Join us for a series of events for PhDs and Postdocs to support you to explore what you want from your next career step.
A series of events for PhDs and Postdocs to support you to consider what you want from your next career step and to explore a wide range of career options. Careers Service workshops and employer sessions will take place between April – June. We also highlight opportunities to explore careers via Department and Society events.
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Navigating Career Change for Postdocs - Career Essentials for Researchers |
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As a postdoc, you may be pursuing an academic career while also wondering what options lie beyond academia. In this interactive virtual workshop, we will:
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| Getting Started with Career Planning for PhDs
Thursday 8 May 2025, 13.00-14.00, online |
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In this interactive workshop we'll help you to get started with thinking about your next steps post-PhD. We'll appraise the breadth of career options for PhDs, discuss the context in which you're thinking about your future career options and the implications for your career planning. Finally, we will introduce you to tools and approaches to work out what you want and highlight a range of resources and opportunities in Cambridge to help you explore your options and take charge of your career. |
| Navigating Career Change for Biomedical Campus Postdocs Wednesday 14 May 2025, 12.30-13.30, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Biomedical Campus |
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The career options for postdocs are broader than academia, but deciding whether to pursue an academic career or choosing something new can be challenging when there are so many possibilities. In this interactive in-person workshop, we will help you explore what it really means to be a researcher, introduce you to tools and approaches to work out what you want and consider how to plan your time effectively to achieve your goals. We will also highlight the range of resources and opportunities in Cambridge to help you explore your options and take charge of your career. |
| Self-Reflection & Generating Ideas for STEM Researchers
Thursday 15 May 2025, 14.00-16.00, Student Services Centre |
| Specifically for STEM-based researchers, Careers Consultants Sonali Shukla & Beka Kimberley will guide you through a range of approaches and tools to help you get closer to what matters to you, and how that can be used to formulate or refine ideas. |
| Self-Reflection & Generating Ideas for AHSS Researchers
Monday 19 May 2025, 12:30 - 14:00, Careers Service Seminar Room (B201) - Student Services Centre (SSC) Bene't Street |
| Have you been thinking about what you might do after your postdoc or PhD, but are not quite sure where to start? This is a workshop specifically for AHSS postdocs and PhDs who are contemplating their career direction or how to formulate and refine their ideas – for those who are considering options outside academia, and for those who are evaluating whether the next steps in the academic career path are right for them. Careers Consultant Diane Caldwell will guide you with some practical tools and approaches to work out what is most important to you in a job and where your skills and interests lie. |
| Recognising Your Skills as a Researcher
Tuesday 20 May 2025, 15.00-17.00, Student Services Centre |
| Join us for this workshop designed for early career researchers aiming to identify their skills. In this interactive session, we will use practical exercises and tools to objectively identify your diverse skill set from subject knowledge, to research skills and techniques, to analytical skills to communication skills and project management skills. |
| Applications for Non-Research Roles - Career Essentials for Researchers
Wednesday 21 May 2025, 12.30-13.30, online |
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In this interactive workshop you will learn how to articulate the motivation for a career change. You will also use a real job advert to select evidence for transferable skills from academic research experience and additional activities. And we will talk about different CV formats. At the end, you will be ready to write a CV and Cover Letter. |
| Networking Your Way to Career Clarity for PhDs and Postdocs
Monday 2 June 2025, 12.30-14.00, online |
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Do you feel unsure about where to go next in your career? Do you often wonder what it would be like to leave academia? Or how Lecturers really balance all their responsibilities? Do you find yourself writing applications for jobs, but feel like the target institution or sector is just mysterious? These are normal career questions we hear PhDs and Postdocs discussing all the time and we know that networking is a hugely helpful resource to get you connected with answers to these questions. Yet, it’s often, the thing we least want to do when we’re managing our careers. If this sounds familiar, then join Careers Consultants Lucy Romijn and Vicki Tipton, for this online workshop. Its aim is to build your networking confidence so you can take proactive steps to connect with people who can support you with your current stage of career thinking. |
| Discovering impact: Research and Evaluation in Charity Sector
Monday 12 May 2025, 13.00-14.30, online |
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This online event seeks to introduce participants to the dynamic world of charities and voluntary organisations, demonstrating how their research and academic skills can make a meaningful impact in their local community. |
| From Research to Quant Trading
Thursday, 29 May 2025 14:00 - 15:00 BST, online |
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We will be joined by Jan Stańczuk for this career journey skills session. Jan completed his PhD in Applied Mathematics and Machine Learning at Cambridge before making the move into industry. He is currently a Quants Trader / Researcher at GSA. |
This section shares Careers-focused events for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers taking place around the University. If you would like to include your Department, Institute or College event here, please email enquiries@careers.cam.ac.uk quoting IARWN.
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You're a postdoc, What's next? Thursday 24 April 2025, 09:00 - 13:00, Maxwell Centre |
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Are you a Cambridge postdoc working on innovative research? And would you like to find out more about how your research could have impact beyond publishing? Whether through starting a company, consultancy, or licensing your IP, there are exciting ways to apply your expertise outside academia. Hear from current and former postdocs who have successfully commercialised their knowledge and research. Learn about the opportunities, challenges, and support available to help you take your next step. |
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Music Industry Careers: Professional Development Day Monday 28 April 2025, 09:30 - 16:30, West Road Concert Hall |
| Researchers interested in exploring careers in music might be interested in Professional Development Day being held by the Faculty of Music and Centre for Music Performance. Hear from mostly Cambridge music alumni, now professionals in the music industry, as they share their first-hand experiences and insights of areas such as artistic leadership and broadcasting, PR, performing arts companies, opera, festivals, start-ups and much more. You do not need to be studying music to attend, as the careers are not just for musicians, but for those with an interest in music who may be interested in finding opportunities in the sector in teaching, management, fundraising and much more. |
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Gravity x MTI Biotech Matchmaking Tuesday 29 April 2025, 17:45 - 22:30, Old Divinity School, St John’s College |
| This event will bring together biotech companies from the Cambridge ecosystem together with early-career life scientists (PhD students and postdocs) interested in careers in industry. Biotech companies will present short talks, followed by a reception/networking event. The purpose is to matchmake students/postdocs with biotech firms. |
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PhD Career Event: Clinical Trial Management – Medpace London
Thursday 8 May 8th 2025 |
| Medpace is delighted to host a Recruitment Event tailored to candidates studying or holding a PhD in Life Science. This is a rare and exciting opportunity for individuals seeking to make a switch from academia to the Clinical Trials Industry! |
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Strategising early career impact Thursday 29 May 2025, 10:00 - 12:00, Department of Social Anthropology, Mond Seminar Room |
| This workshop will provide an overview of how impact sits within the research landscape and offer time to work on participants’ own impact plans. This session is suitable for PhD students and early career researchers. Senior researchers are also welcome to attend. |
Exploring Career Possibilities
Whether you're planning your next step after your PhD or thinking about a career change, we're here to help. You may be unsure whether you’d like to progress within academia, or perhaps you’d like to start exploring a range of career possibilities, use the resources on this page to:
- Reflect on the context in which you’re exploring your next career steps including influences on your decision making
- Learn about a range of strategies to support you to explore career possibilities and make decisions
- Access resources and tools to help you take action and make informed career decisions
Explore the varied career paths of former PhDs and postdocs
Read researcher career stories and explore recent destinations of doctorate holders
Explore different sectors and the career stories of researchers on our YouTube channel
A tool developed in the US specifically for humanities and social science PhDs that provides excellent information on a wide diversity of job families that value a PhD
British Academy Career Case Studies
The case studies look at the value of high-level skills developed by doctoral study in these disciplines to the wider economy and society, and how we can better understand the pathways of postgraduate researchers from these disciplines who pursue careers beyond academia
Royal Society STEM Career Roadmap
The Royal Society STEM Research career roadmap provides a comprehensive summary of roles in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) research sector and has been designed to support current and prospective researchers to explore the range of careers available.