Tell us about your career journey since graduating from LSE.
After finishing my PhD in 2009, I stayed in academia for several years working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Sussex. In 2016, I decided to start exploring opportunities outside of academia because I wanted to do research in a more applied context. I applied for the Social Research Fast Stream programme in the UK Civil Service while I was on maternity leave and joined what was then the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Since then, I’ve worked in policy and social research role in different governmental departments, ranging from maternity and neonatal care, heat decarbonisation, Covid-19 and now science policy.
How did studying Anthropology at LSE prepare you for your career?
Anthropology has given me an important foundation for thinking about ‘how we know what we know’, and the critical role of qualitative methods like participant observation in understanding power relations in society, social hierarchy and informal practices- all of which are more difficult to capture in more conventional social research methods. In the context of government, good policy needs to consider the needs of all sectors of the population- and anthropological research and perspective can play an important role in capturing and enabling this.
A lot of my academic work, especially my postdoctoral research, focused on the role of the state in people’s everyday lives. When looking at the state, anthropology often focuses on interactions between people and the state (either through public services or state functionaries)- while there has been some work on policymaking itself, it’s an area which I think could really benefit from more anthropological engagement and discussion.
What do you enjoy most about working in Government?
In my current role as Head of Social Science in the Government Office for Science I get to work at the intersection of policy and research, which I really enjoy. I’m particularly interested in how we can embed social science research into thinking around ‘emerging’ technologies such as AI and engineering biology, which is often tricky from a methodological perspective because of the rapid pace at which these technologies are developing. One of the aspects about working in Government that I really enjoy is the challenge of coming up with practical solutions to real world problems (and using research to make sure that solutions are ‘evidence-based’ as much as possible).
What are some important lessons you’ve learnt during your career?
I’ve worked in academia, government and civil society- and had some amazing experiences, and worked with wonderful and inspiring colleagues. Finding a job that pays the bills, and is also meaningful and rewarding work is not easy- there’s always a trade off, so it’s important to figure out what you’re willing to compromise on.
What advice would you give students who are considering a career in Government? What opportunities are available to start a career?
I grew up in Washington, DC so have always been interested in policy and politics- but before joining the Civil Service I had underestimated all the different types of work and roles that you can do working in Government. There are lots of opportunities for students to gain experience working in the Government, ranging from policy and social research roles through the Fast Stream (or other open recruitment campaigns), as well as internships. In Government Office for Science, we recruit for internships on a regular basis and also have shorter placements for PhD students as part of the UKRI internships.