I'm a Researcher, What Next?
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.
For more information
| Self-Reflection & Generating Ideas for STEM Researchers Thursday 12th June 2025, 14.00-16.00, West Hub |
| 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. |
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.
Concrete solutions: pioneering sustainability in engineering.
Dr. Liz Zijing Li shares her journey from academic research at Cambridge to founding Mimicrete, a startup transforming concrete with self-healing technology. She reflects on sustainability, leadership, and innovation in infrastructure.
Navigating the transition from academia into a meaningful career in healthcare
Eleanor Atkinson, a Senior Analyst at Costello Medical, shares how her academic skills and experiences helped her to transition into a meaningful career in medical consulting.