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
Details
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 |