From Personality Psychology to Environmental Conservation

It has been approximately one year since I had an initial meeting with the Impact Canada team to discuss potential opportunities for conducting behavioural science work in the public sector, and in that time, there are a few things I have learned that I’d like to share in this blog. It is my hope that these reflections might help others in similar situations who are considering this type of career switch and are perhaps daunted by this process. In particular, I hope to demonstrate the value in applying your research expertise to any subject, instill some confidence in your abilities and their generalizability, and highlight the benefits of welcoming new career challenges. Throughout, I will share some examples from my experience to provide context.

Your Research Skills and Expertise are Widely Applicable

At the time of my initial meeting with Impact Canada, my applied research experience was rather limited and the opportunities proposed by the team seemed almost too good to be true — they were innovative, multidisciplinary, and timely and would allow me to achieve a long-term goal of combining research and practice. On top of that, I was in the process of finishing my PhD and felt incredibly fortunate to transition straight from university into a position as a Behavioural Science Fellow within Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Needless to say, my mom could not have been prouder, and I was excited about this new challenge. However, as I onboarded with these teams, I learned that I would be working with ECCC to help protect and conserve Canada’s natural landscape to mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change — while this task was exciting, I immediately felt unprepared, as it appeared to call for a strong understanding of current conservation goals and policy, and an extensive background in environmental science. My training and knowledge on the other hand, was noticeably lacking in those areas and had largely focused on Personality and Forensic Psychology and understanding aggressive behaviour in undergraduate samples.

Luckily, I was (and continue to be) well supported by my colleagues and collaborators, as both the central team at Impact Canada and those within ECCC understood the challenges of adjusting to a new work environment and were more than helpful in getting me acclimated. As I got to know my various managers and team members better and got caught up to speed on the subject matter, my confidence returned and I started to snap out of the hazy, onboarding fog. Most importantly, I recognized that despite the foreign subject matter, I had something to offer and that I had core knowledge and abilities that I could bring to any situation. In other words, I had to engage in a bit of positive self-talk and remind myself that I am an experienced scientist and that regardless of the context, I have a strong understanding of how to apply critical thought and rigor. This helped me to recognize that I know how to overcome barriers in the research process, generate new ideas, and take a project from start to finish.

That being said, I have also learned that it is okay to leave some things behind when moving into a new research space. It is normal to want to form a good impression and a great way to do that is to demonstrate the knowledge that you do have. I mean, who wouldn’t be impressed by insights into the differential predictors of proactive and reactive aggression, or the incremental validity of the six-factor model of personality? However, I had to holster some of my unique knowledge that was not applicable to my current context. Instead, I decided to treat this transition as an opportunity to learn new areas of knowledge. For many of us who engage in scientific investigation, we are not only motivated by our interest in a particular topic, but because we have a natural curiosity and love of learning. Remembering this interest in investigation has given me a new perspective on my work and has allowed me to embrace diverse ways of understanding and conducting research with different collaborators who I may not have interacted with otherwise.

Welcome New Challenges

As I reflect on my experience, I am also reminded of the importance of accepting new challenges. My personal growth across various skill sets has been pleasantly surprising, and mostly a byproduct of the applied sector’s environment. In contrast to my experiences in academic communication where others know the value of science and research, I had to communicate the purpose of research and convey ideas effectively to audiences that sometimes knew nothing about me or the work I hoped to conduct. The balancing act between my own lack of knowledge in the land conservation space and trying to appear as a knowledgeable practitioner further complicated these efforts. Even so, these experiences have given me the opportunity to work with passionate people, who are excited to pair their knowledge and expertise with my own. Working hard to build and strengthen these relationships has helped me to improve my people and communication skills.

Importantly, while navigating my new workspace I began to recognize and accept that I was going to make mistakes. Indeed, I have had many experiences over the past year where I felt I could have explained things more clearly or struggled to demonstrate the value of a plan or idea. While some times I felt embarrassed, or foolish, I tried my best to prevent self-doubt from creeping in, and recognize that this was all part of the process — with each conversation, presentation, and email sent, I was becoming more efficient and effective as a real-world scientist.

One day I may find myself returning to my research roots and assessing deviant personality once again; however, this experience has taught me to value the process of conducting research, whatever subject it may focus on, and to continue to accept new research challenges. I hope that my reflections have been validating and encouraging for readers; though this transition from academia to the public service is an ongoing process, it’s been incredibly rewarding and has taught me a lot about myself.