Career Management: Making the most of your MCF Anne Forde, Careers Adviser for Life Science Postdocs, University of Cambridge
Career Management for MCFs Career management: Why plan? Planning route A, and route B
Careers Management for MCFs Career management: Why plan?
Why Plan: Careers in Academia Profs Senior Lecturers Lecturers/PIs 20% Postdocs 10% PhD students
Career Management Skills Where do I start?
Career Management Skills Self-assessment Motivations, Skills, Values Action Applications, interviews Opportunities exploring, creating Matching Decisions (Plan A and B, C)
Career Management for MCFs Career management: Why plan? Planning route A, and route B...
Careers in Academia Career Paths...what are you aiming towards? PhD PostDoc including MCF Junior Group leader Lectureship/PI Senior Lectureship... 0 3 5 7 10 15+ Years since end of PhD Years
Advancing in Academia What is the Goal of your MCF? Short term goals: Gaining New Ideas Expanding your Knowledge Learning new techniques/approaches Meeting other researchers Getting results... Long term goal: To assist advancing my career in academia How will your effectiveness talents and be assessed afterwards?
Making the Most of Your MCF 5% Postdoc 15% 80% Research Teaching Other What are your talents and Interests? Now and Longer term
Careers in Academia Are Academic Jobs Roughly Similar? Lecturership 50% 30% 10% 10% Teaching Research Admin Securing Funding
Careers in Academia Are Academic Jobs Roughly Similar? NO Established Academic Job?%? %?%?% Teaching Research Admin Securing Funding
Careers in Academia Career Paths...Gaining independence PhD PostDoc Junior Group leader Lectureship/PI Senior Lectureship... 0 3 5 7 10 15+ Years since end of PhD Years
Securing Funding.. Start small...and build Who funds what and who? Central University Support at the Funding Office: Cambridge University Research Services Division www.rsd.cam.ac.uk Find out how other postdocs got funding...
Developing Your Own Niche Think of ways of developing your own ideas Ways of working with other people Teaching You are doing more than you think Types of teaching Opportunities
Career Management Skills: Academia Self-assessment Motivations, Skills, Values Action Applications, interviews Opportunities exploring, creating Matching Decisions (Plan A and B, C)
Career Management for MCFs Career management: Why plan? Planning route A, and route B...
Why Plan: Careers in Academia Profs Senior Lecturers Lecturers/PIs 20% Postdocs 10% PhD students
Finding Alternatives to Academia Self-assessment Motivations, Skills, Values Action Applications, interviews Opportunities exploring, creating Matching Decisions (Plan A and B, C)
Clues to non-academic Career Choices - Likes and Dislikes Why did you decide to do a PhD? Describe a career highlight to date... What aspects of your work do you enjoy the most? What aspects of your work are less good at and/or enjoy the least?
Finding Alternatives to Academia: Opportunities Research based Industries Tangible applications; structured careers Chemical Pharmaceutical Biotech Medical Devices Materials Science Engineering Software Consumer goods Public/industry Large, medium/small and start-up companies
Finding Alternatives to Academia: Industry Self-assessment Motivations, Skills, Values Action Applications, interviews Opportunities exploring, creating Matching Decisions (Plan A and B, C) The at Stuart House
Finding Alternatives to Academia: Opportunities Hands off How close do you want to be to your Subject What skills would you like to use?
Skills of Postdocs Problem solving Data handling Analytical skills Creativity Research skills Project management Report writing Presenting Teaching/training Teamwork Idea generation/tangible implementation (Entrepreneurship) Passion Independence Curiosity Flexibility/ ready to learn Persistence Coping with no/few results Stamina Patience Not afraid of the unknown/risk. Persuasion Cultural awareness.
What s the Alternative? BSc Msc PhD PostDocs Lectureship Research Research in Industry or Elsewhere Away from the bench Alternative Careers Science Communication Science Policy Consultancy Finance Regulatory Affairs Teaching Patent law Clinical Trials IT 0 3 5 8 12 16 Sales/Marketing/Medical rep Technical Support Technology Transfer Diplomacy/international relations Research Management and Administration many more Years
Non-research Careers - Cambridge Science Communication: Media Relations Officer, Royal Society of Chemistry Audio Manager Cancer Back-up Public Relations & Outreach, Babraham Institute News editor, Journal Experimental Biology Science Editing: Editor, Science Magazine Science Policy: Adviser, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Academic Related Work: Partnership Development Manager, Research Services Division, University of Cambridge Scientific Administrator, University of Cambridge Entreprenuership Materials Graduate science School nanotech of Life Sciences Gourmet butcher s shop Regulatory Affairs: Regulatory Officer, Mundipharma Research Ltd Patent Law: Patent Attorney, D Young &Co Patent Assistant, Keltie Technology Transfer: Life Science Manager, Cambridge Enterprise Consultancy: Technology Consultant, The Technology Partnership Associate, LEK Consultancy Operational Research: Researcher, Department for Work and Pensions Finance: Quantitative Risk, Credit Suisse Audio files and slides available at www.careers.cam.ac.uk
Destinations of Cambridge postdocs Top 5 non-research destinations 1) Science Communication 2) Consultancy 3) Science Policy 4) Patent /legal work 5) Teaching (non HE)
Finding Alternatives to Academia: Non research Self-assessment Motivations, Skills, Values Action Applications, interviews Opportunities exploring, creating Matching Decisions (Plan A and B, C) The at Stuart House
Career Management for MCFs Career management: Why plan? Planning route A, and route B... Keep in touch with your home institution
Making the most of your MCF
Enjoy Your MCF hhhjuiu
What is Important to Me about My Paid Work? Very Important Important Quite Important Of Some Importance Not Important Location of work Long term Security Status of profession Variety Helping society Being Near Your Subject Being An Expert Salary level Independence Working in a team