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 Karen Fairlie-Clarke, Research Portfolio Manager at the University of Glasgow. You can find out more about Dr Fairlie-Clarke’s work here.
Name: Karen Fairlie-Clarke
Doctorate subject area and year of completion: Infectious Diseases; malaria: helminth co-infection, 2011
Role and employer: Research Portfolio Manager, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow
Approximate salary bracket for this type of role: £48,000-£56,000 (Grade 8)
When I reflect on my 25-year career to date it all seems to hang together and lead seamlessly to the role I have now, but I can assure you that is not how it felt when I was living it. Perhaps its only now when I feel I have found my niche that I can be objective about it.
It started with the typical academic trajectory for a research scientist, undergrad BSc in Zoology, Masters by Research, PhD infectious diseases. The Masters and PhD were completed alongside my job as a Research Assistant at the University of Edinburgh. I undertook several post-doctoral positions related to my degrees in Universities and Research Institutes all within reach of the M8. I had a family and a husband with job security, so I wasn’t looking for posts further afield. I enjoyed my post-docs (and was good at what I did) but I came to realise that the short-term contracts and competitive funding landscape were not a world I wanted to inhabit. I have a passion for the translation of science to impact and had been lucky enough to work closely with stakeholders in my later postdoc roles and slowly came to realise that I might have the skills and personality to move out of active research, but I didn’t want to leave science entirely.
I was fortunate to have a PI who recognised the transferable skills I had to offer and encouraged me to apply for a role in the private sector; Innovation & Engagement Manager at Roslin Technologies, where I developed and managed multiple research projects in animal health/production and stem cell biology with both academic and commercial partners. I really flourished in this role and being part of a small company meant that I could really see the impact my contributions made, particularly through securing funding to support the company’s growth. This was my first step away from hands-on research and although I’ve never looked back it took a while to adjust to owning my position as a project manager and recognising the value of that when I was still embedded in the research community. It helped knowing that I would not have been as successful in my role without the scientific background I’d invested most of my career in.
I learned a lot from my four-years in the private sector as I was trusted with high-level activities but along with this came a relentless workload, not to mention the daily commute from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The company also took a change in direction to focus on its stem cell platform so the scope of projects I managed narrowed. Serendipitously, when I was starting to think of a career move, I saw the role of Research Portfolio Manager at the College of Medical and Veterinary Life Sciences, University of Glasgow advertised and it honestly looked like it could have been written for me – scientific background, highly-organised, project-management skills, ability to work with individuals and teams across MVLS and the wider University.
I’ve been in post for a little over a year now and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. The role involves giving high-level professional research and administrative support to PIs to allow them time to be creative and develop and deliver strategic funding applications. On a daily basis I work closely with three PIs in the College, I’ve become embedded in their groups and support activities aligned with recruitment, bid-writing, project reporting and streamlining management of their expansive research projects. I also provide ad-hoc support across the College for high-value, strategic funding applications. For this role the skills I developed as a researcher are invaluable; I need a working knowledge of a broad range of research concepts and my diverse post-docs have given me that. The ability to build a rapport with colleagues and partners at all levels which I gained working with stakeholders, commercial partners and at various universities. Contributions to successful funding applications which I developed in the private sector. Excellent communication skills and highly organised – probably in reality that’s just the control-freak in me that I’ve put to good use.
When I look back on my career journey, I sometimes feel that I should have made the transition earlier as I feel that my new role suits me and my personal life so well, but I also know that my inner confidence took time to develop. If you are considering transitioning to a new career path, then I would encourage you to reflect on your strengths and not just your qualifications and recognise the value that you can bring to an alternative role.
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