Author: Virginia Cox, PhD
Virginia Cox, PhD
Atmospheric Differences between the Lab Bench and Policy Desk
When I began graduate school I had three summers of independent research, plus a senior research project under my belt. I knew which way the pipette turned and how to use it! In contrast, when I started a job in science policy, I knew that I couldn't wear jeans to work anymore, but beyond that: a my...
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Virginia Cox, PhD
Common Threads: Weaving a career in science policy through diverse employment sectors
When I think of the choices I’ve made along my career path to arrive at this particular point, I cannot help but think of the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken, in particular the last lines which read, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has m...
Virginia Cox, PhD
Gaining Practical Skills for the Policy Toolbox
I was told during my first semester in graduate school that I should give up my one extracurricular activity, singing in a local choir, and focus entirely on my laboratory rotations and coursework. It was good advice at the time; Biochemistry did not come naturally to me and I struggled mightily to ...
Virginia Cox, PhD
How to Plan for and Land a Job in Science Policy
Perhaps you're fed up with flies, reluctant to run more gels and miserable thinking about sacrificing another mouse. You perhaps want to make "a bigger impact" than your current research allows you to or, perhaps, like me, you're feeling some combination of these frustrations and you're considering ...
Virginia Cox, PhD
Orienting Your Career Compass Towards Science Policy: Options and Transferable Skills
My lab mates used to tease me about my tables and charts pinned haphazardly around my desk. They belied my dedication to organization, a skill I applied to my lab work as well as to exploring career options beyond the bench. With a sense that any task could be accomplished given sufficien...
Virginia Cox, PhD
Separation Anxiety: Leaving the Bench
A European science policy colleague of mine could succinctly explain her decision to leave the lab bench for the policy desk. She explained that as a plant geneticist developing frost-resistant plants in Europe during the early days of the European GMO backlash, she realized that scientists needed t...
