Professor Emily Nurse reflects on her experience of working in the Government Office for Science.
In 2017, the Royal Society launched a fully-funded Science Policy Secondment scheme offering its Research Fellows the opportunity to gain policy experience at the heart of government. Below, we hear about Professor Emily Nurse's experience of the secondment. Professor Nurse was a Royal Society Research Fellow.
Background
My experience as a Royal Society Policy secondee in the Global Opportunities and Issues team in the Government Office for Science (affectionately known as GO-Science) has been fascinatingly eye-opening. Before applying for the secondment, I was worried that my skillset as a particle physics researcher would not be relevant. Surely they would only want scientists with expertise in areas directly relevant to policy such as climate and health? The truth is that my experience in quantitative analysis enabled me to view problems with a different, complementary perspective to the rest of my team. This experience has taught me that skills from an academic career are incredibly transferable and can be applied to many fascinating issues.
What was the scheme like?
My work focused on uncertainties in the UK’s pathways to reach the legally binding target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. Net-zero does not mean zero emissions, but rather a reduction in the emissions and an increase in the removals of greenhouse gases, the latter from either trees or engineered removal technologies. Both the emissions and the removals have significant associated uncertainties e.g., from the implementation of new technologies. I was considering both the quantification of those uncertainties and how they are actually accounted for, if at all.
Due to the immense challenge of achieving the net-zero goal by 2050, policies are designed to aim for almost exactly zero. However, aiming for exactly zero in the presence of large uncertainties leads to a significant risk of failure. One of my main conclusions was that it would be informative to quantify this risk, in terms of a probability of a given pathway failing to meet net-zero in 2050. Pathways that aim below zero will have a significantly lower risk of failure.My ideas were welcomed by civil servants in GO-Science and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as an alternative way to view pathways that takes uncertainties into account. Aside from the interesting topics, my experience of the working environment in GO-Science was incredibly positive. One of the things that struck me most is the collegial nature of the place. There is an overwhelming atmosphere of support and encouragement, an amazing team spirit with a clear motivation of collective achievement. The civil servants I came across were incredibly driven, talented, and inclusive people. I would highly recommend this scheme to anyone who is considering it. The opportunity to apply your skills to some of the most pressing challenges facing the UK and the world is immensely rewarding!
