Careers for Physicists Dr Claire Conway Careers Adviser

Careers for Physicists Dr Claire Conway Careers Adviser for Researchers

UK employment of Physics Ph. Ds graduating between 2003 and 2007 2

Using your subject directly • In academic institutions • In research institutes or agency/government laboratories • In large industries • In small companies 3

Using your subject indirectly • • • Science consulting and market research Science policy SCIENCE ALTERNATIVES Science administration Career briefing Science communication www. careers. ox. ac. uk/st Science publishing udents/occupations/ Technology transfer Intellectual property and patents Manufacturing Technical sales and marketing…. . and many 4

Moving away from science DPhil – many transferable skills. These probably include: • Problem solving skills • Analytical skills • Time and project management skills • Numerical ability • IT skills • Communication skills, e. g. , presentation • Drive, determination and perseverance • Attention to detail 5

Professional institutions can be great sources of information (and inspiration) • Institute of Physics www. iop. org. uk • Royal Astronomical Society www. ras. org. uk • Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine www. ipem. org. uk • European Physical Society www. eps. org • American Institute of Physics www. aip. org 6

Institute of Physics www. iop. org. uk > careers 7

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Examples months – all seeking Physics Ph. Ds advertised in last 2 • Laser Scientist, Radiantis (Spain) • Scientist, Siemens Magnet Technology • Graduate Development Programme, EADS Astrium • Physicist, Ballracing Developments (motorsport simulation) • R & D, Samsung Electronics 9

Other jobs websites for Physicists www. brightrecruits. com (from the Institute of Physics) www. newscientistjobs. com www. jobsinscience. com http: //tiptop. iop. org/ (“dynamic jobs list for physicists”) http: //www. phdjobs. com/ sciencecareers. sciencemag. org (US and international jobs from the journal Science) www. aps. org/careers/ (from the American Physical Society) 10

Occupations – Finding Information • www. prospects. ac. uk -Occupational profiles -Prospects Planner – careers guidance system • Careers Service -Career briefings -Occupational files • ‘What do Ph. Ds do? ’ - www. vitae. ac. uk • Review job advertisements • Professional associations – e. g. , IOP • Talk to people (networking)

Resources for moving forwards – Careers Service • www. careers. ox. ac. uk • Section specifically for DPhil students • Information Room • Reference and take away materials • Talks and presentations – occupational, employer and careers skills • Workshop • Future Focus – careers skills workshop for DPhil students • Careers discussions • ~15/45 mins • Plan/structure your approach, identify options, CV feedback, interview preparation

Resources for moving forwards – websites • www. skillsportal. ox. ac. uk • www. apprise. ox. ac. uk • www. prospects. ac. uk • www. vitae. ac. uk