Case studies: Scientific officer: Alex Dunnett

Alex is a scientific officer (SO) at the Ministry of Justice, where he works in the Forecasting and Model Development (FMDU) team. He studied chemical engineering at Imperial College London, as well as a PhD in process systems engineering...

My PhD was focused on the mathematical modelling of national energy systems and the infrastructures that support them. Recognising that the customers for my model were at a national planning and policy level, I became interested in the role and influence of mathematical modelling tools in government strategy, operations and policy decision making. The Government Operational Research Service (GORS) appeared to be the branch of the civil service which would allow me to explore this interest most directly.

I followed the standard online application process, passed the interview stage and entered the pool of new GORS recruits. I was interviewed for a permanent position at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ). I accepted the position that the MoJ offered to me.

My engineering degree provided me with a strong numerate, analytical background. My decision to specialise (within chemical engineering) in systems modelling, process dynamics and control, and optimisation theory steered me towards operations research (OR) as a discipline, and thus alignment with GORS as a specialisation within government.

My PhD was in the area of renewable energy, a system that remains largely steered by policy. I therefore acquired experience in building models for policy makers, modelling policies and communicating model outputs to policy makers.

The bulk of my work is organised on a project basis, typically carrying two projects at any time. These take up 80% of my time, split across the week depending on when project leads are in the office. The rest of my time is taken up with training (desk-based, work shadowing, conference and course attendance) and administrative tasks for my team.

In the six months since I have arrived, I feel that my strengths and weaknesses have been recognised and tasks allocated to me on that basis.

I really enjoy the technical challenges that I have been faced with. I've been lucky to be placed within a dedicated modelling team at MoJ (Forecasting and Model Development Unit) and have therefore been exposed to technical challenges from the offset. In my short time here this has given me the opportunity to learn many new modelling methods, techniques and tricks. My managers have been very supportive and willing to impart their experience.

The workforce is diverse, with all ages, ethnicities and working backgrounds represented. This contributes to an open and inclusive atmosphere in the office.

I feel a sense of pride and prestige in working for government. I believe that the problems that we are tackling are important to society as a whole.

I didn't dream of joining the Ministry of Justice, but it has proven an equally challenging and rewarding transition from the world of energy and climate change in academia.

GORS offers a diverse range of opportunities to apply your technical skills across government, and those can only be strengthened by applying them in a different domain. In a transition from education to employment, it's important to recognise the timescales of a career, and there will be plenty of opportunities to work towards your dream job in government.