Dr Georgina Key

Tell us about your background [00:05] 

My initial degree was in ecology and I was always very keen to do something associated with ecology. I took that through to my PhD. I looked at integrated pest management and exploiting natural interactions between insects to control pests. Then for my postdoc I switched focus slightly and I spent two years working on looking at different practices, different soil amendments to improve soil fertility. 

I’m currently working at AHDB so that’s the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, which is a semi-governmental organisation. I work as a research manager so it’s my job to develop programmes of research that will benefit farmers and growers. 

Describe a typical week in your job [01:04] 

I pull together research programmes for farmers. So they don’t do the research; we have contractors who do the research. It might be a university, it might be a commercial enterprise, it might be an agronomist. In the winter I will be doing lots of planning. A typical week would be a lot of planning of new work and pulling together priorities that farmers have. 

I will have lots of meetings with contractors to make sure they’re on course, and with Defra and other people like that if there are changes in legislation coming down the line. In the growing season I’m usually out on the road visiting farmers, visiting growers, perhaps going to see trials that are in place. I’m usually only in the office once or twice a week, if that. 

What’s your favourite part of the job? [02:01] 

My favourite part of the job is talking to farmers and growers, absolutely hands down. It’s brilliant going out on farm and seeing… It’s just so varied. I work in the horticulture sector mainly and they’re incredibly innovative. There’s a lot of technology but there’s also just fantastic holistic management going on. 

One day you could be in Scotland, the next day you could be in Wales, next day you can be in Lincolnshire. So it takes you all over the country and it’s taken me all over the Europe and the world. 

Do you still think of yourself as a scientist? [02:41] 

Yes, I do think of myself as a scientist because I’m managing people who are doing trials and I have to make sure that I am on top of what they’re doing. I’ve almost moved more into a role of we’re technically a funding body in a way, but much more hands on. 

So I have to make sure that the science that’s being done is of a decent quality, is robust enough to be rolled out across a whole in industry. Yes, I definitely still feel like I’m a scientist. 

Why did you decide to leave academia? [03:22] 

Halfway through my postdoc I was seriously considering leaving academia. I was pretty sure at the end of my PhD that I didn’t want to stay in academia. I found it quite pressurised and then halfway through my postdoc I just realised that I was going to have to start thinking about my next move rather than enjoying what I was doing then. I did actually get offered a postdoc to do work on soil fertility in Madagascar. 

I turned it down because it was only for 18 months and I realised that after nine months I was going to have to start chasing the next job. There was no guarantee that it could be in the same place and there was no guarantee that I could be with friends or with family. I decided I just wanted a bit more stability and a bit more time to enjoy what I was doing. 

So after that realisation that’s when I started seriously looking for jobs outside of academia. 

How did you get your current job? [04:30] 

I submitted my CV and what they tend to look for are keywords. It’s worth adjusting your CV to match the wording that’s in the job application, the job advert. I got through to interview and then I had my first interview. I was interviewed by my now current boss and two other people. I had to answer a lot of questions. I had to give a presentation on a predetermined subject and that all went down very well. 

The feedback I got from them was that they really liked that I asked them questions as well. So go prepared to ask about the company that you’re applying for. I spent a lot of time researching the values of the company and the different bits of work that they’d been involved in recently. So I really knew thoroughly what they’ve been doing. 

Which transferable skills developed in academia have helped you in your current role? [05:27] 

The main transferable skill is the ability to absorb and use a lot of information very rapidly. In your postdoc you’re constantly reading papers, you’re talking to other people, you’re finding out about different results and having to synthesise everything and bring it together. In my job I am managing other people doing projects, so I have to make sure that I am reading their reports that they’re sending in to me, that I’m keeping up to date with the latest research, that I’m keeping up to date with the latest politics. 

You have to bring all of those things together into a useful applicable research programme. I would say synthesis and digestion of a lot of information quickly is really, really good. 

What advice would you give to a postdoc if they are considering a career beyond academia? [06:17] 

The advice I would give: firstly, make a list of values of what’s important to you. These can be as vague or specific as you like. What that will do is it will help you direct the area that you want to go in. If you come across a job that doesn’t tick one of those values, you know it might not be the right job for you. 

Secondly, keep in touch with people that you did your PhD and postdoc with. You will not believe the places that these people turn up! I’m currently working with multiple people that I did my postdoc with. They’re all in different companies doing different things, but it really bonds you together. You’ve been through that stressful time together and it’s nice to be able to call on those people for support in your career. 

Finally, the thing I would say is the most important thing is to be brave. Ask people, phone them up, cold call them. It’s absolutely fine. You would be amazed at how much time people are willing to give you if you show an interest. I did this for my job interview with one particular company. I didn’t get that job but I asked for a lot of feedback and I showed interest in what they were doing. 

After I got this job, three months later I got a phone call from the previous job that I’d interviewed for saying, ‘Oh, there’s a new opening; would you be interested?’ So it’s always, always worth calling and being brave and making that first contact.