Career Profile: Oliver Guest

“I think people often assume that research careers involve sitting at a desk without talking to people. But having conversations is a vital part of one’s research. The best opportunities I’ve found to do an impactful piece of research generally came from talking to people who might be able to implement research I could do.”

Oliver is a Research Analyst in the international governance and China team at IAPS, and previously worked on AI governance and strategy at Rethink Priorities. He holds an MA in Peace and Security Studies from the University of Hamburg and a BA in Modern Languages from the University of Cambridge.  

What was the career journey that led you to your current role?

I was doing an undergraduate degree in modern languages when I started to believe that advances in AI would have massive effects during my lifetime. I wanted to spend my career trying to shape this process for the better. International relations seemed like an important part of the puzzle, and had always interested me, so I went straight to an MA in this topic after graduating. From there, I went to a role that’s similar to my current one.

Can you describe what a typical day looks like?

I generally have one or two big research projects on the go, often working with co-authors. An important first phase in this process is thinking about what question I want to answer.

For example, I consider why a given question is important and whether I would be able to answer it. I try to get lots of feedback from people who I think might benefit from the research on what would be most helpful to them.

Then it’s time to actually do the research! This is often a mix of expert interviews and reviewing published documents, though I've also done some more quantitative work analysing how many AI papers are published about different topics. After this, I’ll write up my findings (always takes longer than I expect!), and share them for example with targeted outreach.

I also spend several hours each week on various smaller tasks like giving advice or feedback on other people’s research, thinking about team strategy with my colleagues, and networking with other people in the field.

What are the skills that are required to succeed in your job? Are there any which are particularly overlooked?

I think people often assume that research careers involve sitting at a desk without talking to people. But having conversations is a vital part of one’s research. (Admittedly, with Zoom, often still while sitting at a desk!) The best opportunities I’ve found to do an impactful piece of research generally came from talking to people who might be able to implement research I could do. And, when trying to inform specific stakeholders, it’s important to have a detailed understanding of exactly what they need and what constraints they face. Talking to experts is also an important way I form my bottom lines.

What has been your proudest accomplishment while working in this area?

The main examples that come to mind are ones where someone that I think is doing really important work asks for my advice and I’m able to leave them feeling better informed about that topic.