Your Career

As you set out on an exciting, new and future-proof career in the life sciences, you will learn a lot about yourself; about your past, your present and ultimately about your future.  This repository is meant to inspire you, to give you ideas, to make you aware of all the things you can do – at work, at home, in your free time – to bring your goals within easy reach. Because there is much you can do without our help. Do not procrastinate any longer and start taking charge of your future today. PCDI is here to support you beyond the bench in every step of the way:

You want to pursue a career in academic research...

Your success and probability to become a principle investigator/team leader heavily depends on your publication record and grants/fellowships obtained. But take a minute to reflect what makes a PI a good academic. Sure, it is important to know techniques and acquire knowledge on your research topic. But what about knowing how to network and establish collaborations, present yourself and sell your work, manage people, assure the development of your researchers, being able to see opportunities to make knowledge available to society, acquire knowledge on intellectual property, develop a vision on research policy? The development of these skills should not be neglected!

What to do now to develop these skills to stand out of the crowd and increase your chances in academia? Read more...

You prefer to continue your career outside academia...

You had a good time doing research in academia, but prefer to do research outside academia or make a side-step to a science-related job. Do not underestimate the number of transferable skills you acquired during your PhD and/or postdoc. It is however important to find out what skills are demanded for the job you aspire. PCDI activities provide you the opportunity to learn about the requirements of non-academic employers. Identified a skill gap? Well then it is about time to tackle that.

You are not sure yet what to do next...

Probably you are very familiar with careers within academia, but in order to make a well-informed choice, you feel you should gain insight into the possibilities you have. This is however easier said than done, as there is such a variety of possible functions for PhDs. Browse our role-models to start your orientation, meet PhDs from different organisations at PCDI activities, network with other young researchers and start to explore the world of Life Sciences today!

Boost your career prospects The fastest way to the future begins in your own past. There's no doubt you know a lot about the life sciences. You've completed a PhD and worked in one or more postdoc positions, perhaps. But throughout this time you've learned so much more. You've had to manage your own research, meet deadlines, submit grant applications. These skills will be useful in all your future employment, hence we call them 'transferable skills'. Find out more...	Move beyond your current position As soon as you know what you can, you need to find out what you want. Even though you are a highly trained and specialised life scientists there's still a wealth of possibilities for someone with your capacities. Those possibilities extend well beyond academia. It's important that you find out what makes your clock tick. You're still at start of your professional career, so take some time to find out what you want. Find out more...	Role models You are a scientist, and a pioneering spirit is important to you. But why go at it alone? Thousands of researchers have faced the same dilemmas in the past. Their experiences can inspire you to follow in their footsteps or encourage you to carve out your own career path to the future. If you take away just one thing from their accounts, then let it be that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to your career dilemmas. Find out more...