Pathfinder Career Narratives is an ongoing series tracking the career choices and experiences of doctoral graduates. You can see all of the posts in the series here. You can find all the Pathfinder resources and opportunities here. Today’s blog is written by Dr Eve Forrest, Senior Portfolio Manager for ESRC UKRI. You can find out more about Dr Forrest and her team here.
Name: Dr Eve Forrest
Doctorate subject area and year of completion: Media and Cultural Studies, 2012
Role and employer: Senior Portfolio Manager, ESRC UKRI
Approximate salary bracket of this type of role: £40,000 per annum
I am always wary of presenting a neatly tied narrative about any life experience, especially in what ended up being a winding journey into my current role as Senior Portfolio Manager at the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It is tempting to say that, in hindsight, there was some sort of overarching plan that led to this point; however this definitely wasn’t the case for me. However, upon reflection I have definitely taken an openminded approach to careers.
I finished my PhD in 2012, which was a multi-disciplinary study of everyday photography practices online and offline firmly rooted in my passion for media and cultural studies, which has been there since my early undergrad studies. I wanted to continue on in academic life and I managed to find a part time postdoc position for three years, but as it was only a 0.3 contract, I needed to find something else to make up the shortfall. I started working at various university research offices and the roles (mainly faculty administrator or officer roles) were really varied, with flexible hours, and I enjoyed meeting different people I came across in different departments. When my postdoc role was ending, without a new contract or another research post lined up, my transition out of academia was obvious. Three months later I got a full time job in an impact and engagement role at Newcastle University, which combined a lot of my knowledge and skills I had gathered across previous jobs, in an area I was really passionate about, thinking about dissemination of research and helping researchers reach and engage new audiences. This included flexing my writing skills by writing reports and business cases, alongside my organisation skills by running capacity building events and workshops. The role was a great balance of still being involved in HE but working in a different area.
After being in the impact role for a few years I started becoming more interested in the strategic side of research, so when I saw the role at ESRC advertised in 2020 I decided to apply. Given my skillset was research and HE focused, moving to a funder definitely made sense and I was interested in applying my skills in a new way. The role in the Health and Human Behaviour team, which commissions social science research across the health space. This is as broad as it sounds, and as a team we cover everything from social care, dementia, mental health, psychology, behaviour and ageing. We work with other councils and funders too, as very often these topics crossover with other disciplines, so my job is really varied.
There’s plenty overlap with what I do at ESRC and my previous roles. My work involves a lot of writing, problem solving, close reading and meeting different people both inside and outside the research council which, as a former ethnographer who loved to chat to people, was really important for me. There’s lots of collaborative working, especially when writing call specifications for example and we read research across the topics we are working in, not just academic papers but things like briefings, articles, and reports as existing research informs what is commissioned. I also manage large investments for ESRC, discussing ongoing work with the project teams, making sure we are aware of the latest outputs and impact of the research. The most interesting thing about my role though is that I am always learning either about new research or ideas, plans and strategies. No two days that are the same and that is really stimulating.
Research councils have a close relationship with the HE sector, and I like to think that I can bring my own experiences of working across research and professional services to nurture these relationships. Having a PhD is definitely valued at ESRC, as it gives a great insight into research organisations and the early career journey from a position of lived experience as well as providing skills like problem solving and writing. That said, our team is made up of lots of different perspectives and knowledge, across councils and professions which makes conversations extensive, richer and very varied.
There are a few pieces of advice I would offer to those thinking of changing career path from research. Know that your skills are really transferable, and while your knowledge might be quite niche, your wider skillset definitely isn’t. Whether that’s working with datasets, problem solving or communicating ideas all these are useful and relevant in roles beyond research. I would also say that there are other ways you can pursue your passion beyond your professional life. I love photography and engaging with all sorts of visual culture and while I got to revel in that for my PhD and a little in my postdoc, it’s less present in my role now.
However, that doesn’t mean I can’t still creatively engage in the topic. I set up a personal blog to document my visual and cultural interests and it keeps me using those particular writing muscles. I also do freelance writing for a photography magazine too, and still read and engage with new ideas in the field. I am not a researcher by name anymore, but I can still read around the topic and be immersed in ideas, enjoying what I loved most as part of that job. It will always be a lifetime passion, regardless of where I choose to work. Above all, cultivate relationships across professions and disciplines and be curious when opportunities arise. As I mentioned at the start, my career path has been a winding journey, but being openminded to new experiences and roles along the way has been of great benefit. It might not be immediately obvious what links you are making, but you never know where they might take you.
Any opinions expressed in this blog post are my own and not necessarily the views or opinions of UKRI or ESRC.
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