Empirical Careers... chasing a new vision to support researchers
Last post, I told you where Empirical Careers is coming from... But where exactly, is Empirical Careers going???
Well, if I’m honest. I’m actually not 100% sure.
In the spirit of honest careers advising, I’ve never had it all figured out. I’m sure some people do, but I’m here to tell you that you can be “successful” without a detailed plan. I know I wish that someone had told me decades ago, not to worry about getting it all worked out. Just start. Just head towards what feels right. And also, you can do that as fast or slow as you need to.
So, to be honest, Empirical Careers (and my own career) is a work in progress!
What I do have, is a new “fuzzy vision”.
That’s how my previous business started too.
Years ago I set myself a goal to create a “successful” business. Sometime last year, when I had to bring on additional people to manage my workload I realised, hey, I did it! I reached my goal!! My business was successful in all the ways I had (vaguely) imagined. I was providing a service that people wanted, and I was finally earning enough to get a mortgage (yay, I bought a house!). And something I hadn’t planned for but am super proud of, is that I have been enabling the awesome women in my team, to use their brains and skills while working the hours they want, around their kids and family life.
But that business model was also getting a bit too successful for me, like 7 days a week, 10 hours a day “successful” and I love what I do but… this is just not sustainable (maybe some of you researchers can relate??).
I realised I needed to change something, not only because I was on the road to burnout, but because I had outgrown my own goals.
I got some (overpriced) business coaching (more about that another time!) and I got all kinds of advice. I could just hire more people and grow the business so I’m personally doing less. Sure, but I hadn’t started my business to grow a business. I’d started a business to help researchers. Growing for growths sake didn’t and still doesn’t feel right for me. I wanted (want?) something exciting to work towards. Somewhere in the distance I could see a new vista forming… and I decided it was time to direct this career path of mine toward it.
What remains a strong driver of my career direction, is my passion for supporting research (more specifically, its benefits, evidence-based policy and practice, new technology and medicines, all the stuff that can make the world a little bit less YKWIM). But after reading hundreds (and hundreds!) of grants and the associated track records, I have become more fascinated by the people behind the projects.
I am regularly blown away by what some people have achieved. They discoveries they have made. The volume of work they have delivered. Their leadership of multidisciplinary teams. Their engagement with diverse stakeholders. Their generation of new knowledge and influence on policy and practice.
And yet, so often, boiled down to a list of top 10 publications (sad face).
So much talent. Such different opportunities. (Too much one-eyed comparison?)
You may have heard the quote:
“Talent is broadly distributed; opportunity is not.”
So, as part of my new vision I’ve been thinking, how can Empirical help spread the “opportunity”?
And key to that is highlighting the diversity of talents, that I think are mostly incomparable.
We all have different natural aptitudes and skills. Including those that have natural aptitude to build more and more skills! But it’s so easy for someone quiet, someone different, or someone inexperienced, not to be ‘seen’.
In my previous university jobs (and a driving force for Empirical Research Development) I had seen it was the people who were better at marketing themselves that were getting the limelight and the coin, not necessarily the best researchers. I saw the same names coming through the RO for post-award processing. And I had seen colleagues I knew were brilliant, not getting a piece of the pie.
I thought (naively?) by consulting, I could help get the best ideas and the best science get funded.
I thought, if I could use my talents in grant writing, I could help less talented writers, or international applicants with English as a second language, or early career researchers who didn’t understand the schemes and criteria, write better grants. And from the testimonials of happy clients and the repeat business we get (even when they don’t get funded!) I’m pretty sure we have helped applicants with their writing skills and grants nous.
But seeing how tough it is getting out there, I’ve started wondering... have my services become part of the problem??
The cost of research is going up. Success rates are falling. Competition for the few dollars is fiercer than ever. If you can’t afford to get grant writing support, you’re now behind the eight ball in a whole new way.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the service we (and others) provide is excellent and important, but I want to do more… having read many, many track records, it’s not just about making sure the best research gets funded, but helping the best mentors and leaders get support, and the best entrepreneurs get support to take their ideas to the world…
Supporting people, not projects
To support more people, and spread opportunity as much as I can, my new fuzzy vision goes something like this:
I want to share my insights from decades of research facilitation and grant editing with more people and in a more equitable way (while still being able to pay my mortgage).
I see a desperate need to help early career researchers (ECRs). Not only because some don’t have supervisors with a strong mentoring inclination, but because I regularly see talented ECRs with uncompetitive applications. And I know they could be much more strategic with their track record development. I also know there’s also a heap of great supervisors, who are exhausted! I’m hoping my new services might help take a load off their plates, so they can use their limited time to support their teams with their specialised research skills, rather than covering the basics (aren’t we all trying to outsource these days? Thanks lawnmower man).
I also think there’s more than a few researchers, who could leapfrog all the ‘near misses’ if they just got a little more support. I get why uni’s fund near misses, but I want to find and work with the hidden talent who need a bit more time or a bit more nurturing to build their research careers. And remind them there’s different paths to success. Those who are not quite there (yet) because they didn’t have decent mentors, didn’t have parents who were academics, reproduced at an inopportune time, don’t understand Australian research expectations, or haven’t been shown what the ‘competition’ actually is.... etc.
And, given my own background, I want to support other PhD grads like myself to figure out what they really want to do post-PhD. There’s lots of different reasons why we start a PhD, but the figuring out what’s next can be overwhelming. I’m particularly interested in supporting those that know they want to leave academia and maybe even those who want to start their own small biz or social enterprises. I know having had zero experience in business, it’s taken me way too long to feel confident as a businesswoman... maybe I can help someone else get there faster?
This is what I’m planning....
EMERGE: Career & track record development
The competition for fellowships is fiercer than ever. And while I’m not a fan of some of our research culture, I’m also realistic. If you want to be successful you need to start early and plan strategically, so you maximise your opportunities.
There are some key track record ingredients in grant applications, but, after years of editing grants across all kinds of schemes, disciplines and career stages, I also know there are more than a few ways to have a successful research career.
EMERGE will be an online program to help ECRs plan for their future – focussed on fellowship applications but also thinking about the variety of ways you can have a successful research career. I want ECRs to get strategic about their track record and career development so they can cultivate the content and experiences they need to achieve their research funding and career goals.
This is intended to be a self-paced program with weekly sessions to discuss ideas and get peer support to navigate your careers. We are planning to launch in the second half of 2025... see my draft flyer here.
ELEVATE: Improve your grant writing skills
Whether you’re from a rich lab or poor lab, had a good supervisor or bad supervisor, you should have access to practical grant development training. Knowing that some researchers don’t have access to as many resources (physical or intellectual) as others, I want to offer our support widely.
This is also about trying to get people on the same page. When reviewing grants, we see common misinterpretations across different schemes and it’s clear some applicants don’t understand key terminology (or maybe their supervisors don’t understand it?), but if your assessor is on a different page about what research impact means (hint, it’s not citations), we’re all in trouble.
So, I am going to trial a new online resource hub so you can access all our grant writing resources. We aim to Elevate your grant skills, so it’s your ideas and track record that’s getting judged - not your lack of writing skills or scheme knowledge. Think scheme webinars, masterclasses and templates for a variety of ARC and NHMRC schemes.
Our online grants support means you can watch our videos at your leisure but we plan to have live sessions ahead of major grant schemes so you can ask your burning questions. We will be building up our content throughout the year…
EXPLORE: PhD careers beyond academia
Having spoken to many a PhD graduate, I know that not everyone wants a career in academia. And in 2019, we know that about 51% of PhD students hoped to enter business or the public sector.
The development of various HDR training programs over the years means there are now more opportunities to develop skills to help get those non-academic jobs... but there’s a big gap in how PhD students are being supported to explore their post-PhD possibilities.
You can use your research skills in lots of ways, the question is, what do you want to do? What impact do you want to have? What would you enjoy?!
When I started Empirical, I couldn’t believe I was so lucky to be doing what I love. For the last ~10 years I’ve been reading research grants with the latest ideas across fields as diverse as genetics, ecology, chemical engineering, computer sciences, social sciences, mathematics and history. I want to help others figure out how to use their transferrable (PhD-cultivated) skills to do what they might bring them as much joy as I get from helping turn ideas into a compelling narrative (ok and also addressing the complex selection criteria of various grant schemes, I like following rules too!).
I actually don’t know why more PhD grads aren’t out using their research and entrepreneurial skills out in the real world. There’s so many people that I think could have more impact (and fun!) if they started their own business or social enterprise. We need people with research skills to get out into the world and apply their expertise to problems NOW... like Dr Kate who is saving dolphins or Dr Loz who is helping kids of all capabilities learn about science.
For those not sure academia is for them but not sure what else to do… You know I’ve been there, and I want to share my insights and help you reflect on all that you are and all you want to be….
Later this year, I am planning to launch an online program called EXPLORE. I’m not actually sure what this looks like yet , I just know it’s something I want to do… this is where my career vision is pulling me… I want to help you carve out a path to continue to have “research impact” in a way that is matched perfectly to your talents, interests and goals.
So, you too can find a fulfilling career...