PhD Resources > Options Outside Academia > Sciences & Engineering

PhD Students - Career Options Outside Academia

Sciences and Engineering

The sites listed below offer career and job search information, along with a range of narratives written by people with advanced degrees in the sciences and engineering who either have, or are in the process of making a transition to work outside of academia. Once you have identified one or more specific areas of interest, constructing an effective job search strategy becomes much easier.

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DICE.com. claims to be "the leading career website for technology and engineering professionals, and the companies that seek to employ them, in the United States." A site designed for the specific needs of technology professionals, Dice.com features a highly targeted job search engine, resume posting, career advice and resources, a career discussion forum, salary information and more.

SCIENCE CAREERS.ORG: ScienceCareers.org's Nextwave is the most comprehensive PhD career development website out there. Of particular use is the Career Transitions section which contains over three hundred narratives of junior scientists making the shift from academia to the business, government, or non-profit sector. Some of the articles are quite extensive, and they cover a range of opportunities including Biomedical Engineering, Science Journalism & Technical Writing, Scientific Entrepreneurship, Nanotechnology, Market Analysts, Policy Wonks, Biomaterials, Environmental Science. Consulting, etc. Many sections of Nextwave are available by subscription only.

BIOSPACE.COM: A comprehensive, commercial site that bills itself as "the global hubsite for the life sciences," BioSpace.com contains an impressive array of scientific and business-related information that is updated on a daily basis. For job listings, go to the BioSpaceJobs Career Center where listings can be searched by location. Also on the Career Center page, scroll down to the bottom for resources including Career Profiles, Salary Calculator, Interviewing Tips, Job Assessor, and more.

HOW TO LEAVE PHYSICS: After earning a PhD at Cornell and doing a couple of years of post-doctoral research, Jennifer Hodgdon left academia to work for Goldman, Sachs & Co. as a Strategist in commodities trading. Two years later she left Wall Street, worked as Software Consultant, and is now a Research Scientist at MathSoft, a company that makes mathematical and statistical software. This site describes her experiences and the lessons she's learned.

NEWSCIENTIST JOBS: NewScientist Jobs offers a database of current scientific, technological and academic vacancies. Search positions by region. The regions include US/Canada, UK/Europe and Australasia.

PHDS.ORG: A list of career resources for science, math, and engineering students. It includes a career guide and information on postgraduate life and finding a job.

CAREERS IN LAW FOR SCIENTISTS: This website links you to information on combining your scientific knowledge with intellectual property law.

Opportunities in Technology and Law: An article from Franklin Pierce Law Center, discussing the many legally-related job opportunities for people with technical training, whether they be engineers, physicians or scientists.

American Intellectual Property Law Association: The AIPLA is a 16,000 member, national bar association constituted primarily of intellectual property lawyers in private & corporate practice, in government service, and in the academic community.

INTERNATIONAL BIOPHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION: IBPA brings together institutions and organizations from different countries around common concerns and collaborates with various international, regional and national bodies in biopharmaceutical industry.

SINO-AMERICAN PHARMECEUTICAL PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION: One of the key objectives of this association is to foster the career growth of pharmaceutical professionals and to promote scientific exchange and business cooperation between US and China.

PUBLISH AND PERISH: Guide to On-Line Employment and Career Links for the Biomedical Scientists (good information for PhD's in other fields).

The Scientist News Journal for the Life Scientist: Job listings include biomedical industry positions.

CanBiotech: Consists of jobs, company directories, useful research and business development links, industry specific news, industry specific events and much more.

Hirehealth.com: A commercial website with pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical job listings that allows job seekers to submit resumes directly to employers.

Omniomix: Profiles of biotech firms in many locations including San Diego, San Francisco, LA, DC, and more. Includes links to job listings.

Biotechfind Search Engine: BiotechFind.com is a directory of international links covering the fields of biotechnologies and including a Biotechnology Career Center.

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY: Environmental Jobs and Careers.

Environmental Organization Web Directory: This site bills itself as “ Earth's Biggest Environment Search Engine.”

EnviroExpo: A conference for professionals in construction, industry, and government responsible for environmental cleanup, compliance, remediation, and quality.

National Association of Science Writers: For those interested in science journalism.

Society for Technical Communications : Another site for science journalism.

If you have any questions, contact our Assistant Director for Graduate Student Career Services, Rosanne Ecker. Email Rosanne or call 443-3616 to arrange an appointment with her.