Meet our Bloggers: Nicole Arbour

Every week one of our bloggers will introduce themselves to the world and talk about how much fun it is working in Science Policy. Today team leader Nicole Arbour says hello from Ottawa and next week Aatif Baskanderi takes his turn.

Nicole Arbour – Ottawa

Hi.

My name is Nicole and I am a scientist.

Or was, depending on how strict you are with your definitions. I don’t know exactly when I decided I wanted to be a scientist, but I did spend all my childhood as a natural biology enthusiast (aka: critter catching, mud loving, outdoorsy, tomboy type). I spent most of my childhood growing up (literally) across the street from Lake Huron, so I feel that was almost to be expected. I was always drawn by science, all the way through primary and secondary school, undergrad (I decided on biochemistry because it seemed like a nice mix of both biology and chemistry – and I loved both!), through to my PhD (also in biochemistry, in case anyone was wondering).

By the time I was in grad school, I thought I wanted to grow up and be an academic scientist. I loved the thrill of the hunt, the challenges of troubleshooting and modifying your experiments, the “Ah ha!” moments of insight, and the pure adrenalin rush that comes from that perfect result (the moment of truth). I never dreamt I’d end up in science policy/diplomacy, I didn’t even know it was a thing to be in, but it turns out they have several similar qualities about them I appreciate!

As life would have it, I never did become an academic, after finishing my PhD I worked for a small biotech start-up. A confluence of events brought me to where I am now, at the British High Commission in Ottawa as the Team Lead for the UK’s Science & Innovation Network. Working in this space is always an adventure! Lots of science, steep learning curves, outside the box thinking and problem solving at its best.

These days I spend most of my free time chasing around a mini-me, and hoping that the world around her will also inspire her to always ask questions and want to figure how things work.