Joseph Yauch, PhD'25, History
Assistant Development Officer, Scottish Ornithologists' Club
December 19, 2025
Can you describe your career path and how it has led to your current work?
I had a one year gap between finishing my undergraduate degree and starting at Brandeis, during which time I taught English in Austria. That was a great experience that allowed me to hone my teaching abilities, but I found that I missed studying history, so I decided to apply for the history PhD program at Brandeis. I had long admired Professor Brian Donahue's work, and I was grateful to be accepted! During my time at Brandeis, I focused on environmental and Indigenous history, studying the relationships between Penobscot people and the logging industry in Maine in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I worked closely with the Penobscot Nation during that process, which was important both for my research and allowing me to practice community engagement. That is, I learned how to collaborate with communities, solicit their feedback on my work, and organise events with them. Although I loved my time at Brandeis, that experience showed me that I wanted a career outside of academia. After I defended my dissertation in May 2025, my career search took a unique path, as I moved to Scotland to live with my fiancée. Searching for a job in a new industry and country was challenging, but eventually I got a position as the Assistant Development Officer for the Scottish Ornithologists' Club just outside of Edinburgh. My background in education, environmental history, and community engagement was instrumental in landing that job, as my biggest responsibilities are planning educational events for birders across Scotland with our members. The job is only part time for now, so I spend the rest of my time volunteering and taking professional development courses to expand my resumé.
What does a typical day/week look like for you in this position?
I work three days a week for the SOC, spending my time working on a wide variety of projects. I work from 9 to 5 on Monday to Wednesday, though I frequently add hours to put on events that take place outside of that period. Mostly, I communicate with different groups to plan events: I email our club leaders to organize outings, call other conservation groups to discuss opportunities to collaborate, and speak with schools to promote our educational programs. My biggest task is planning a four-day camp for Scottish kids who are interested in birding; I spend a lot of time managing the logistics for that project. Travel is also a common part of my job, as I often go to different areas to meet with members and scout out venues– I even got to go to a tiny island called Colonsay to plan the bird camp! The SOC is very small (we only have eleven employees), so I often participate in other tasks too, ranging from setting up AV equipment before a conference to designing social media ads.
What skills from your Brandeis degree have you found most valuable in your current work?
My ability to teach and work with communities in the environmental sector has been super important to my success at the SOC. Although my research focused on a very specific part of history that isn't immediately relevant in Scotland, I learned how to build partnerships with communities, how to discuss the environment and their relationships to it with those communities, and how to teach people about the land around them. Furthermore, I took full advantage of the professional development opportunities at Brandeis, all of which have been helpful in my current job. Most notably, I used a grant from the Mandel Center to take a GIS course, which I use to analyze the geographic distribution of our members.
What advice do you have for current students as they embark on their career exploration or job search?
Reach out to people as much as you can! Whether it's people you know who have interesting jobs, hiring managers at organisations you want to work for, or recent graduates who found jobs in a similar sector, it's so important to talk to other people. I had a phone call with the SOC prior to applying for the job to introduce myself and ask a few questions about the type of candidate they were looking for, which ended up helping me write a better application. I'd also suggest trying to think about ways you can continue to add to your resumé, especially if you're trying to make a pivot like I did. I got a few short-term jobs and volunteering positions to expand my skill set and professional network prior to getting my current job – career exploration is a process. Additionally, I have continued to use the resources available to me at Brandeis! The staff at the Center for Career and Professional Development has helped me craft resumés and cover letters, and they even assisted me in preparing for my interview at the SOC.