How a Social Science PhD Supports My SciComm Career

Recently, I had a career conversation with a STEM PhD student. We got to talking about whether my PhD training was necessary background for my current work in science communication.

I applied to graduate school at the blissfully youthful age of 23. If I’d known then what I’d be doing [ahem…cough, cough…20 years] later, would I have made different choices about my education?

Maybe. (More on that in a future post.)

But, back then, I made the best decision for the Lori I was…burned out on mental health treatment and looking to learn more about how to prevent issues like substance misuse and delinquency before they started. And that path eventually led me to where I’m at today, typing at a computer in my home office, next to a trashcan filled with chocolate wrappers, nearly two years into an entrepreneurial adventure.

So, what are some upshots about having taken an indirect path to a science communication career?

I understand my target audience.

I spent five years in graduate school, and twelve years beyond, working as a researcher. This left me with a solid understanding of the researchers I now collaborate with. What types of things did they learn about in school, and what kind of things [ahem…cough, cough…scicomm] were typically left out of the curriculum? How do researchers usually communicate, and what are the values and constraints that support those communication styles? How do researchers spend their days, what are their pain points, and what would make their professional lives easier? Having this knowledge helps me to market myself and better serve my clients.

I understand science.

In my undergraduate and graduate programs, I learned about topics like theory, experimental design, and statistics. In short, I’m fluent in the language of science. Although my clients may need to take a few minutes to get me up to speed on their specific area of research, they don’t need to explain social determinants of health or double-blind research trials or p-values.

I personally know members of my target audience.

As I was preparing to launch Data Soapbox, I imagined that most of my business would come from strangers responding to my marketing and proposal efforts. In reality, probably 90% of my business comes from people I know. Some of that is contracts with people I worked with or went to school with. The rest of that is contracts with friends or colleagues of people I worked or went to school with. Personal connections have turned out to matter much more than I expected.

Are you a STEM PhD working in science communication? Knowing what you know now, would you still have pursued that degree? Comment below!