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 Mhairi Towler, Research Advancement and Culture Manager at the University of Dundee. You can find Dr Towler on LinkedIn, and her company Vivomotion at their website and on LinkedIn.
Name: Mhairi Towler
Doctorate subject area and year of completion: Molecular and Cell Biology, 2000
Role and employer: Researcher Advancement and Culture Manager, University of Dundee
Approximate salary bracket for this type of role: Undisclosed
I have a degree in Biochemistry (1996), and a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology (2000), from the University of Dundee. I carried out postdoctoral research as a Wellcome Trust Fellow at The University of California San Francisco and returned to the University of Dundee to do further postdoctoral work. While studying for a postgraduate certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education I created an animation as part of an action research project, a research method to simultaneously investigate and solve an issue. The issue I was looking at was making large group lectures more engaging for students – using animation did indeed improve engagement levels.
After completing this project, I decided there was a niche for animation in science communication. I took part in a business ideas competition at the university called ‘Venture’ to explore this idea and decided to pursue it. I completed a Masters in Animation and Visualisation at The University of Dundee (2012) to set up my business Vivomotion. It wasn’t an easy decision to make this leap, but due to personal circumstances I had to stay local (my other half is a farmer), I thought, well why not create an opportunity for myself that marries my interest in science and the arts and allows me to work remotely? I also had a lot of support from Dundee University as the university is keen to promote entrepreneurialism and so Vivomotion, a science animation company, was born. Most universities now run competitions for researchers to test out their business ideas and it is fun to take part and learn about the entrepreneurial process. If you do not take your business idea forward now, you may have an idea in the future, and already have the know-how on how to take it forward.
In the first year of business, the university provided me with an office free of charge, a small stipend, and a business mentor. These three benefits fell under what was termed ‘A Graduate Enterprise Fellowship’, a scheme that was running at the university at that point. The university was aiming to create an entrepreneurial hub for new startups to support them at the beginning of their business journey. This has now been replaced with the University of Dundee Centre for Entrepreneurship, which offers similar support. I should also add that if I had wanted to continue in research I would have had to move to another institution, I had already lived in San Francisco for 4 years, and I did not want to move again. I had also applied and failed to get a lectureship at Dundee, so as these routes were exhausted, I had to think creatively (which is a transferable skill) about what else I could do that didn’t involve a geographical move to pastures new.
With minimal business background I have had to devote time to develop this, and I have taken part in many business accelerator programmes to do so – Starter for 6 through Cultural Enterprise Scotland (2012), Cross Creative Special Edition through TRC Media (2014), Famous Grouse Creative Accelerator through Elevator UK (2018), Help to Grow Management Course (2023) and NatWest Digital Accelerator (2023). These courses helped me develop my business and create new income streams.
One of these income streams (aside from animation commissions) was the creation of a suite of training workshops for postgraduate students and researchers under the banner ‘Visual Presentation of Research.’ Having a mixed background in science and art, I had a unique perspective to offer in this space. I have delivered these workshops at universities across the U.K. and Europe, and during the pandemic these moved online, which opened up opportunities to deliver them in other geographical locations. I also sell them as an on-demand resource through my website. The business has been successful, and we have won many awards locally and nationally.
The training and workshop facilitation I have done through Vivomotion has allowed me to keep networks active which is incredibly important in career progression. Through these networks, I took part in a careers day at Dundee and Angus College sharing my career journey with students. While there, I heard about a science lecturing role at Dundee and Angus College, which I applied for and carried out part-time during the pandemic. Other networks at Dundee University resulted in the role I am currently in; Researcher Advancement and Culture Manager at the University of Dundee. I have always been passionate about career and professional development, having founded The School of Life Science Postdoc Society when I was a postdoc to support those in the community with their training and career progression. I feel like I have come full circle and am ready to support those at different stages in their academic career to advance, whether that is identifying their training requirements for a particular pathway, helping put them in touch with the right person, or just having a chat to find out how I can help them in a professional context. Addressing research culture is also in my remit, and I feel passionate about this area and how I can use my new role to impact on a positive and inclusive environment for all.
I have noticed since returning to the university that many of the skills that I developed running my own business are transferable back into the Higher Education sector. These are things like marketing, budgeting, project management, writing, and time management. We are working a hybrid model – two days in the office and three at home. This flexibility allows me to work around childcare responsibilities. There are many meetings on Teams with colleagues and this platform allows us to work flexibly.
I believe that people should keep an open mind about their career paths and follow what is right for them at a given time in their lives. There are so many factors at play when making career decisions both professionally and personally, and these should all be considered carefully. Think about what aspects of your job inspire you the most and give you energy. What are the tasks that you can’t wait to get going on, and what are those tasks that are left dwindling? That will give you a sense check of what makes you tick. Explore careers that utilise those aspects and try to follow your passions. If you can, get a mentor outwith your department to get a different perspective on how you can progress your career.
The Auditorium: a research culture and researcher development blog 