What’s it like being a scientist in politics?

Read Sheeva Azma’s blog series, “A Scientist in Politics.”

I’m both a science writer and policy consultant. Being a scientist in policy, or even a science communicator (let alone a professional science communicator in political communications) is not an established career path in science. People ask me how I did it, so I wrote a series of blogs to explain.

By the way, if you’re interested in working in Congress or on political campaigns, check out the guides I wrote to campaign staffer jobs and Congressional staffer jobs I have written since publishing this blog series. Anything else you’d like to know about working in politics as a scientist? Reach out!

a quote from the 'a scientist in politics' blog series about the unglamorous slog that science, policy, and communications all share

By the way, if you, too, want to get involved in political campaigns, check out our free downloadable PDF on ways you can do so as a scientist.

“A Scientist in Politics” by Sheeva Azma

Part 1: Growing up Democrat in a red state

Part 2: Political organizing as a break from MIT

Part 3: A science PhD student in Washington, DC

Part 4: Leaving academia but not science

Part 5: Running the political gamut and working in Congress!

Part 6: Why can’t I stay away from politics?

Part 7: The 2022 midterm elections

Part 8: Working across party lines for a woman president

Pursuing all three (science, policy, and communications) has been a nonlinear, often uncertain lifelong endeavor. It probably helps that all three have the following aspects in common: unglamorous hard work, inevitable setbacks and failures, and being in it for the long haul. If you are a relentless learner (which all scientists are) and enjoy a challenge, you can succeed…but it takes a keen eye for opportunities, time management skills (to balance it all), and the desire to eat, sleep, and breathe all three.

It wasn’t until 2022, when I was preparing to chat on a science policy podcast called When Science Speaks (listen to my episode here!), that I realized that using my skills, knowledge, and expertise in science, policy, and communications together could be powerful. Together, this trio can: rebuild trust in science and deepen scientists’ conversations with society; help people live better lives through science-informed policies; and help policymakers take part in the complex, often jargon-filled discussions of the global science and technology landscape. What’s more, scientists can learn lessons from policymakers, who are themselves expert communicators, to better explain science.

I wrote the “A Scientist in Politics” series to share my experiences and empower scientists to make an impact. I view my journey unifying my three passions as a winding, uncertain, lifelong path of exploration. Like climbing a mountain, my journey has led me to a new and uncommon view of science and society. Join me — check out my free guide on ways scientists can get involved in political campaigns.

Here’s a snippet of my appearance on the When Science Speaks podcast. Listen to the complete interview here.

By the way, after spending 10 years as a scientist, being a science writer since 2013, and having lived my whole life as a lifelong politics nerd, I see the overlap between the three areas in the following way, as I’ve written:

venn diagram showing overlap between science, policy, and writing
Do most people think of the overlap between science, policy, and writing in this way? Source: This Fancy Comma blog that I wrote

To learn more about ways I bring my skills, knowledge, and expertise to Fancy Comma, check out our services page or read my articles on the Fancy Comma blog.