Why did you choose in the first place an academic career?
Vivien Badaut: My interest for
science started when I was a child. I visited many scientific exhibitions with
my parents and I couldn’t stop reading Isaac Asimov’s books. That’s probably
what led me to choose science. During my studies, I was more attracted to lab
work and I decided to go for a polytechnic degree (“DUT”) in chemistry. But
quite soon, technique proved not to be fulfilling enough, hence the need of a more
intellectual stimulation. At the time I did my Master’s in 2005, the energy
transition and the nuclear part were already a hot topic. Beyond its technicity,
this field was also involving strong challenges for the society and some controversial
elements: that’s why I chose it. I decided to get in touch with researchers
from CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) in Saclay
for my first research internships in order to get a more realistic view on
nuclear industry.
I was lucky to do a PhD
which was a mix of lab work, theoretical chemistry and experimentation with
large instruments. It may be surprising but despite my passion for technique, I
fell in love with theory and more specifically with the numerical modelisation!
After my thesis defense, my wife and I had the plan to go to Japan: my
objective was to find a postdoctoral position in an institute where I could
keep working on this theoretical research project. I contacted a Japanese
researcher at RIKEN who accepted to work with me, while searching
for a funding. I joined a laboratory of theoretical physics where I was the
only chemist!
The link between research and consultancy is not obvious. How did you
make the transition?
VB: Many different
events occurred for me to think about my future in academic research. First,
there was Fukushima, which led me to consider differently the economic growth
of nuclear sector. Back to France in 2012, I was also wondering if the time for
doing academic research was really consistent with my personality: I am indeed
someone who likes focusing on a subject for a few months and then moves forward
to another project. Industrial research was also appealing for me but I didn’t
know back then how I could market my experiences.
In December 2012, I took
part in Postdoctoriales from ABG. During this training
session, I became aware of how important networking is for career development.
It is not very natural for me but I learned a few techniques to be a good
networker which helped me a lot. I tested them a few days after the session and
listed all the contacts I had at this time. It was an opportunity to revive an
old friendship: a friend of mine who had just started his own business as a
finance consultant for start-ups. He told me that he was lacking a technical
expertise and that’s how I got the idea of starting a freelance consultant
activity.
Why were you interested in this opportunity?
VB: In the industry,
most of significant innovations come from start-ups and I am very interested in
this process: I needed to learn more on how to create innovation. There is
often an engineer or a PhD among the founders of high-tech start-ups. As a
technical consultant, you can discuss directly with them, the same way you do
when you go and see a scientist to discover what he is doing in his laboratory.
I started my freelance activity in 2013. Then, when I moved to England, I
created my own consultancy office, DRIAD.
How did you feel during the transition from academia to consultancy?
VB: Though resulting of a
personal choice, the transition from academia to industry is still difficult on
a personal level. As a researcher, we are very often moved by the desire and
the hope to contribute significantly to the society and it can be felt as a
frustration not to be part of this peculiar world anymore. That’s why it is
very important to spend time preparing the next career step, especially if it
lands you outside academia.
Why did you choose to create your own business, instead of joining an
already established consultancy office?
VB: For the flexibility.
My current activity enables me to work from any places around the world. In the
big innovation consultancy offices, as a junior consultant, you spend most of
your time writing reports. It can reach up to 80% of your working time, even if
it changes when you get more responsibilities. I couldn’t imagine myself
working without any contacts with the founders of a company or with the
clients’ techniques. Writing reports represents currently about 30% of my time.
What are the key aspects in your job as innovation consultant?
VB: Every two weeks, I
get a new mission from a company and topics are various: fin-tech, big data,
online advertisement, medical devices… Knowing how to write funding proposals is essential but you need to keep
in mind that the job of innovation consultant is above all social and requires
very good interpersonal skills. Trust is rule number one.
For the technological
watch, I use LinkedIn and Twitter, which are the tools used most frequently for
start-ups to disseminate their information, and other resources like news,
chambers of trade, funding bodies… The coworking place in which I work plays a
big part in my job: many digital professionals are here and that’s the place to
be if you want to learn about the newest information in the field or to better
understand the social and economic context. I strongly recommend such places to
all people interested in working as a freelancer.
What is the most fulfilling aspect in your job?
VB: I really love the
fact that I keep learning in every mission I get and the opportunity to
interact with entrepreneurs. I love discussing with people and that’s a real
enrichment for my job: you won’t find twice the same entrepreneur profile.
After 4 years, I have
the chance to keep learning and exploring new topics almost every day, to have
access to projects in progress, before they have an impact on society. That’s awesome
for a curious mind like mine.
Why is a PhD an asset for your job of innovation consultant?
VB: Innovation
consultancy is a great field for young PhDs: more and more start-ups are
high-tech (energy, biotech, infrastructures also known as deep tech) and are
reaching their maturity point. France is one the countries with the best resources
to help them to grow: skills, modern infrastructures, public support… It means
they will need a strong support for the technical part, the same goes for the
consultancy offices they get advice from, specifically for funding.
The added value of PhDs
is sure: understanding complex topics, analytical thinking, autonomy, writing
skills… For my part, as a PhD, my confidence in learning new things quickly
enables me to answer a client for which I can’t give elements immediately:
“right now, I don’t know, but I come back to you within a week”.
ABG is a French non-profit organization. Our missions are :
- To facilitate the transition of PhDs (whatever their field and seniority) from academia to the private sector;
- To help companies recruit PhDs.
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