CAREER Paths
After a PhD or a Postdoc in academic science, there are various job opportunities for your further career – you might wish to continue to pursue a career in academic research, or to find alternative science-related positions in academia or industry. Also, business related job opportunities are open for researchers, such as in consulting or by starting your own company (entrepreneurship). Also the field of health policy reveals interesting options for scientists.
In order to give you an overview as well as detailed information of the various job opportunities after a PhD or Postdoc, they have been categorized these into four “job clusters”
The next level underneath the job clusters introduces different “job fields”, which in turn include various “job positions”.
ACADEMIA
RESEARCH |
Job Positions: Postdoc, staff scientists, group leader, head of facility, professorship |
Required skills: organisational skills, project management, communication, writing, teamwork and independent working, multi-tasking, analytical thinking (3 |
SCIENCE MANAGEMENT |
Job Positions: Research cluster mgmt., compliance officer, grants officer, dean graduate programm, coordinator etc. |
Required skills: writing, organ. & project management, communication, collaboration, multi-tasking |
EDUCATION |
Job Positions: Professorship (teaching), Research & teaching faculty position, Public outreach spec. etc. |
Required skills: teaching, analytical & technical skills, communication & presentation, organisation |
INDUSTRY
Research and Development |
Job Positions: Discovery or preclinical researcher, manager of a research team or facility etc. |
Skills: as in academia + comm. to non-scientists, good time manag., flexibily, team player |
CLINICAL RESEARCH |
Job Positions: Clinical research associate, clinical research manager |
Skills: clinical trial knowledge, orga. & communication, willingness to travel, empathy |
SCIENCE APPLICATION |
Job Positions: Application specialist, technology scout, medical science liaison, reg.affairs, Quality Manager etc. |
Skills: communication & presentation, scientific underst., managem., 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, … |
Skills: IT skills, programming skills, data handling |
MARKETING & SALES |
Job Postions: brand/product manager, marketing specialist, business developm. prof., sales representative |
Skills: finance & economics, analytical skills, comm. & present., customer focus, flexibility |
CONSULTING & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
CONSULTING |
Job Positions: Analyst, Consultant, Senior Consultant, Management Consultant, Principle, Agile Coach, Facilitator etc. |
Skills: analytical & strategic skills, endurance, interculture communicatiion., stress-resistance, quick understanding, customer focus, flexibility |
ENTREPRENEURSHIP / Start-ups |
Job Positions: Company founder, freelancer |
Skills: self-management & orga, creativity, networking, financial management |
HEALTH POLICY
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY |
Job Positions: Patent lawyer, patent agent, patent engineer, patent examiner |
Skills: consice language, patent law, complex text understanding, custom. contact |
PUBLIC AFFAIRS / HEALTH |
Job Positions: Public health program analyst, PR manager, Scientific advisor /science policy expert, Biostat. etc |
Skills: political process insights, analytical skills, writing & comm. to non-scientists, consultation |