Chhavi Mathur
Consultant at Independent/FreelanceI wanted to be a bridge between science and society. I wanted a better balance between scholarly and artistic work in my life.
I wanted to be a bridge between science and society. I wanted a better balance between scholarly and artistic work in my life.
Do informational interviews, they can be very helpful. Use your network to look for opportunities and learn about options.
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.
You’re never going to have an epiphany about what to do next. You just have to pick something and try it.
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.
Yes, I felt pretty confident overall. I enjoyed my PhD and felt it equipped me well for any intellectual challenges that other roles might throw at me.
There are a lot of amazing opportunities outside of academia and leaving does not mean you have ‘given up or failed’.
There are careers in science beyond the lab! If you enjoy learning and communicating about science then Medical Writing is certainly an option to consider.