Interview
Global communities and shared values
In time for International Women’s Day Caroline Birkle, vice president of research operations at Clarivate Analytics, spoke to us about flagship brands, research data services and metrics
Tell me a bit about your career. How did you get to where you are now? Family is very important to me and it all stems back to advice from my Dad! I had set myself a challenge to speak fluent French and was intending to study French at university but he told me: ‘Study chemistry, as you can live in France and learn French, or any country and language you set your mind to, but for chemistry you will need a lab.’ He was right. My career in STM started with a degree in chemistry. I completed a Masters at Sheffield University, with a final year project in synthetic organic chemistry under the kind and watchful eye of Dr Lance Twyman. Thanks to a scholarship programme and the Erasmus European free-mover project, I spent a full year as part of the course at L’Université Paul Sabatier, France, as well as having the chance to study at the William and Mary College in Virginia, USA. These international study experiences were incredible opportunities and heavily influenced my perspective on the power of global communities, and what diversity of thought is really about. On graduation, it was Dr Twyman that
supported me in finding an internship in STM publishing at the Thieme Group. At Thieme I realised I adored being part of the scientific process, without being confined to a fume cupboard! Once working in STM publishing I had the good fortune to meet thoughtful, insightful and motivating people, both colleagues and external editorial boards who always encouraged and pushed me to push myself, as we all grappled with
18 Research Information April/May 2020
the digital transformation era, explosion of publications output and open research. In the companies I worked for in my
early career, I always looked for a sense of shared mission, values and drive reflecting the communities we worked with and for. Thieme Group, Holtzbrinck Group and Royal Society of Chemistry are places I feel I have been extremely lucky to have worked, and through those mission-driven organisations I have been exposed to world-class networks of academics and research professionals.
On International Women’s Day, what advice would you give to other women in the industry? I would say, ‘If you think everyone around you is talking nonsense, they probably are’. Be confident, and have a voice. The second piece of advice is from my mum – who is a formidable and brilliant person, still working hard to inspire and encourage girls to enter STM through her work at the Bawdsey Radar Trust. She has said to me at many points in my career,
“It is an absolute privilege to be entrusted with the work of researchers and academics”
‘make sure you are looking after you’. Particularly as a leader, you are not helping anyone if you are not taking care of yourself, eating well, sleeping and exercising. It sounds simple, but sometimes we need a small reminder.
What does your current role as vice president of research operations at Clarivate Analytics encompass? I am responsible for the three flagship platforms and research integrity functions at Clarivate across academia and the life sciences, which includes more than 100 scientists, journalists, academic consultants and data scientists working for the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), the Centre for
@researchinfo |
www.researchinformation.info
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
