As the Minister says to the Nobel Laureate, “That’s all very well, and now I have to make a decision.” - Dr Claire Craig CBE, Director of Science Policy, The Royal Society
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Policy
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Throughout my academic studies I have taken a keen interest in science-policy and bridging the gap between the two. However, like many early career students, I often felt part of an “academic bubble”, where there is limited connection to the outside world, with scarce possibilities to apply fundamental research to “real-world” scenarios. Nevertheless I strived to stay up-to-date with key science-policy matters and build an increasing awareness of the complexity of the issues and subtleties involved - such as the need to promote the value of scientific evidence, insist upon unbiased, critically-assessed, factual answers to society's problems, and acknowledge that it is not scientific evidence alone which should inform policy decisions - there are also ethical, societal and economic implications which must be considered.
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"People in this country have had enough of experts."
My interest in policy surged in 2016 - seemingly the beginning of an era defined by falsehoods and misinformation - and particularly on reflection of this shocking quote from Michael Gove, our then Lord Chancellor. These words, in the run up to the EU referendum, highlighted to me the most striking illustration of the science-policy challenge in the UK. Undoubtedly this issue persisted throughout the Leave Campaign and subsequent Brexit process. Another pertinent example is the enduring badger-TB debate. This challenge is not limited to Britain though - consider the 2016 election of President Donald 'Fake News' Trump, or Australian Senator Malcolm Roberts’ open repudiations of human-induced climate change. In stark comparison, scientists and science communicators such as Professor Brian Cox strongly argue that to not listen to the experts is “entirely wrong, and it is the road back to the cave”.
Indeed, there is a clash between science, the public, and policy on a global scale. Rarely is this from a lack of evidence, but rather stems from the inability to convey it; in ways that both convinces the public and crucially, persuades policy makers to act. So how can we, as scientists - experts in our fields - engage with the public and specifically the policy community in order to have any influence? This is a question I have since sought and continue to ask.
Entering the world of policy
My first professional taste of policy came during year 1 of my PhD when I attended an international doctoral training school alongside my KESS II peers. This event gave me insight into industry and policymaking and inspired me by demonstrating to me that engaging and influencing policy can be quite simple, and is achievable with the right strategies. I left with renewed vigour alongside practical advice that simply undertaking academic research is not enough - one must also have the skills to deliver information in ways understood by all. Since then I have been actively engaged in policy, for example by regularly attending training events (CPD), and joining relevant committees - such as the British Ecological Society Wales Policy Group (BES-WPG). My PhD also has a policy focus - linked with Natural Resources Wales, my research seeks to provide an evidence base for managing the impact of marine renewable energy devices on marine mammals.
To gain an even deeper understanding of policy in 2017 I undertook a 6-month sabbatical from my PhD to pursue a science-policy internship at the Royal Society. Here, guided by the fantastic Chief Science Policy Officer, Dr Claire Craig, I was immersed into the “policy sphere” and gained first hand experience in the world of policy making, undertaking a plethora of diverse and challenging projects. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience which honed my skills in synthesising evidence, extracting key information from relevant reports and papers, and tailoring my writing to an appropriate audience, including for non-technical policymakers and practitioners. I soon realised that the policy environment is much faster paced than academia, and I learnt to work swiftly in response to pressing policy deadlines, whilst maintaining the Royal Society’s standards and style. Throughout the internship I contributed to a range of documents including major policy reports, briefing papers, and government consultations. I also had the opportunity to interact directly with experts, forming advisory panels of senior academics, government officials and industry professionals, and arranging meetings to bring them together to contribute and discuss evidence.
The internship was a refreshing break from the PhD and gave me new perspective on my research. It really was a fantastic experience and I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about policy and gaining some first hand experience. There are also many other similar internship opportunities out there - such as through the British Ecological Society, the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology, and many others.
Contributions
It has always been an ambition of mine to be in a position where I can make a positive difference to society. One key way that I have identified to do this is by contributing to relevant policy, and I will do what I can throughout my career to achieve this.
My interest in policy surged in 2016 - seemingly the beginning of an era defined by falsehoods and misinformation - and particularly on reflection of this shocking quote from Michael Gove, our then Lord Chancellor. These words, in the run up to the EU referendum, highlighted to me the most striking illustration of the science-policy challenge in the UK. Undoubtedly this issue persisted throughout the Leave Campaign and subsequent Brexit process. Another pertinent example is the enduring badger-TB debate. This challenge is not limited to Britain though - consider the 2016 election of President Donald 'Fake News' Trump, or Australian Senator Malcolm Roberts’ open repudiations of human-induced climate change. In stark comparison, scientists and science communicators such as Professor Brian Cox strongly argue that to not listen to the experts is “entirely wrong, and it is the road back to the cave”.
Indeed, there is a clash between science, the public, and policy on a global scale. Rarely is this from a lack of evidence, but rather stems from the inability to convey it; in ways that both convinces the public and crucially, persuades policy makers to act. So how can we, as scientists - experts in our fields - engage with the public and specifically the policy community in order to have any influence? This is a question I have since sought and continue to ask.
Entering the world of policy
My first professional taste of policy came during year 1 of my PhD when I attended an international doctoral training school alongside my KESS II peers. This event gave me insight into industry and policymaking and inspired me by demonstrating to me that engaging and influencing policy can be quite simple, and is achievable with the right strategies. I left with renewed vigour alongside practical advice that simply undertaking academic research is not enough - one must also have the skills to deliver information in ways understood by all. Since then I have been actively engaged in policy, for example by regularly attending training events (CPD), and joining relevant committees - such as the British Ecological Society Wales Policy Group (BES-WPG). My PhD also has a policy focus - linked with Natural Resources Wales, my research seeks to provide an evidence base for managing the impact of marine renewable energy devices on marine mammals.
To gain an even deeper understanding of policy in 2017 I undertook a 6-month sabbatical from my PhD to pursue a science-policy internship at the Royal Society. Here, guided by the fantastic Chief Science Policy Officer, Dr Claire Craig, I was immersed into the “policy sphere” and gained first hand experience in the world of policy making, undertaking a plethora of diverse and challenging projects. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience which honed my skills in synthesising evidence, extracting key information from relevant reports and papers, and tailoring my writing to an appropriate audience, including for non-technical policymakers and practitioners. I soon realised that the policy environment is much faster paced than academia, and I learnt to work swiftly in response to pressing policy deadlines, whilst maintaining the Royal Society’s standards and style. Throughout the internship I contributed to a range of documents including major policy reports, briefing papers, and government consultations. I also had the opportunity to interact directly with experts, forming advisory panels of senior academics, government officials and industry professionals, and arranging meetings to bring them together to contribute and discuss evidence.
The internship was a refreshing break from the PhD and gave me new perspective on my research. It really was a fantastic experience and I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about policy and gaining some first hand experience. There are also many other similar internship opportunities out there - such as through the British Ecological Society, the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology, and many others.
Contributions
It has always been an ambition of mine to be in a position where I can make a positive difference to society. One key way that I have identified to do this is by contributing to relevant policy, and I will do what I can throughout my career to achieve this.
I have so far been able to contribute to the following policy related work:
- WMMC Workshop Report (in prep)
- Collision Risk Review (in prep)
- Walker, R. J., Hall, K., Morris, C., Stringell, T and Taylor, N. (Eds.) 2019. Marine Renewable Energy: Current Research and Evidence Gaps on Impacts on Marine Mammals. Proceedings from the European Cetacean Society Conference 2018 Workshop, La Spezia, Italy.
- BES Welsh Policy Guide
- BES Fourth Policy Guide - How to increase your policy impact as a research scientist
- Bridging the science-policy interface in Wales. The British Ecological Society, 20 Nov 2017.
- Influencing policy: A researcher's perspective, AuthorServices Taylor and Francis Group, 14 Nov 2017.
- Various training workshops and presentations on policymaking.
- The Royal Society and British Academy (2017) Data management and use: Governance in the 21st century, June 2017.
- The Royal Society (2017) Machine learning: the power and promise of computers that learn by example, April 2017
- JNCC (2014) Seabird Population Trends and Causes of Change: 1986-2013 Report.Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
- Dunn, R. (2013) Mingulay Seabird & Cetacean Monitoring Report 2013 No. 001. The National Trust for Scotland.
