National Postdoctoral Association

The following lists of potential career options for those with PhD are far from exhaustive. Increasingly PhDs are found in a wide range of job sectors.  A good approach for learning about any sector not listed here is to start informational interviewing individuals in those jobs. Also, a nice general source on non-academic career options is the ScienceCareers booklet: Career Trends: Careers Away from the Bench.

Job Sectors

Academia/Teaching

The links below provide insight into the skills needed to advance in an academic career.

• Chronicle of Higher Education
• Inside Higher Education
• Diverse Issues in Higher Education
• AAUP
• PhDs.org Academic Career
• NSF: Employment Statistics Following the Postdoctorate Experience
• Career Outlook for Researchers in Academia
• Professor of Desperation (washingtonpost.com)

One way to get teaching experience prior to obtaining a faculty position is through Postdoctoral Teaching Fellowships.

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

"Physicians stay abreast of new developments, drugs and treatments through Continuing Medical Education, led by trained representatives of pharmaceutical companies or by academic institutions. To ensure that these programs remain unbiased, the Accreditation Council for CME (ACCME) maintains records on all accredited CME providers. The AACME provides a list of current providers. Contact the individual providers in your area or the ACCME for course openings.

Science Policy

Science policy analysts or program officers manage programs, write grants, conduct research and serve as an expert resource to policy-makers. Science policy fellowships include:

• AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships
• National Academies' Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program
• Presidential Management Internship
• Check out ScienceCareers.org for other opportunities

Science Writing

Science writers may write for specialty publications, for industry groups, or for the general public. Gain experience by volunteering for the university news, publications, public relations or alumni relations office, or by volunteering to write articles for your professional organization. Graduate writing programs are offered by:

• University of California at Santa Cruz
• New York University
• Boston University
• MIT
• Resources for science writers

Medical Information Scientist/Medical Liaison Scientist

Medical information scientists provide scientific education to physicians, educate pharmaceutical sales forces, and work with clinical development teams on study protocol, design and submission. To research jobs, perform an Internet search for "medical information", "medical liaison" or "scientific liaison", or visit the Medical Science Liaison website at http://www.mslinstitute.com/.

Desired skills for medical information scientists include:

• Clinical experience (research and/or patient experience)
• Strong communication skills
• Strong presentation/public speaking skills
• Time/project management skills

Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, Patenting, and Legal Opportunities

Science, law, and business come together in the area of tech transfer. For more information, visit:

• Technology Transfer Center
• Association of University Technology Transfer Managers (AUTM)
• Licensing Executives Society (LES)
• NIH Office of Technology Transfer

Research Support or Grant Administration (RSA)

Research support and grant administration provide invaluable help to scientists in the pursuit of research funding. The following are links to articles about and information on careers in research support.

• Careers in Research Support
• Working as a Program Officer
• Society for Research Administrators
• National Grants Management Association

Bioethics

As new technologies emerge with new questions, the issue of bioethics continues to present itself as an important concern. Scientists can play in important role in the dialogue between researchers and the public. The following links can provide further information on this field.

• Living the Issue
• Bioethicist's Work Bridges Science, Law, and Religion
• American Society for Bioethics and Humanities
• Bioethics Resources on the Web
• Building a Career in Bioethics
• Bioethics as a Career

Science Librarian

Science librarians are usually found in academic institutions and help decide on the library’s collection and manage budgets and assist scientists in information searchers, in addition to a host of other duties. Here are some links that can give more information on careers as a science librarian.

• Looking Up Your Career at the Library
• What Do Librarians Do?
• Medical Library Association
• Salary and Demand for Librarians

Entrepreneur

Postdocs are known for being innovators, so it is not surprise that this extends to entrepreneurial opportunities.

• Kauffman Foundation Postdoctoral Entrepreneur Awards
• Kauffman Foundation Entrepreneur Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology
• Innovation Science
• Personal Experience from PhD
• From PDF to PDO, One Scientist’s Journey
• The Most Important Venture Capitalist
• Opportunities Series with Peter Fiske