Research and policy careers

Individuals working in research management and administration have wide and varied roles, all focused on maximising the impact and effectiveness of others’ research. This could include identifying sources of funding, negotiating contracts with external sponsors, the financial management of research projects and the dissemination/sharing of research. While those in research management often do not conduct their own research, their work is essential to every aspect of an institution’s research output. This type of role might suit you if you are passionate about the wider impact and value of research and want to remain working within the research community, but perhaps do not want to be responsible for conducting your own research. This role also exists in higher education.

You can look at the Association of Research Managers and Administrators website and Indeed’s overview of the role of a research manager to find out more. It’s also a good idea to look at live job adverts across different sectors to understand what these roles entail, for example this Research Manager job advert in an independent policy organisation and this Research Manager job advert in a charity.

Another way to work in a field related to research is to work in intellectual property. Intellectual property includes any invention, process, design or product that can be copyrighted, patented or trademarked to prevent it from being stolen or copied by others. Working in intellectual property is a way to remain working within research, by protecting the outputs of others’ research.

Many different people are involved in the protection of intellectual property, leading to varied career options for those interested in the field:

• University Intellectual Property team: Most universities have a dedicated team to help academics protect their intellectual property and identify what content requires such protection. At Cardiff University for example, this is Research and Innovation Services
• Patent Examiner: Individuals with technical knowledge in the area of each application who scrutinise the technical and legal aspects of any patent application. Prospects have a useful Patent Examiner job profile
• Patent Attorney: Individuals in a specialised legal profession who are qualified to advise clients about patents (and usually other intellectual property rights). Usually with technical knowledge in the field, patent attorneys assist applicants in obtaining patents granted by patent offices around the world. A degree in a STEM subject is typically required to get a trainee position, and although it isn’t essential, a number of patent attorneys have a Masters or PhD. Prospects have a useful Patent Attorney job profile
• Intellectual Property Office: In the UK this is the body responsible for regulating intellectual property rights, including patents, designs, trademarks and copyrights. You can read more about them and their work on the Gov.uk website and search for roles at the IPO on the Civil Service Careers website

For more information on careers in intellectual property, visit the IP Careers website.

Policies are the rules, regulations and instructions that guide our day-to-day activities. From shop return policies to actions set out in law, policy is all around us. Policy workers strive to ensure that the rules we follow are evidence-based and informed by rigorous, high-quality research. Individuals with the authority to develop policies may not have the expertise required to ensure that they address the most appropriate issues and represent the needs of those the policy will affect. As a result, policy workers are often employed in advisory roles to review developing policy and ensure that it remains relevant. The scope of a policy worker’s role is much wider than that of an academic researcher; they are often advising on a subject area for multiple clients, rather than focusing on one specific research topic. As such, a career in policy is suited to people who like a varied and dynamic role.

Careers in policy require:

• Understanding of technical detail and how it fits into the bigger picture
• Ability to explain subject material to lay audiences
• Excellent public engagement services
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Customer service skills, if interacting with clients and stakeholders

Policy workers are found in a huge variety of organisations, for example the Civil Service and governmental departments, charities and thinktanks. Prospects have a useful Policy Officer job profile. You can search for Policy Officer jobs on the Civil Service Careers and Charity Job websites. HM Treasury and the NHS have policy graduate schemes, and there are also opportunities for doctoral students to undertake a policy internship, for example the Policy PhD internship scheme with the Academy of Medical Sciences. The UKRI has a useful blog about science policy which highlights ways to get involved with policy work as a researcher.