A collection of profiles of people who have made the transition from academia to industry.
Explore a collection of profiles from researchers pursuing careers beyond academia.
This website is edited by a group of DPhil students and researchers connected to Oxford University.
See how you can contribute to the Research Careers: Options Beyond Academia project.
Such diversity in potential roles can prove challenging when exploring your options. This collection of career profiles enables you to see what others in your position chose to do, why and how they made the move, and what they most enjoy about their job. You will get a feel for their daily activities, workplace culture and work-life balance.Top tip: Look out for authors’ insights into which skills developed during or after their PhD proved helpful in getting their job, and performing well there. You’ll be encouraged to see how people are building on their research expertise to thrive in newer roles.And don’t miss the “employer bio” at the end of each career profile for careers opportunities in each organisation.
Lots of tech companies are looking for people with creative skillsets – there are many ways people from a humanities background can get involved!
Take the risk! The worst thing that can happen is you go back to academia with a (relative) wealth of industry experience – especially compared to your colleagues. The best thing that could happen is you find a full-filling career.
I feel very fortunate to have done a year in industry placement as an undergraduate – it nudged me towards research projects with an applied focus from the very start.
I have always tried to understand what really motivates me and “gets me out of bed” in order to steer my decisions in that direction. It is also about taking opportunities that come by and sometimes taking a leap of faith
You’re never going to have an epiphany about what to do next. You just have to pick something and try it.
Be like a cat. Cats don’t have imposter syndrome; each cat believes it’s the most special cat in the world. If you’re doing a PhD, be a cat.
changing career path is not a failure, it is using your skills and knowledge to align yourself with your current needs and expectations.
I’m getting to see the technology that I invented move from academia towards the clinic. The further I get down this process the more I can see the end result and it’s an exciting thing to observe.
Trust the process, be patient, trust yourself, there are always possibilities even when we stop seeing them
Use contacts to get advice and explore options. I wish I’d spoken to more people when I first applied for a medical degree as the advice I got was invaluable
Stay curious. Don’t just read your pages of Nature, read the whole thing. Appreciate the links between your field and other fields. I think this is a really important point if you’re ever looking to move beyond your research area.
I wouldn’t necessarily change anything. I did what made sense for me at each career stage.
The views and opinions expressed in these profiles are those of the individual writer and not of the editorial team, the Careers Service, or other members of the University of Oxford.
If you’re a DPhil student or member of research staff at the University of Oxford, you can join the editorial team! Please contact us to find out more.
