Amy Rodger, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh

Amy is a Research Fellow specialising in quantitative and mixed-method behavioural research, currently working on two of BR-UK’s demonstration projects.  The first project (called demo project 2 for short)  is examining how people evaluate different types of evidence on policy effectiveness and use this evidence to update their policy beliefs and support. This research spans a variety of policy issues from public health to climate change. Find out more about this project.

The second project, known as demo project 4, is  employing multi-level latent class analysis to assess the transferability of environmental policy support across different population segments and countries. This research focuses on environmental policy related to energy, transport, and food consumption. Find out more about this project.

In addition to my research, Amy uses her knowledge and passion for open science to develop and facilitate the sharing of our research approaches and results via the Open Science Framework  and is coordinating the development of the 'Ask BR-UK' service that will be a responsive and accessible service providing timely behavioural science expertise to help research users.

Amy's PhD focused on understanding water drinking behaviour to inform healthy hydration interventions. While her work in BR-UK is not centred on this behaviour, the research experience she gained has been highly transferable to other projects. During her PhD, Amy also took up several research assistant roles in areas such as sustainable diets and student well-being, which broadened her understanding of behavioural research and allowed her to apply her skills in diverse domains.

Amy also holds a Masters Degree in Research Methods of Psychological Science which she feels emphasised the importance of both domain-specific knowledge and research method skills. This dual focus has been invaluable in her work on BR-UK's demonstration projects. For instance, in Demo Project 2, she is working in a new domain, and in Demo Project 4, is using a new analysis technique that she hasn't had experience of previously. Although learning new domains and research skills is challenging, Amy's background has equipped her to navigate these challenges.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in behavioural research, there are some points Amy recommends thinking about.

• Area of interest: If you are interested in pursuing a career in behavioural research, it's beneficial to take the time to identify the specific areas that interest you the most as it encompasses a wide range of topics meaning there are lots of options. Whilst postgraduate/postdoctoral research is very rewarding, it can also be challenging at times, and so having a genuine passion for your topic can help keep you motivated through the ups and downs.
• Build your network: I recommend using platforms like LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) to find and follow researchers who are active in your areas of interest. Reading their papers is a great way to gauge the type of work being done in that domain and to see if it resonates with you.
• Beyond the books and papers: Additionally, look for opportunities beyond your coursework to gain hands-on research experience. For example, I applied for a Carnegie Vacation Scholarship during my penultimate year of undergraduate study, which allowed me to work on an independent research project. This experience was instrumental in confirming my decision to pursue a career in behavioural research.
• Keep up to date: Beyond a deep understanding of the behavioural domain you're working in, it's crucial to continually improve your research methods skills. Best practices for designing studies, analysing data, and reporting results are constantly evolving. Staying up-to-date with these changes is essential for producing high-quality research. Try to keep informed about broader movements such as open science, and follow researchers who are contributing to these discussions. This will help you apply their recommendations to your own work. For example, reading Scheel and colleagues' paper, "Why Hypothesis Testers Should Spend Less Time Testing Hypotheses," at the beginning of my PhD significantly shifted my approach to study design as much of my undergraduate and master’s training focused on experimental design and hypothesis testing.

[Find out more about the BR-UK team ]