10 types of research job you could use your PhD for

We were chatting to a University doctoral school the other day about how the academic system accidentally teaches PhD students that there is only one type of researcher: the university academic. And it’s a shock when doubts creep in that you don’t want to take this path, or you might but also you could explore 15 other things (someone just tell me which!), or worst of all, are eaten with worry that you’re not “good enough” to be an academic. It’s a shock because no one has told you that there’s another way.

Okay, take a deep breath. Try to visualise those three or four years of academic hegemony as a pink cloud in your brain. Now breathe it out. Imagine the vapour squeezing out your nose and ears before it reforms as a pink cloud above you. Then make it float off, out the window. Poof. Now keep still, another deep breath in, and on that breath inhale the friendly voices from policy, charity, science communication, professional services, market research, teaching, industry, government, etc etc.  They're saying, "we want youuuuu. " Pick one in turn, hold it in your mind, and consider, would you like to apply your skills there? It might be that you do love the progression of a niche knowledge available in academia, and that’s fine. We need academics! But if you’re curious about others, then read on:

1. Policy researcher: Working as a team your role would be to generate and synthesise evidence to help governments and public bodies make informed decisions. They translate complex research into practical recommendations that shape policies affecting thousands or even millions of people. Check out the civil service job site, the Health Foundation , an independent charitable organisation producing evidence and reports to guide a healthier UK, or the Runnymede trust generating research to fight for racial justice.

   
   

2. Charity researcher: Researchers with quant, qual or mixed method skills work within charities to understand the needs of their audience, evaluate programmes, demonstrate impact and improve services. This job might sometimes be called insights manager or evaluation officer. As independent researchers we often collaborate with the person in this role when the charity requires an objective evaluation. Have a look at charities such as Macmillan, Crohn’s & Colitis UK or find charities which match your passion or operate in your local area.

   
   

3. Industry researcher: Not working in industry we can’t give the best summary of this one.. but we know they exist! We have conducted user research for health start-ups (mostly apps); they appreciate the robust methods to demonstrate whether something works! In this role you’d be answering commercial questions or generating the evidence behind health, environmental or technological claims. You might be developing new products or testing interventions yourself, or at one remove, maybe managing the partnerships (ahem customers), or project or programme managing. One of our old clients (himself a Pharmacology PhD) who we met working in charity, now leads a programme for C-Further, a consortium creating new Cancer treatments for children. One good example of sector-crossing!

   
   

4. Market researcher: Market research is the one that we think we’ve most misunderstood all these years. It’s not just for selling. It could be researching barriers to active travel, testing public attitudes towards vaccination or understanding food choices in low-income communities. The surveys, interviews and behavioural studies required are conducted by people with impressive data science or deep qualitative skills, working more practically than in academia. But hey, good quality research is still needed to improve products. We have a friend who works with the public developing new bread products for Warburtons and she loves it! The MRS offers a whole directory if you fancy a browse.  

   
   

5. The science or research communicator: Bridge the gap between research and the public through writing, broadcasting, exhibitions, social media, podcasts and public engagement. Alzheimer’s UK has a job opening right now in research communications. If you loved doing your 3minute thesis and designing conference posters this might be for you. Another avenue is a focused medical comms firm, supporting scientists or healthcare professionals to craft effective patient information, medical education or scientific congress, such as Costello medical or YHEC.  

   
   

6. Research professional services: The professional services teams at our old Universities worked so seamlessly to support research or doctoral training that we didn’t even know they were doing it. These roles are meaty and varied: tackling professional or research development, impact, ethics, funding, partnerships or knowledge exchange. Without them research couldn’t happen. Have a look at what your university offers, e.g. this page at Salford or UCL and go have a chat with them. It’s an opportunity to use everything you know about how research happens or what its like being a PhD student, to help others thrive.

   
   

7. Teacher or lecturer: While more research-adjacent, you could use your subject matter expertise and passion to inspire and develop others, whether in schools, colleges or universities. You might have already been teaching, supervising or facilitating during your PhD. If not, ask around in your department for any opportunites coming up, paid, volunteering or mentoring. If you enjoy helping other people learn, look for teaching qualifications (such as Advance HE or PGCert routes), or roles where education is central. We have a friend who is a high school chemistry teacher after her PhD and it’s clearly hard, but she loves how every day someone makes her laugh.

   
   

8. Public involvement specialist: This is such a rewarding space to work in. Public involvement specialists ensure that research is shaped by the people it is intended to benefit, which is both ethically good practice and makes research more relevant and impactful. They work with patients, community members and the public to involve them in designing research questions, developing materials, interpreting findings and deciding how results are shared. Roles can be found within universities, the NHS, charities, local government, and research funders (have a look at this blog by a client of ours at ADR UK. Not everyone likes talking to new people but if you do then use that talent!

   
   

9. Research manager: Think of this like the captain of the ship. They may not have set the research agenda but they're coordinating the projects from start to finish, bringing together researchers, partners and stakeholders to ensure studies are delivered on time and to a high standard. The research manager of our PhD unit wrote papers describing the study and contributed to other's work streams, as well as a nice variety of overseeing funding applications, ethics, governance, contracts, budgets, recruitment, data collection and reporting. while supporting our team to overcome challenges.

   
   

10. The independent researcher or consultant: That’s us! We work in a team, but we have many peers in our Mighty Mini Research Collective designing and delivering discrete research projects and evaluations by themselves. While we tend to apply for projects in our field (for us, wellbeing and health), every project is different, offering variety and the opportunity to see research translated into action so much faster than in academia. Reach out for a mentoring chat or join one of our training courses if you want to learn more.

If you want more careers advice or are curious about what consulting involves then sign up for our Thursday morning mentoring (slots available from September) or our short course or 12 week training.