Working in science policy is all about taking complex science from experts and translating it into something accessible, to be used in key decision making.

{credit}Image credit: Catherine Ball{/credit}

After completing a PhD at the University of Oxford, trying to find different ways to make biological tools for drug development, Catherine Ball moved into science policy, and in May 2015 she started her current role as Policy Analyst for the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee. Here she describes her transition from academia.

Click here to read about how Ball pursued science policy as a career.

Why did you decide to leave academia?

About two thirds of the way through my PhD I realised that academia wasn’t for me. I found it quite frustrating when things didn’t work in the lab and I struggled to cope with the fact that you could spend a whole day in the lab and be no further forward than you were when you started.

My area of research was also quite niche and theoretical, and sometimes it felt like research for research sake. I soon realised I was more interested in the broader context and implications of science. So, in 2013 I took up a role as Policy Advisor for the Biochemical Society and Society of Biology where I focused on antimicrobial resistance, equality & diversity, science policy in the devolved nations, open access and drug discovery.

What was the transition from academia to science policy like?

It was a big learning curve. It’s also about understanding the landscape, how policies are made, where scientific expertise feeds it and the best way for it to do so. I had little experience in this when I realised this would be a good career for me, so I made sure I got some before I finished my PhD.

What skills did you need to transfer?

Science communication was the main one. Lots of the work I did in terms of translating complex science and articulating it in a readily understandable and translatable way was useful. It’s all about taking complex science from experts and translating that to something anyone can readily read and use to make a key decision based on that. Continue reading →