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.
If you love science but think that the communication part is still missing, do not hesitate. Prepare yourself in face of whatever you see as your limitations and weaknesses and go for it!
There is always the anxiety of doing something new and the fact that you sail in unknown waters. But, on the other hand, this is what you always do when you are in basic research, so there is not much difference at the end of the day.
Do it! PhDs acquire many incredibly valuable skills which are still very rare in society. (…) Do not be deterred! Your skills are rare and valuable, and your insights will be appreciated. The grass is indeed greener on the other side…
Don’t hesitate for this transition, if you really want. You do know about how to work hard and you do have all the necessary skills to do this.
I am grateful that I get to wake up every day as my own boss, able to help researchers who do want to achieve academic career success go as far as they want to.
My academic background allows me to understand the main issues related to the job and the research project, and how to offer potential solutions to that.
Understanding what really motivates me and gets me out of bed in the morning tended to steer me in the right direction and enabled me to realise my calling.
When the job is highly related to my PhD field, I’m able to ramp up faster and apply my domain knowledge to the job. When the job is less related to my PhD, self-learning and soft skills are generally useful.
My research training set me up to… Organise my time and available resources efficiently and understand the value of determination and perseverance.
My research training set me up to… be resilient!
For my students, the possibility to interact with a teacher who can tell them how science works and how it develops is really stimulating and positively challenging.
I started a process of self-awareness to understand where I could apply my skills and which were my main motivations from a personal and professional point of view.
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.
