Success Story: From MRI Physics to Climate Strategy:
Steve wanted to shift out of academia to really make a difference, so he hustled himself in climate finance. Here is his story (not his real name)
WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
Working on the team doing enterprise climate strategy and analytics for a major bank. (Director, Climate Science & Analytics)
WHAT WERE YOU DOING?
PhD in medical physics (MRI imaging). Following that, I left academia and joined a large bank through a rotational program.
WHY DID YOU CHANGE?
Academia to too competitive - I didn't want to end up languishing after 3 postdocs. Also, I wasn't in an area that had a direct application to climate change.
HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT MAKING THE SHIFT?
1) Spent significant time learning about business and the financial sector. My goal was to understand the "business" section of the newspaper (which never made much sense to me). I read books, listened to podcasts (e.g. planet money), went to talks, etc.
2) Enrolled in opportunities to build up professional skills. Took advantage of graduate student clubs, startup programs, etc.
3) The above got my foot in the door in the bank, then I just harassed everybody and anybody associated with climate, and offered to do volunteer work.
4) Get lucky - I was in the right place at the right time to ride the enormous growth in focus on climate in the financial sector.
“I wanted to be a scientist - my goal was to stay in academia. But my passion was always climate.”
WHAT HELP DID YOU GET?
So many people helped out. Folks are willing to help (have a discussion, give advice, etc.) but you need to do your homework - come with good questions, take notes, and follow up.
WHAT RESOURCES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?
There is too much information right now. Suggest that you talk to different people and ask them their top resources are. Podcasts are great, but try out different ones to get different perspectives.
WHAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT THING YOU FACED?
Changing my brand - with a PhD in physics, folks assumed I just wanted to be a data scientist and write code all day. I had to build up my brand through volunteer work, and intentionally working in non-quantitative spaced, before I changed that.
WHAT WORDS OF ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO THOSE LOOKING TO MAKE A TRANSITION THEMSELVES?
Continuous learning is essential and that sustainability cannot be approached in a bubble. You need to be open to learning things from different perspectives and from different people about many different subjects.
Believe in yourself and start somewhere, and don't think you need to learn X, Y, Z before looking for opportunities. Just go for it and see what happens!
