So, you want to be a knowledge mobilizer
I’m asked regularly for information interviews to discuss knowledge mobilization career paths. The questions I often get are: How did I end up on this path? And how can someone pursue a career in knowledge mobilization? It dawned on me that maybe I should make these answers a little more accessible, hence this blog post...
How I got interested in knowledge mobilization
The path was winding, but it started with a small research assistant (RA) contract at the , exploring tobacco policy and later tobacco cessation programming shortly after I completed a Master’s of Counselling in the early 2000s.
The RA job was my side hustle. My main job was counselling in community corrections. Through this juxtaposition of roles, I was struck by the miles between the research and it being useful or accessible to clinicians. I began talking to research colleagues about this and was introduced to the emerging literature on .
Today, all our major research funders use knowledge mobilization as a shared term, but this is a relatively new development. As I was primarily working in health research while Canadian Institutes of Health Research used knowledge translation, I did too. I much prefer knowledge mobilization now, but the terminology is long and ongoing!
How I became a knowledge mobilization professional
That small RA contract, led to a larger community-engaged research opportunity. I took a little break to have a baby, gave up the counselling work, and focused on the research project. With the team, we developed a major grant application, where knowledge translation was a core component (along with interdisciplinarity, community engaged research, and ).
I wrote myself in as the knowledge translation manager and we were successful! Then I had another baby and applied to go back to school for doctoral work on integrated knowledge translation.
From there, I did a lot of exploring, learning, and trial and error. I pursued several training programs, each offering a unique lens - , the SickKids , SFU’s certificate in , and AGE-WELL’s program.
Throughout all of this, I was still working on my thesis and joined a new research centre exploring aging, housing, and innovation. Did I mention that this was a long journey?
Eventually, I left the university context once again and applied my knowledge mobilization skills in a practice setting at . Getting out of academia was a transformative experience – providing a confidence boost, more real-world perspectives, networking opportunities, and much more.
Finally, when my dream opportunity came up at SFU in 2020, I was ready to grab it and shape it into the work I do today leading the SFU Knowledge Mobilization Hub – we train, we collaborate, we celebrate, and we build knowledge mobilization supports and resources – to help SFU research have positive social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
What do YOU need to become a mobilizer?
There is no single path, but here are some experiences and knowledge that I look for and/or have found beneficial in my own career.
First, research experience is really beneficial.
Find a research assistant, lab technician, or other research support-related opportunity. In that role, ideally you get a little experience with the whole research cycle: conducting literature synthesis, meeting with partners, doing interviews or other data collection, writing reports, etc.
Second, do some training in knowledge mobilization.
It does not need to be extensive, but starting with well-known programs is good – like MobilizeU or . You should be able to define knowledge mobilization (please don’t say it’s just about communicating research findings!).about communicating research findings!).
Third, consider your interests and skills.
Can you bolster a knowledge mobilization-related skill? Do you have any interest or experience in group facilitation, event planning, , videography, networking– the list goes on. You do not need any or all of these skills, but one or two are nice to have! Think about all the you have collected along the way – how can you grow them or put them to work for mobilizing?
Fourth, do your homework.
Complete the , an online self-assessment tool based on knowledge translation competencies. See where your interests or gaps are and find ways to fill them. Also, look at knowledge mobilization job opportunities and identify a couple of dream jobs – work towards the competencies and skills needed for those jobs so you are ready next time!
Quick takes:
The knowledge mobilization career path is not predetermined; find one that works for you.
Do some training in knowledge mobilization, but you don’t need to do all of it.
Work on a research project or two, community-engaged scholarship is ideal.
Get some real-world work experience too and enjoy the journey to being a mobilizer!