Can you describe your IMPACT story in three words. Why those words?
- Intense. This has been an insanely busy 2 years! The Impact Fellowship has opened the doors to many interesting opportunities. I said ‘yes’ to pretty much everything because a) they were all genuinely relevant and interesting opportunities for me; b) I wanted to make the most of the platform that the fellowship offers.
- Clarifying. Working on the Impact project I envisioned a few years, but also on related matters, has really helped clarify what I want to focus my energy on. How I want to shape my professional/academic career? What kind of research profile do I want to develop? What themes do I want to focus on mid-to-long term? In short – what are the changes I really want to see in world? How can I contribute towards making those changes happen? These are all questions to which I now have some sensible answers.
- Educational. From start to finish the Impact programme has been a rich learning experience. Writing grant proposals, engaging in international collaborations, undertaking policy and advocacy (including media appearances), have all been important learning experiences, enabled via the Impact Fellowship. The focus on soft-skills during the training weeks has been especially valuable, e.g. leadership, collaboration, communication. Of course, I’ve added considerably to my academic skill set; in particular I am learning to be pragmatic when it comes to dealing with rejections e.g. for grant applications and so forth.
What has been the most surprising or transformative moment during your fellowship?
The clarity that has emerged in the past year over what I want to focus my time and energy researching going forward. This has come hand in hand with confidence to pursue the matters I find important and worthwhile and, importantly, use my voice to advocate to promote and protect reproductive rights, women’s health, women’s rights, children’s rights. The Impact Fellowship has really facilitated using academic knowledge and skills to create impact outside academia; for me, this focuses on social impact via research.
How do you see your IMPACT experience influencing your next steps?
While I definitely want to stay in academia, the Impact programme has helped me see how my research can translate into ‘business impact’, and some of the other routes that are available to researchers. This still feels ambitious (for me). It’s safe to say that I am not a natural entrepreneur. However, I feel more equipped to engage and collaborate with the business world. In fact, I’ve have already made some connections with businesses working in the femtech/reprotech space, with a view to future research collaborations.