Service can take many forms. You might serve on a student representative committee, an ethics or occupational health and safety committee, or teaching review panels. You could join advisory committees for marine protected areas or other conservation initiatives. You might give presentations and webinars to educate practitioners or other researchers about new methods.
In our lab meeting recently we discussed the types and benefits of service. Here’s some of the insights from that conversation.
Ideas for service roles
Here’s a list of some of the suggestions the lab had
- Academic committees e.g. health and safety, ethics
- Conference organising committees
- Committee of professional societies
- Student representative to the department or university executive
- Advisory roles, like marine parks advisor or fishery advisor
- Peer-review of non-academic material, e.g. government analyses or reports
- Community outreach and education for your institution
- Science communication, e.g. via YouTube
Meeting people and building community
Service roles put you in rooms with people you wouldn’t normally work with. We’ve met conservation practitioners, government scientists, industry representatives, and researchers from completely different fields through service work. These connections have enriched my understanding of how research fits into broader contexts.
Building community also helps to create a support system. The people you meet through service can become collaborators, mentors, or simply colleagues who understand the challenges you face.
Learning about funding opportunities
Being on advisory committees gives you insider knowledge about funding. You learn what funders are looking for, what makes a strong application, and sometimes you hear about opportunities before they’re widely advertised. This context is invaluable when you’re preparing your own grant applications.
Having real-world impact
Some service roles let you see direct outcomes from your work. Team members have been involved in advising on marine protected areas that were subsequently designated. That’s a tangible conservation outcome that came from service work, not from publishing papers. These experiences remind us why we got into research in the first place.
Developing organizational skills
Service roles teach you how organizations actually work. You learn how decisions get made, how to navigate bureaucracy, and how to work with diverse stakeholders. These are skills that don’t come from lab work or data analysis, but they’re essential for being an effective researcher.
Strengthening your CV
Service roles differentiate you from other applicants when you’re applying for jobs or promotions. They show you’re a good community citizen who contributes beyond your own research program. Selection panels notice this.
Strategic alignment with your research
You can be strategic about which service roles you take on. Choose committees or advisory roles that align with your research interests. The synergies can help you you get new ideas, opportunities, and perspectives that feed directly back into your research. You also build networks with people working on similar problems.
Taking a break from research
That being said, sometimes it’s valuable to take on service that’s completely different from your day-to-day research. It can be refreshing to do work that’s well outside your research area, like volunteering for a local community group. These roles give you a mental break while still being productive.
A few caveats
Not all service roles are equally valuable. Some committees meet endlessly without accomplishing much. Try to choose roles where you can see clear outcomes and where your contribution will matter.
Service work often goes unrecognized in academic promotion systems that prioritize publications and grants. Make sure you’re documenting your service contributions and that they’re visible in your CV and promotion applications.
Consider the time commitments. Some service roles can be time consuming. But many others can be impactful and require relatively little investment of time. Committees often meet once a month or fortnight for instance, which is a small contribution in the scheme of other research tasks.
Final thoughts
Service roles have connected me with practitioners, exposed me to new ideas, and given me opportunities to have real-world impact. They’ve made me a better researcher and a more engaged member of the scientific community. If you’re considering a service role, I’d encourage you to give it a try. Just be strategic about what you take on and make sure it aligns with your career goals and available time.