Founder of The Brilliant Club is speaking at Queen Mary April 18, 2012
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Following on from my last post about The Brilliant Club, we have secured a date for the founder of the organisation to come and tell Queen Mary PhDs more about the scheme, how it works and how to apply.
Jonathan Sobczyk is coming to talk on Tuesday 24th May at 17.30 in Francis Bancroft 1.13 (Mile End).
Book a place on The Learning Institute Course Booking System using code RC302.
Doctoral Transitions. The first in a series of PhD alumni events. March 24, 2012
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Thursday night saw the launch of the first in a series of events attended by Queen Mary PhD alumni. Five Queen Mary alumni, all of whom had done PhDs and/or postdocs at Queen Mary, talked about their journey into a variety of roles beyond academia. See here for details.
The event was attended by almost 100 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from the faculties of Science and Engineering and the School of Medicine and Dentistry. This was a great turnout and there were lots of interesting questions for the panelists.
All the alumni talked about their reasons for pursuing careers beyond academic research, how and when they made the decision to leave academia and how their current work differs from their PhD/postdoctoral work.
Some of the alumni talked about the ‘client facing’ nature of their current roles and how this required them to further develop their time management skills in order meet client deadlines. Many of the alumni advised current researchers to become involved in a range of activities beyond their research to develop the ‘soft’ skills that will be invaluable in their future career….academic or not!
All attendees were given booklets containing the speakers’ profiles. These will soon be available in the alumni career profiles at the top of this blog.
The next event in May (date to be confirmed) is for Humanities and Social Science Researchers at Queen Mary. Check your emails and subscribe to this blog for details.
Doctoral Transitions: First in a Series of New Careers Events for QM Researchers March 1, 2012
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QM Careers is about to run the first in a series of events entitled ‘Doctoral Transitions’ which focuses on the process of making a career change from academia into roles beyond university research. The evening is aimed at PhD Students and Postdoctoral Researchers from Science and Engineering and the School of Medicine and Dentistry. The event details are:
Doctoral Transitions: Careers beyond academia for STEM researchers
Thursday 22nd March, 17.30 – 19.30, Francis Bancroft, FB 1.15
There will be five speakers, all of whom have spent time as researchers at Queen Mary and moved into a variety of roles within a number of organisations. They will all be giving fifteen minute talks about their role and how they made the transition from academia to their current job. Some of the speakers will stay after the talks for informal networking. The line-up for the evening is:
Dr. Philip Howard
Role: Modeller for The Environment
Organisation: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH)
PhD, Royal Holloway, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Mathematical Science, Queen Mary University of London
Dr. Samuel Pachoud
Role: Management Consultant
Organisation: Ernst and Young
PhD, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London
Dr. Vilma Graupner
Role: Senior Medical Writer
Organisation: Health Interactions
PhD, Biology, University of Düsseldorf. Postdoctoral Research Assistant, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London
Dr. Helen Groombridge
Role: Senior Scientist – Chemistry
Organisation: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (dstl)
PhD, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London
Dr. Gioia Cherubini
Role: Business Development
Organisation: Queen Mary University of London
PhD, Genetics Universita degil Studi Roma ‘La Sapienza. Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London
TO BOOK A PLACE: Go to the course booking system and use the course code RC301 in the course code box.
Careers Fair for Science PhDs and Postdocs August 4, 2010
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There are not many Careers Fairs specifically for PhD students and postdocs working in Science but this is one and it is happening in September. The Naturejobs Career Expo, formerly called The Source Event, is the UK’s largest Career Fair and conference and attracts over 1000 UK and European scientists in physics, chemistry, the life sciences and medical sciences. Go the website to find out more and look at the podcasts from previous years!
Physical Science Adviser (House of Commons)£34,643 – £42,401+ excellent benefits July 27, 2010
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I do not usually write posts about specific job vacancies, but this type of post does not come up that often. It may appeal to many of you that read my posts .
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) is seeking an adviser to work in the area of physical sciences, IT and communications. Working as part of a small team, you will play a key role in providing parliamentarians with objective information on a wide range of policy relevant issues in this area. Your main duties will include researching and writing briefing papers, assisting parliamentary select committees, and delivering a programme of events for MPs and Peers. Recent examples of topics handled include ICT and greenhouse gas emissions, next generation broadband access, space debris and aircraft noise.
You will need a good degree in physical sciences or IT, plus either a postgraduate qualification or work experience in science policy or science communication. You will also need a proven ability to communicate technical information to a lay audience.
Click here for more details. The closing date is 18th August so hurry!
A week at Cumberland Lodge June 11, 2010
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If you are a PhD student that is beginning to wonder what life holds for you after your PhD, then think about a week at Cumberland Lodge to contemplate the issue!! The fee is £200 for the week.
The conference is a celebration of the postgraduate research culture in the UK. It gives postgraduate students the opportunity to reflect on where their careers are headed and to develop the career skills that are essential whichever career they choose. All student participants will be expected to give a twenty-minute presentation on their research; pitched at non-specialists. It will also be an occasion for academics and others to reflect on their role in guiding students into the employment market.
Click here for more information and registration form.
Science and Policy March 31, 2010
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Stacy Gladman and colleagues at the Blizzard Institute of Cell and Molecular Science (BICMS) continue to organise some great careers talks at The Innovation Centre, WhiteChapel. This months talk was given by Dr. Kirsty Newman from INSAP and was called ‘Evidence Informed Policy Making.’ Click here to access the talk.
Kirsty pointed out that there is sometimes confusion about science policy and what this means. There are loosely two areas in science and policy:
Policy for research: this is the policy that governs how science is done, how it is funded, regulated etc. An example of this would be working for a research council such as EPSRC.
Research-informed policy: this is when science results are used to decide on policy decisions. An example of this would be working for the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST).
I often suggest to researchers that they have a look on the research council websites (try RCUK for a list of research councils) for positions related to policy for research. Also try jobs.ac.uk, New Scientist Jobs, The Wellcome Trust and charities such as Cancer Research UK.
With regards to finding employment in research informed policy, this is slightly different. Many people have a PhD/postdoctoral experience in a science or technology subject. Some people may have done an internship/placement within a relevant organisation. The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) offer fellowship schemes through the research councils that provide the funding for PhDS and postdocs. Click here for more information. The Royal Society also have an internship scheme (2-3 months) and are looking to fill places between April and December 2010. Click here for more information. Although not specifically for people with PhDs, it may be one way to get a foot in the door!
Some other useful websites are shown below:
The Royal Society Science Policy Centre
How to get a job in science policy (THE article. Is from 1998 so a bit old but still useful!)
Careers Event February 11, 2010
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On Thursday 4th March, London Biotechnology Network (LBN) is hosting a Careers Event at Queen Mary Innovations Centre, WhiteChapel. It is called ‘Careers in Life Sciences: Bench and Business.’ It starts at 13.00 and finishes at 18.00.
As well as speakers talking about different careers, the idea is raise awareness of some of the issue that employers expect researchers to know about e.g. the drug discovery process, industry trends and pressures, international perspectives and business awareness.
For more details and to book click on the link below.
LBN Career Track free seminar Queen Mary University 4th March 2010 (13 00-18 00hrs)
Working in Clinical Trials January 18, 2010
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Last week I attended a careers talk given by Ian Gravenor, Senior Project Manager at Novo Nordisk Ltd. Ian has a degree in Microbiology, a PhD in immunology and did two postdoctoral positions before entering industry.
Ian discussed the different phases of clinical trials and how it is important to understand what these are if you would like to work in this area. Sounds obvious, but he suggested than many people at interviews do not know about the different phases of drug trials.
He listed the different roles within clinical trials which are:
Clinical Trials Administrator (CTA): This role often involves a lot of travel and the CTA represents the face of the company interacting with doctors and nurses at all the hospitals where the trial is being conducted. They have access to patient notes and need to ensure that the case report forms coincide with the patient’s hospital case notes.
Clinical Research Associate (CRA): A CRA sets up, monitors and completes clinical trials.
Project Manager: The project manager ensures that the trial runs within budget and that various milestones are met. They are responsible for looking after the CTAs and liaising with ethics departments. A project manager needs to be a good problem solver, flexible and have good communication skills.
Auditors: These are the policemen of the team and ensure that procedures are being followed.
Medical Writers: These people write up all the results, safety data etc for reports.
Regulatory Affairs: Regulatory affairs officers ensure the appropriate licensing, marketing and legal compliance of pharmaceutical and medical products.
There also roles for medics and health economists as well as roles in marketing and business development.
Ian said that it is very difficult to ‘break into’ clinical trials without any experience but it is possible. Here are the tips that he gave:
Tips on Getting in
- Learn about Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and the various phases of a clinical trial. Be aware of documents such as ‘The Declaration of Helsinki.’ Look at websites such as Institute of Clinical Research and Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
- Think about joining professional bodies like the Institute of Clinical Research (ICR). Look at their site and keep up to date with what is happening. Joining such bodies illustrates a genuine interest in the field.
- Send out speculative letters and CVs to companies. You may have to be persistent and thick-skinned as this is not always immediately successful. Make sure your CV and covering letters are free of errors especially as CRAs are expected to have an eye for detail.
- Sign up with agencies that deal with clinical trials.
- Be flexible. You may have to start out as a CTA in order to become established in the field.
- Speak to people working in the industry to build your network. It is often easier to get into the industry if you know someone and your CV lands on the right desk!
- Think about working in a Contract Research Organisation (CRO) rather than just focussing on big pharmaceutical companies. CROs can be more fast-moving than bigger pharmaceuticals but you may get a broader range of experiences in a shorter space of time.
So, the same careers advice as usual really. Do some thorough research into the area, speak to as many people as possible in the field, do a great CV and circulate it to as many people as possible (in the relevant field, if you can), be flexible and be keep trying!
