Dr Aisha Rahman – from chemical engineering to climate policy
“Publishing papers was rewarding, but I kept asking myself- who is actually using this knowledge to make decisions? That’s when I knew I wanted to be part of shaping policy.”
Background
Aisha is a 32-year-old postdoctoral researcher in chemical engineering at a UK university. Her work focuses on decarbonising industrial heat systems using novel carbon capture technologies. She is passionate about sustainability and deeply motivated to help translate research into policy.
Career aspiration
To transition from academia into a policy advisory role, where she can influence national or international strategies on industrial decarbonisation.
How Aisha used the C-DICE Framework for self-evaluation
Aisha came across the C-DICE framework during a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshop. With support from a mentor, she used it to:
- Reflect on her strengths and transferable skills
- Identify skill gaps for a career in climate policy
- Build a plan for targeted development and experience-building
- Create a ‘master CV’ aligned with policy roles
Aisha’s skills gap analysis using the framework
| Skill area | Current strength | Gap identified | Development actions |
| Leadership & strategy | Leads technical projects; manages students | Limited systems-level strategic thinking | C-DICE systems thinking workshop; strategy mentoring |
| Influencing change | Academic publishing; conference talks | Weak in translating science into policy impact | Policy brief writing; join Royal Society Pairing Scheme |
| Ethics & inclusion | Supports EDI in research group | Lacks experience in inclusive policymaking | Attends environmental justice webinars; joins participatory decision-making panel |
| Collaboration | Academic collaborations | No links with policymakers or NGOs | Applies for secondment in a government advisory team |
| Engaging communities | Presents to technical audiences | Needs to reach non-specialists and politicians | Applies for secondment in a government advisory team |
| Working across disciplines | Experience with engineers and materials scientists | Needs to engage economists, social scientists | Participates in interdisciplinary policy challenge teams |
Next steps for Aisha
Discover Aisha’s 10-month strategy to transition from academia into a career in climate policy.