What is your current role?
For the past three years, I have been working for the New Zealand government as an Investment Manager, running the processes of how research and science funding is given out and managing funded projects. My background is in environmental science, but I decided during my Post-Doc that I wanted to move into something where I could focus more on broader research and science project management and strategy.
What has your career path been like?
I did my undergraduate honors thesis in Environmental Science at UC Berkeley, looking at the effects of rainfall on soil carbon sequestration in California rangelands. Straight after I graduated, I moved to New Zealand to do my PhD in Environmental Biogeochemistry looking at ways to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from cattle urine patches in pasture soils. I stayed on as a Post-Doc for a few months after finishing my PhD continuing research on nitrous oxide emissions, but decided to leave and work in research and science investment. After a few years of running research investment funds, I’ve just decided to move back into the sustainability and climate change space by joining KPMG in their Sustainable Value consulting team.
What do you enjoy most about your job/research?
I’ve really enjoyed working in science investment because we get to be involved in research projects across all sectors. One minute I might be working with a contract holder on their social science project, then the next minute I’ll need to be talking with someone else about kiwifruit breeding or pest eradication or hyperspectral imaging. It’s been an amazing opportunity to be exposed to a huge variety of disciplines!
What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?
“Go with what feels right”! Some people have a really clear picture of where they want to be, or what they want to do - I’ve never been one of those people. My career path has been a bit winding so far (science to government to private), but I’ve always just decided to go with what felt right at the time, and not worry too much that I don’t have a really clear long-term plan.
What does a typical day of work involve for you?
It’s definitely mostly a desk job, but involves a lot of meetings. We spend most of our time planning and running the investment processes, since there’s a lot of operational work such as deciding the strategy for the investment round, building the application template, and getting expert advice on the merit of projects. Before COVID-19, we did lots of travel to conferences and to visit projects, but unfortunately that’s all mostly online now.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the same field?
Choosing your honors, masters, or PhD supervisor is really important! I was lucky to have a great relationship with both of my supervisors, and they’ve both been wonderful mentors.
Is there anything that you find difficult or challenging?
I think it can really challenging to choose a next career step, especially if you’re looking at transitioning into something quite new. I’ve found it really helpful to talk to people across a wide variety of roles to learn more about all of the different careers that are possible. I’ve also spent time reflecting on my core values to ensure that I’m pursuing opportunities that align with what I truly care about.