Career Spotlights: Commissioning Editor
It’s time for another instalment of our Science Career Spotlights series! We speak to life scientists in a variety of different career roles to learn more about their paths to success! We’ll be digging into their early career goals, the decisions they’ve made along the way, and the skills they’ve found most useful in their particular job role. They’ll also share useful advice for early career scientists who are hoping to follow a similar path some day.
The next in our series is Alka Rao, a Commissioning Editor at Springer Nature! We first spoke to Alka four years ago when she was a PhD student in microbiology at the University of Groningen. She now works in publishing where she makes use of her valuable experience as a technical writer and analyst.
We were keen to find out more about her route into publishing and the transferable skills she has found most useful along the way. She also shares great advice for those who aspire to work in science communication, and the most important skills and qualities you’ll need to succeed as a Commissioning Editor.
THE ROLE
What does your current job role involve?
Alka: Currently, I am working as a commissioning editor at Springer Nature. This role involves conceptualization and management of topical collections (special issues) across a portfolio of journals at Springer Nature. I work as a part of the global collections team.
What do you enjoy most about the role?
Alka: There's something new every day, it could be a change which immediately needs to be incorporated in our workflows, or a new challenge. I must always be on top of everything as the work can be quite fast paced and dynamic. I also enjoy using all the data we have as a team to identify blockers in our processes and how best to optimize them. Our team is relatively new in the company, and we recently won an innovation award for one of the pilot projects. That was a big win for all of us.
THE ROUTE
What were your early career goals?
Alka: When I started my scientific career, my primary goal was to discover and learn concepts every day through research. As a commissioning editor, this still holds true.
How did your PhD in microbiology prepare you for a role in publishing?
Alka: When I was doing my PhD, most of my time was dedicated to laboratory work and all the planning before it. Now, even though there's no laboratory work, I recognize how my PhD shaped me in my current role. I employ analytics for everything in my current role and this is quite enjoyable. There have been instances where I have used data-driven approaches to align stakeholders on the same page for collection launches. This allowed us to initiate and sustain collaborations across a few journals.
Most importantly, the work culture in our team is welcoming, so ideas always have space. There have been times when I’ve asked certain questions and ended up in a rabbit hole of information, but I enjoy that process, especially if it solves a problem.
Sometimes, there have been no guidelines on how to deal with an unexpected situation in our workflow, and I’ve been the first one to encounter that problem in our team. So, I had to discuss and explore the solutions by talking to colleagues in other teams as well. Thankfully, I have a great team lead who always shows me the right direction and lets me explore.
THE SKILLS
Which transferable skills have been the most useful in your career so far?
Alka: Asking questions, thinking critically, and getting to the root of the problem(s). Also, being able to cope with change at a fast pace has been very useful for me because I understand its need in optimizing processes.
Which skills would you say are essential for success as a Commissioning Editor?
Alka: Excellent business communication skills, the ability to adapt fast, and stakeholder management. Since my role requires regular communication with a lot of editors, it's also important to know how to build and sustain good working relationships.
THE ADVICE
What advice would you give to an early career scientist who hopes to become a Commissioning Editor one day?
Alka: Being open and adaptable to change all the time will always be a bonus. Also, perusing information from various sources and being in touch with an array of research fields really helps. I applied for this role because it incorporates several elements of my PhD which I enjoy – data analytics, gathering insights, making decisions based on them and keeping up with the latest discoveries in science research.
THE FUTURE
How do you see your career progressing from here? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Alka: Since I enjoy the research and business intelligence aspects of my current role a lot, I see myself exploring those in the coming years.
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More career advice from Hello Bio
For more advice on STEM career options and opportunities, take a look at some of these other great articles on the Hello Bio blog:
- Career Spotlights: Lecturer in Neuroscience
- The Life Scientists’ Guide to Applying for Jobs in Industry
- STEM Career Paths for Life Scientists - guest blog by Dr Joanne Kamens
- Academic vs. Non-Academic Science Careers (and choosing the right path)
- Cultivating a Creative Career in Scicomm - guest blog by Dr Renaud Pourpre
- We asked our scientists: what’s the best career advice you’ve ever had?
- To Science, or Not To Science? Alternative Careers For PhDs - guest blog by Dr Lucka Bibic
Share your STEM career story!
Would you like to share your STEM career story with the Hello Bio blog? Did you have an interesting or unusual journey into science? Could your career path inspire others who are not sure what to do next? Get in touch via email to be featured in our Science Career Spotlights series - hello@hellobio.com
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