my PhD research, getting to explore lots of fields and disciplines is really exciting,” Girling says.

McGuirk echoes this sentiment, “It is very rewarding to be asked for advice on important files and to be in the room to participate in the decision-making process.”

“I really care a lot about evidence-based decision-making. Making sure that science is used effectively in government policies was what made me come to Ottawa in the first place, so it’s very rewarding to feel like I’m doing work on this every day.”

Finding your way in

Both Girling and McGuirk are alumni of the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship program, which pairs scientists with federal government departments to work on science policy issues and decision-making.

For Girling, interest in policy was a result of a need she saw as a researcher.

“I went into research because I was interested in making better medicines, but quickly learned that there are actually a lot of gaps between good science and development of good policies and products based on those scientific discoveries. As a researcher, I felt like I had a responsibility to make sure science was used effectively in science policy, so I got very interested in a career in policy,” she says.

For those intrigued by science policy as a career, Girling and McGuirk both have a simple call to action: engage with the science policy community, “whether that’s helping to do policy research, writing communication pieces, or volunteering in other ways,” says Girling.

“There are more and more opportunities open to young science policy enthusiasts,” says McGuirk, rhyming off a dozen different groups and programs to help usher new people into science policy work (see list below).

“Don’t hesitate to reach out to those in the field for a quick phone call to get advice or to get a coffee and chat,” he says, adding that it’s important to know and explain what your marketable skills are.

“When you decide to make the leap, a critical skill is knowing how to tell your story, particularly for what skills, knowledge, and expertise you have developed throughout your education or career so far, how this can be applied to science policy, and finally how the new position you are applying for will enable you to develop new and complementary [skills].”

So where can a policy-curious science graduate student start to get a foot in the door? Girling recommends checking out Action Canada, the Recruitment of Policy Leaders program, and Evidence for Democracy.

McGuirk offers the following ideas:

• “In the last year alone, Mitacs began guiding its fourth cohort of Science Policy Fellows into the federal and provincial governments,
• Science Outside the Lab North hosted its fifth and sixth cohorts of young scientists,
• Research Canada focused a Parliamentary Health Research Caucus luncheon entirely on the student voice, and
• Canada’s Chief Science Advisor Dr. Mona Nemer launched a call to establish a Youth Advisory Council, which received over 1000 nominations.
• Students and postdocs also lead the charge, with the Toronto Science Policy Network entering its second year, the Vancouver Science Policy Integration Network is running great events, and the ambitious American National Science Policy Network expanding across the United States through symposiums, micro-grant initiatives, and policy memo writing competitions.
• The group I was a part of, Science & Policy Exchange, is turning 10 years old in 2020, and they are a great community of young leaders in science policy.
• Acfas [and] Universities Canada, and other non-profits also continue to engage young scientists broadly on policy issues.
• Quebec’s Chief Scientist, Rémi Quirion and the FRQ Intersectoral Student Committee are also key players.
• Importantly, the Canadian Science Policy Conference is a great convening point for networking with Canadian and international science policy leaders.
• The International Network for Government Science Advice is also developing a chapter in North America, which is a great new initiative to watch.”