CAREER Paths

After a Ph.D. or a Postdoc in academic science, there are various job opportunities for your further career – you may wish to continue pursuing a career in academic research, or to find alternative science-related positions in academia or industry. Business-related job opportunities are also available for researchers, such as consulting or entrepreneurship. The field of health policy also holds interesting options for scientists.

In order to give you an overview, as well as detailed information of the various job opportunities after a completion of a Ph.D. or Postdoc, we have categorized these into four “job clusters” - Academia, Industry, Consulting & Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property & Health Policy.

Below the job clusters, we introduce different “job fields”, which in turn include various “job positions”, as well as the potential skills required.

 

ACADEMIA

RESEARCH

Job Positions: Postdoc, Staff Scientist, Group Leader, Head of Facility, Professorship, etc.

Required skills: organisational skills, project management, communication, writing, teamwork and independent working, multi-tasking, analytical thinking 

 

SCIENCE MANAGEMENT

Job Positions: Research Cluster Management, Compliance Officer, Grants Officer, Dean of a Graduate Programme, Coordinator, etc. 

Required skills: writing, organisational & project management, communication, collaboration, multi-tasking

 

EDUCATION 

Job Positions: Professorship (teaching), Research & Teaching Faculty Position, Public Outreach Specialist, etc.

Required skills: teaching, analytical & technical skills, communication & presentation, organisation

INDUSTRY

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Job Positions: Discovery or Preclinical Researcher, Manager of a Research Team or Facility, etc.

Skills: as in academia + communication to non-scientists, good time management, flexibily, team player

 

CLINICAL RESEARCH  

Job Positions: Clinical Research Associate (CRA), Clinical Research Manager, etc.

Skills: clinical trial knowledge, organisation & communication, willingness to travel, empathy

 

SCIENCE APPLICATION 

Job Positions: Application Specialist, Technology Scout, Medical Science Liaison, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Quality Manager, etc.

Skills: communication & presentation, scientific understanding, management, willingness to travel

 

COMMUNICATION 

Job Postions: Science / Medical / Technical Writer, Science Editor, Science Publisher, etc.

Skills: language & writing skills, subject expertise, decision making

 

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER 

Jobs Positions: Technology Transfer Specialist, IT Specialist, Programmer, Data Analyst, etc.

Skills: IT skills, programming skills, data handling

 

MARKETING & SALES 

Job Postions: Brand / Product Manager, Marketing Specialist, Business Development Professional, Sales Representative, etc.

Skills: finance & economics, analytical skills, communication & presentation, customer focus, flexibility 

CONSULTING & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

CONSULTING 

Job Positions: Analyst, Consultant, Senior Consultant, Management Consultant, Principal Consultant, Agile Coach, Facilitator, etc.

Skills: analytical & strategic skills, endurance, interculture communication, stress-resistance, quick understanding, customer focus, flexibility

 

ENTREPRENEURSHIP / START-UPs

Job Positions: Company Founder, Freelancer

Skills: self-management & organisation, creativity, networking, financial management

 

 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & HEALTH POLICY

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 

Job Positions: Patent Lawyer, Patent Agent, Patent Engineer, Patent Examiner, etc.

Skills: concise language, patent law, complex text understanding, customer contact

 

PUBLIC AFFAIRS / HEALTH POLICY

Job Positions: Public Health Programme Analyst, PR Manager, Scientific Advisor / Science Policy Expert, Biostatistician, etc.

Skills: political process insights, analytical skills, writing & communication to non-scientists, consultation