Demystifying a career in behavioural science: a UCL BIT seminar

The title ‘behavioural scientist’ may feel to some like the new ‘consultant’, prompting questions along the lines of “what does that mean exactly?” and “so what do you actually do?”. The UCL Behavioural Innovations Team was fortunate enough to hear from three young professionals working in the growing field of behavioural science. We were thankful to host Azim Arsiwala, Leoné Mescal and Anna Angell on October 1st 2020. In the BIT’s first seminar of the year, we were able to learn how those who may be curious about a career in behavioural science can take the right steps, towards the vague job title of their dreams.

Azim Arsiwala emphasizes the persistence that has brought him so far; persistence in seeking exposure, searching for the right companies, reaching out the right people. Persistence which he cites as the fuel that has driven him from a Masters’ degree in Behavioural Economics and Science from the University of Warwick, to helping found a behavioural science and education company in India, to gaining experience in international behavioural public policy and healthcare projects. Behavioural science, he shares, is a new and growing field, and the seminars, such as the one he participated in with the BIT, did not exist when he was starting out. However, through his determination, he was able to gain the experience and insight that helped him land a job with Cowry Consulting. As a Choice Architect, he uses this vast background in applied behavioural science to help optimize the way in which customers interact with the products and services his clients provide.

Leoné Mescal had a global perspective from the early stages of her journey. Before her MSc in Behavioural and Economic Science at the University of Warwick, she studied both Economics and Spanish in her Bachelor’s. During a year abroad, she was able to study the anthropology of other cultures, which opened her eyes to the potential of understanding human behaviour from a cultural perspective. Departing. Chasing a career path in the consulting side of behavioural science, she managed to land a 2-month internship at The Behavioural Architects, which, on the last day of her internship, translated into a full time position as a Junior Strategic Consultant. In her role within the research team she has developed a wealth of experience supporting projects around the world, helping branches of the company in Australia, New York, China and London stay up-to-date on the latest behavioural science research.

Anna Angell has developed almost a decade’s worth of diverse experience in human behaviour, as she emphasises how this field draws so directly from the knowledge she gained in her degrees. Following a BSc in Psychology at Cardiff, she completed an MSc in Behaviour Change at UCL. In the last term of her Master’s, she began working at TfL, making use of her background to assist with behaviour change marketing. Through her experience in this role, and exposure to behaviour consultancy companies through her Master’s degree, she came to understand the career she wanted to work towards. Following her passion to work within the field of behavioural science, she landed a job at Shift Consultancy, as a Consumer Behaviour Consultant. Leveraging her knowledge in human behaviour she works to provide behavioural insights to her clients, across a variety of fields, from improving patient-clinician dialogue to developing advertising campaigns.

Speaking to over a 100 UCL students, currently exploring the possibility of similar career paths, Azim, Leoné and Anna were gracious enough to elaborate on their own journeys, and address the questions many had, about how one can work towards a job in behavioural science.

1. What extracurricular activities have you done during your masters? Did they help you in your career path?

Leoné shared that she was a postgraduate for the Warwick Consulting Society, which helped her understand the nuances of what consultancy actually involved. Through this, she came to learn how challenging it can be to meaningfully bring behavioural science into conversations around consultancy, a pursuit to which she then dedicated herself. Leoné was also a part of the Warwick Behavioural Insights team, as part of a nudge unit that worked on interventions to help students make use of their gym memberships. Anna, meanwhile, discussed reading around her subject a lot. She mentions that literature, such as Decoded by Phil Barden, can really help when talking to companies that you have reached out to for behavioural science-based positions. She also mentions the importance of attending seminars, and pursuing internships and work experience, as they helped guide her towards what she found most interesting.

2. What have you done after your masters? Did you transition to the workplace directly or started with an internship?

Azim talks about spending a lot of time preparing for the transition, reaching out to people for internships and discussions. Search for companies that may interest you, and don’t be afraid to reach out, even if they aren’t actively advertising a role. Just building a connection and a rapport can be very useful down the line, when the companies may be looking to recruit someone. Azim was fortunate enough to land a full-time position with Cowry Consulting upon graduating, by building and maintaining this rapport earlier. Leoné, meanwhile, was able to find a 2-month internship at The Behavioural Architects, after graduating, that helped her understand how rewarding applying behavioural science to real world challenges can be. Throughout her very hands-on internship, she made it clear that she was enthusiastic about the possibility of staying on afterwards, resulting in her taking a full-time position at the company after 2 months.

3. When is it normal to start applying for jobs in the field? When do jobs typically begin? Do they ever overlap with Term 3?

Leoné advises looking for jobs from day 1. Finding your first job following graduation can be a journey, and though there are lots of positions out there, they may not always be easy to find. Research potential jobs as soon as possible, but ensure you see this pursuit as a learning process, as you discover what to look for over time. Most importantly, and perhaps slightly paradoxically, do this without putting too much pressure on yourself. Anna echoes this sentiment, stating that the sooner you start, the better. It will take a while to find the right key words to search for, to find the right companies for you, but it’s a process of trial and error. She also mentions that throughout this process, you will likely come to better understand what you are looking for, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself from the start.

4. What is unique about a career in behavioural science?

Azim mentions three things. One, work in this career is almost completely synchronous with what you study in behavioural science degrees. Two, working with people to such an extent allows for the understanding of people, meaning the companies in this field know how to produce a great working environment for employees. Finally, since this field is still quite niche, in most companies you will find you have a lot of individual responsibility early on, allowing you to grow quite quickly. Leoné expands on this by exploring how this career allows a lot of diverse thinking, as it is an ever-evolving discipline that can borrow from so many other disciplines too. Furthermore, similar to Azim’s point about working environments, she says that people in this field are often quite emotionally intelligent, which provides a lot of support and stability in the working environment.

5. Describe a typical day at work?

Azim, Leoné and Anna all express how there’s no “typical” day in this line of work. Your day can depend on the project being worked on at the moment, your role within that project and the stage at which the project currently is. Broadly, the process often involves meetings at the start of the day, or the week, to determine strategy, then depending on the project, you may have to comb through existing literature, develop research, work on presentations for clients, or countless other tasks, all built around delivering insight into human behaviour for either the company or its clients.

6. Are there any skills noticeably in demand for BS jobs?

All three of our speakers highlight Data Science as a growing area within behavioural science, that’s gaining a lot of attention recently. Azim also mentions design skills as important, as perceptual psychology intersects heavily with behavioural science. Along with that, Leoné also expresses how many of the companies within this field are quite small, and they all have different needs, therefore, different skill sets may be ideal, depending on the company. Anna emphasizes that regardless of the skills you have, the ways you can apply them and express the utility of them to the companies you reach out to can be just as important.

7. Are there any groups, websites, resources that you suggest knowing about?

Leoné recommends finding forums that deliver the latest in behavioural science in a cognitively digestible way, so you don’t feel overwhelmed. She also suggests podcasts such as Freakonomics or subscribing to newsletters such as Habit Weekly, and following academics that interest you on Twitter. Anna agrees on going for something cognitively easy, including blogs like Behavioural Scientist and Decision Lab. Azim echoes the sentiments of the other two speakers regarding making it easy on yourself when exploring this field, recommending podcasts, and books like Ripple, by Jez Groom and April Vellacott

Thanks once again to Azim Arsiwala, Leoné Mescal and Anna Angell for participating in our first event of the year, and providing us with a lot to think about, with regards to a career in behavioural science. Stay tuned for more exciting events, from the UCL Behavioural Innovations Team!

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