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Is a PhD the right option for you?

Too often starry-eyed students rush into a PhD without knowing what it entails or how useful it will be. Daniel K. Sokol discusses what you need to consider before taking the plunge.

• PhD or no PhD, explore a range of exciting careers on Guardian Jobs

Embarking on a PhD is a big decision. Not only will it consume three to five years of your life but, in some UK institutions, the failure rate exceeds 40%. During that time, the 'great work' (ie the thesis) will hover above the candidate like the sword of Damocles, even in moments of supposed rest. So when students say they are thinking of doing a PhD, I ask them why.

For most jobs, a PhD is unnecessary. I, and many of my PhD friends, dropped the title soon after our release into the real world. The initial buzz of having Dr before your name dims with time, and using the title in a non-academic context exudes more than a whiff of self-importance.

People also equate the prefix with a medical degree. On a plane back from Australia one year, I heard the call dreaded by doctors and title-wielding PhDs alike: "is there a doctor on the plane?" Sensing that my knowledge of grounded theory would do little to assist the feverish passenger, my wife, a medical doctor, volunteered to save the day.

If future income is a consideration, a PhD is worth little more than a master's. According to Bernard Casey, who published a study on the economic contribution of PhDs, male PhDs earn 26% more than those who could have gone to university but did not. However, men with a master's degree earn almost as much, with a 23% increase. For women, the difference is smaller still. Variations also exist within individual disciplines. Casey concludes: "PhDs in social sciences, languages and arts do not enhance earnings significantly for either sex."

When I enrolled on my PhD, I didn't care about so distant an issue as future income. Armed with three years of funding, I cared only about my subject and pushing the frontiers of knowledge, however modestly.

Enthusiasm fills the heart of most prospective PhD students, but this enthusiasm can soon fade. The drop-out rate for PhDs is high. In the United States, only 57% of PhD students obtained their PhD 10 years after enrollment. In the humanities, the figure dropped to 49%. In my department, four of us enrolled on the PhD programme in medical ethics; two completed it. Contrary to popular belief, a PhD is not intellectually difficult but it calls for discipline and stamina.

A PhD, especially in the humanities, is a lonely affair. Days are spent alone in front of a computer. Antidotes to the common ailments known as PhD fatigue and PhD blues are, first, choosing a subject that can sustain interest for several years. Often students realise after a few months that their topic is not as gripping as initially believed. An additional consideration, when selecting a topic, is whether the choice will bolster an academic career. Some topics lie on the fringes of the field and may raise eyebrows in reviewers of articles and conference abstracts and in interviews for lectureships. An obscure PhD is also poor preparation for teaching a broad curriculum to undergraduate students.

The second antidote is choosing good supervisors. Knowledge aside, a good supervisor should be willing to devote time to the thesis. Beware the elusive professor, however stellar his or her reputation. It is worth talking to a supervisor's past or current PhD students before making your request.

Sadly, stories of disastrous PhD experiences abound. Unsupportive or bullying supervisors, lack of institutional support, late or radical changes of topic, poor advice, unfair viva voce examinations – the list of potential woes is long. So common are such problems that, after representing an aggrieved PhD student at an appeals hearing, I founded a service to help university students appeal unfair decisions. A frequent fault of students is allowing problems to grow rather than nipping them at the bud; early intervention is key. When I ask eager students their reasons for enrolling in a PhD programme, I do not seek to dissuade them. My own PhD experience, and those of countless others, was positive. Meetings with my supervisors were regular and enjoyable. The viva (or oral examination), which lasted three hours, went smoothly. Although academic jobs were scarce, I was lucky to obtain a lectureship immediately after the PhD. My thesis may even have contributed, microscopically, to the field.

Too often, however, starry-eyed students rush into a PhD program with scant knowledge of what it entails or how useful it will be in the future. The drop-out rate would be reduced, and much misery avoided, if prospective students possessed a more balanced view of the challenges, as well as the joys, of the PhD.

Daniel K. Sokol PhD is honorary senior lecturer in medical ethics at Imperial College and director of Alpha Academic Appeals

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The employment of PhD graduates in the UK: what do we know?

• 17 February 2020
• By Sally Hancock

This blog was kindly contributed by Dr Sally Hancock, Lecturer in Education at the University of York. This blog features some of her research supported by a Society for Higher Education Newer Researcher Award (reference: NR201609). The dataset was prepared for analysis by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

In recent decades, the number of PhDs awarded by universities has steadily and in some countries rapidly increased. Across the world, governments have invested in PhD education as part of a broader strategy to develop knowledge-based economies. This agenda, supported by organisations such as the OECD and World Bank, states that future national prosperity requires both the creation, application and dissemination of knowledge, and a supply of highly skilled workers.

In the UK, PhD holders are similarly valued for their ‘ vital contribution to British industrial performance and improved economic productivity ’. There has been considerable investment both in skills training to prepare PhDs for employment outside of academia and more recently, through the introduction of loans to attract more individuals to doctoral study. If the government is to achieve its ambition of increasing expenditure on research and development to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, it is estimated that a further 25,000 PhD students will need to be recruited.

The expansion in doctoral education has not been viewed positively by all. Some question whether there are already too many PhDs and ask whether there are sufficient employment opportunities outside of the academic sector. Several studies suggest that many PhD students continue to prefer academic employment , leading to harsh competition in the academic sector and frustrated ambitions. The mismatch between PhDs’ career expectations and realities has been cited as one of the factors underpinning the relatively poor mental health and wellbeing of this group.

The existing evidence on PhD employment is, however, relatively limited, as PhDs have historically received far less attention than undergraduates. Research suggests that PhD graduates enjoy both higher earnings and higher rates of skilled employment, but this varies significantly by field of study and national context. Developing a reliable evidence base for the UK context is therefore particularly important amid plans for further investment and growth. Over the last decade, reports by Vitae have demonstrated that a diminishing proportion of PhD graduates will secure academic employment. Nonetheless, there is a wealth of qualitative data which suggest the enduring preference of academic careers among PhDs, together with a reluctance to consider ‘alternative’ careers.

In an effort to better understand the outcomes of PhDs, and especially what happens to those who leave the academic sector, this new study made use of the best available data on PhD employment in the UK. These data are collected through the Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education Longitudinal Survey (Long DLHE) which records activity three-and-a-half years after graduation. While HESA does not regularly publish findings on PhD employment, DLHE data have been analysed for this purpose before, most notably by Vitae.

The dataset analysed for this study, however, was different in that it incorporated additional information on PhD holders’ academic and demographic characteristics, linked from the Student Record. Put simply, this allows PhD employment outcomes to be examined in relation to factors such as PhD subject and institution, prior qualifications, age, gender and ethnicity. In total, the dataset includes just under 5,000 UK PhD holders, who graduated in 2008/9 or 2010/11 (a response rate of 39.5 per cent)

Considering first the promises of the knowledge economy, the Long DLHE offers some optimistic indicators. PhD holders’ report higher average earnings than those with a first degree or Master’s only. However, there are notable variations in earnings by the subject, with Arts and Humanities PhD holders earning significantly less than all other subject areas. PhD graduates also report higher rates of skilled employment, though we should note that definitions of ‘skilled work’, and what counts as PhD-level skilled work in particular are highly contested.

Employment outcomes by sector

Turning to consider employment outcomes by sector, figure 1 demonstrates that the vast majority of UK PhD holders (70.1 per cent) have left the academic sector three-and-a-half years after graduation. Of those who remain in academia, one-third are undertaking research, while two-thirds occupy the role ‘higher education teaching professional’. This distinction is admittedly problematic in that it conflates those employed with teaching-only contracts with those in more conventional academic positions (combining teaching, research and administrative duties). Unfortunately, the Long DLHE data cannot generate a more detailed insight into the roles PhD holders are undertaking in academia.

Of those who have left academia, just over half (53.8 per cent) report that they are still engaged in research, with the rest (46.2 per cent) stating that they no longer undertake or work with research. Logistic regressions conducted to predict which PhD holders secure research roles outside academia suggest that PhDs from Russell Group institutions, scientific subject areas (biological sciences; biomedical sciences; physical sciences and engineering), and male PhD holders are significantly more likely to secure research employment. This suggests that while there is evidence of a science-focused knowledge economy in the UK, the recognition of Arts and Humanities and Social Science PhDs – and their research skills – across non-academic sectors is less clear. These findings also suggest that gender and institutional prestige are associated with forging a research career outside of the academy.

While the Long DLHE affords broad insights into the employment destinations of PhD holders, it ultimately provokes more questions than it can answer. Critically, the Long DLHE imparts very little on decision-making or other circumstantial factors that may explain why a particular career pathway unfolds as it does. Perhaps the observation that PhD graduates who are no longer employed in research, whether in academia or beyond, report significantly lower career satisfaction is evidence enough that withdrawing from research is not the intention for many.

If doctoral expansion and the policy promises underpinning this continues, it is vital for the UK to develop better methods to capture the contributions of PhD holders. Following the initiatives of other nations , stakeholders of the UK doctorate ought to prioritise longitudinal methods of data collection, which are rich on demographic and decision-making information.

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Appreciate the initiative and the mental wellbeing of the researchers.

This seems to be valuable as well as interesting research.

Does it imply that fewer people doing PhD’s in Arts subjects would be a good thing?

To be honest, if you look at the UK, having a PhD – unless you have one in the hard sciences – does not lead to higher earning potential. Experience counts the most and to give an example, my friends who did not always have degrees own houses etc. What is not factored in is the loss of 5 years earning potential at Masters to PhD level when other people are gaining experience. You have to be in a fairly decent position to get a house or have a partner earning a good salary (which you didn’t have to have in the past). Young academics are in their 30s, yet degree holders have had a decade to get promoted by the same point.

Although I left the country for a few years, my PhD was respected abroad (Social Sciences) but if you look at the data, a hell of a lot go into teaching. I find the Social PhD is so specialised, that not enough of the skills acquired are transferable. Also, the cost has to be factored in and I would say unless you are funded, it is not worth undertaking a PhD for any kind of financial gain. But I went in knowing this to some extent.

Work is being done to make PhD holders employable but depending on where you live, the jobs market may not cope with higher qualifications. I feel that unlike other countries, we do not celebrate the PhD because if it is not matched by a higher salary, your family will not respect you anymore so for having one.

Having worked with doctoral level students for some years in enterprise, they have tremendous potential but are typically located in highly academic environments where this is often not recognised. Add to this the very nature of a PhD, they often miss the opportunities to build and grow a business, or contribute to the growth of a small business. Entrepreneurial people, for example, have to make pressured decisions with incomplete evidence.

Thus joining the dots of a researcher’s competencies and aligning them to the interdisciplinary environments where team working is essential, has thus far demonstrated significant interest.

Sadly, I can count on one hand the people I know who are capable of doing this well.

I’m about to finish my PhD in STEM. As an international student and not having a good reason to stay in the UK like family, the only reason to stay here would be to find a decent research job. Is there any in the UK? Not the traditional tenure track role, but only doing research. Looking at the research job market in Germany for example, MPI or other research institutes offer so much that the UK has nothing to offer compared to them. I like staying but it look like the UK doesn’t have much to offer!

I’m from a working-class background born in the North West of England. I joined the British Army aged 16 without any school qualifications. During my active service career in the Parachute Regiment [serving two intense tours of Northern Ireland], I started taking photographs and began working as a unit photographer. After six years of military service, I left the British army to further my education and enrolled at the University of Brighton getting a 2:1 in editorial photography. Since graduating in the mid-1990s, I worked continually as a freelance photographer, working for national newspapers and magazines, at home and abroad In 2015, I took on a Ph.D. scholarship to better my life and yes, I did expect to get work or at least get on the ladder within an academic institution. I’ve applied for many posts since obtaining my Doctorate and have not got a single interview. The more rejections I get, the more it impacts my mental health and wellbeing. Only recently I applied for an associate lecturers position, at a London university where I have exhibited my photographs, even given lectures on my “professional practice” as a photographer in the past, and know many of the staff working at this university [of which I have contributed my photographs for there book publications]. What is most peculiar, is that I was given a job back in 2018 [when I was finishing my Ph.D. with minor corrections] as an associate lecturer at this very London university. They informed me months later that I was to be placed in the “talent pool”. Although after what seemed like treading water in this imaginary London university “talent pool” for months on end, I was not even called in for a lecture to students. But having a mostly stoic attitude to life, I, therefore, applied again for the same job as an “associate lecture” position at the very same London university. The most recent time I have been rejected, which was less than a few weeks ago [3 November 2021] weeks ago, the person whom I know at the photography department at this very London university kindly emailed me back [as I was slightly disgruntled from not even being asked in for an interview (yet again), but also given any feedback as to why I was not even given an interview despite having my all-singing Doctorate. This was their response: “We had almost 100 applications, all of which go to each of the six Course Leaders to shortlist, and that shortlist is dependent upon applicant’s skills but also have to marry to the Course needs for that year. I am not involved at that stage as it is at Course Level. When they have selected their shortlist according to their needs I do a quick check to make sure there are no conflict of interest or any anomalies – there were not – and then the interview processes begin. As you can see, it isn’t wholly on best qualified in general, rather who on that list is appropriately qualified and who directly fits the Course need. We only feedback in detail to those that were shortlisted – I know that is tricky for all other applicants – but that is the norm and with nigh on 100 applicants, you can see why. In terms of your own trajectory, the Ph.D. when shortlisting for established, rather than hourly-paid staff, is the gold standard. So it is worthwhile and I am sure worthwhile beyond the wholly instrumental. But I get the pragmatics and the frustrations. I do think being hourly-paid brings its own frustrations too… there are no hours guarantee and that can also lead to people understandably feeling undervalued. Some of our hourly paid will do only 15-20 hours across an entire year – that can be tough.”

In all honesty, I have to ask myself tirelessly, was six years of my life working on a Ph.D. to better my life, really worth it? Obviously, it’s marvelous that you can use “Dr” before your name, although many ignorant people [and there are many in the world] who unless you are a clinical Doctor, being a Doctor of Philosophy means nada. Which is a great shame and is a reflection of British society [I work for a veterans charity in the UK, who are clearly confused by all Doctors of Philosophy, and indeed philosophy in general terms, dare I even put it before my name, is a general feeling here].

Therefore I conclude: was doing a Ph.D. really worth it? Fineanchly no. My “scholarship” was 15 K a year. I don’t know why I put my own family through such heartache and pain. I even had to leave my home in England and move to Northern Ireland for the first year, which really impacted my young family. And to think that after all this heartache and struggling, I am struggling even more. I have to be both mindful & truthful here: the Jury is still out…

As a former Merchant Navy Officer and 12 years as a Bomber Command Navigator. I then worked as a Professional Navigator for Irish, and South African Airways. I finally Matriculated as a mature student at Oxford University in September 1979 and obtained a PHD in Astrophysics from Oxford in 1984. I then worked at the University of London Observatory at Mill Hill where I wrote the software for the Tycho project carried on the Hipparchos satellite of the European Space Agency. I also spent some time in industry as Principal Engineer in the advanced system study group at Racal Avionics, returning to lecture in aeronautics at London Guildhall University. As a Professional Navigator both at sea and in the air I am now a Member of The Royal Institute of Navigation. Publications: D Phil Thesis. (Including various astronomical papers.)

‘Some Aspects of Extra-Galactic Astrophysics’ Oxford University. 1983. Brasenose College.

The Numinous Legacy. Modern Cosmology and Religion. 2002. (see Amazon Books.)

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8 big differences between the US and UK PhD experience

And one important similarity. 

Helen Robertson

Credit: Malte Mueller/Getty

And one important similarity.

11 March 2020

Malte Mueller/Getty

In 2019, I took a risk by moving halfway around the world as a postdoctoral researcher in molecular evolution.

Since then, I’ve been struck by how different the grad school experience is here at the University of Chicago in the US, compared with my time at the University College London in the UK, where I completed my PhD in 2017.

Here’s what I’ve noticed:

1. UK grad school interviews are shorter and more lab-specific

In the UK, you’re likely to apply directly to a lab for an advertised project or one that you develop with your supervisor.

In the US, the application process is more centralized. You usually apply to a school instead of a lab. Some programs even require you to take a standardized Graduate Entry Program test, though this seems to be on the decline .

Grad school interviews in the US tend to be longer. They can involve a series of interviews, tours, and faculty events over a number of days.

2. In the US, a work-life balance is harder to achieve

I’ve been surprised by how all-encompassing a US doctorate can be. Even after the first year of teaching, the number of seminars, journal clubs, and university-related activities make the US PhD experience very grad school-centric.

I was fortunate during my UK-based PhD to approach it more like a full-time job than a continuation of my masters year. There were intense periods that required late nights in the lab, but I had time to pursue other interests , which provided some balance and made me more productive at work.

Of course, it’s difficult to generalize about working patterns. Demanding schedules are not wholly dictated by the country you’re studying in. A recent study found that 76% of surveyed grad students spent more than 41 hours a week on their project.

3. It takes longer to complete a PhD in the US

Probably the best-known difference is the time it takes to complete a PhD.

UK PhD programs tend towards three years in length, although it’s increasingly getting closer to four years – a trend that might soon be reflected in funding arrangements .

It’s a different story in the US, where, according to the Survey of Earned Doctorates , students take an average of 5.7 years to graduate.

4. UK PhD fees tend to be lower

Fees err on the more expensive side in the US, as they do for undergraduate degrees – although this isn’t always true for international students.

US PhD fees, coupled with the longer study time, means that the costs associated with grad school are generally higher than in the UK, even before living costs are considered.

If you have a funding body attached to your project, it will likely pay your tuition fees as part of its finance package. But this flags a major difference between the two countries: funding and scholarships.

5. Many US students need to apply for their own funding

From my understanding, most advertised science-based PhD projects in the UK are attached to funding, which covers tuition fees, bench costs, and living expenses. The tax-free PhD stipend set by all UK Research Councils is £15,285 (approximately US$20,000), although other funding bodies pay more.

In the US, there is no national funding level – your level of financial support will be dictated by your school or lab. This means there is generally much more encouragement for US PhD students to apply for their own funding than there is in the UK.

This is good experience for a future scientific career, but if you have to work additional hours to supplement scholarships, you’ll ultimately end up with less time for your project.

6. US PhD programs are more structured

This is particularly true in the first year for US PhDs, which includes lectures, exams, and lab rotations. Only at the end of the first year, after passing your qualifying exam, do you have the opportunity to pick the lab you’re going to pursue your PhD research in.

In the UK, I started in the lab that I spent the duration of my studies in. This meant no structured classes or rotations in my first year, and I began my own research right away.

PhDs that are run through a Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) – centres that manage the Research Council-funded PhD degrees – are increasingly popular in the UK, and include classes and rotations during the first year, but often without the frequent exams and coursework that characterize grad school in the US.

7. There is more focus on defending your thesis in the UK

Writing my thesis was the final hurdle of my UK PhD experience. It gave me the opportunity to document my ideas, successes (and failures), and the context of my project. I defended my thesis in a closed session with two examiners: one internal to my institution, and one external.

From what I’ve seen, finishing a doctorate in the US is less focused on a thesis. Instead, your committee determines that you have completed sufficient work and skill attainment to warrant your defense. Only then can you write your thesis, and defend it in a public session.

In the UK, it’s unlikely you’ll know your examiners well, but a US PhD defense is assessed by the same thesis committee that have known you for the duration of your studies.

8. Teaching is an added bonus in the UK

My UK PhD funding set no teaching requirements: instead, I was free to teach labs and mark coursework at the discretion of my supervisor. And I was paid for any teaching hours I did.

Teaching requirements in the US vary from school to school. For some students, working as a teaching assistant is necessary to pay fees and living expenses – particularly if you don’t have comprehensive funding.

There might also be minimum teaching requirements for the duration of your PhD in the US. In this respect, the time commitment and financial compensation of teaching is very institution-specific.

One important similarity: The lab you join will determine your experience

Despite the differences in structure and requirements between UK and US PhDs, one thing that is common to them all is that, ultimately, your PhD is going to be shaped by the lab you decide to join.

If have a positive working environment and appropriate guidance and support from your supervisor, and you’re interested in and motivated by your thesis topic, then your grad school experience will likely be rewarding.

And that’s true regardless of the country you’re studying in.

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What Can You Do With a PhD?

Why Do a PhD? Benefits and Career Directions

Are you thinking about a PhD as the next stage in your educational and professional development? It’s an exciting road to travel with many potential benefits and opportunities. But you have to earn it first so considering what’s involved is important.

Requirements for a PhD award vary greatly globally and from institution to institution. PhD applicants are expected to have gained at least an Honours degree and sometimes a Master’s degree to be eligible to apply for a PhD programme.

It’s best to find out as much as possible about not only what you can expect during the PhD process but also what will be expected of you. Will the commitments in terms of time, effort and money prove worthwhile? Identifying the pros and cons will help you to weigh up whether this is the right step for you.

The on-going impacts of COVID -19 have to be taken into account. Not only have teaching and learning practices altered in Higher Education but so have ways of working and connecting with each other as technological change advances more rapidly. Sudden shifts and uncertainties mean that flexibility must be factored into any PhD planning, such as supervision or research having to be carried out online.

This article will outline possible career paths and prospects that can follow on from having a PhD as well as the benefits during the process.

First of all ask yourself- Is a PhD right for me?

Do some self-assessment:.

• what your educational experiences and achievements are up to now
• identify what you liked and disliked
• what you were good/skilled at, what you found difficult

Talk to others

Whilst there is no ‘typical’ PhD experience as everyone’s paths differ, it’s helpful to talk to those who have done or are doing a PhD about what is involved. You can make contacts through networks and online forums and find out more about their experience. Read articles and other relevant documents including university publications plus online sources. There is a wide range of websites offering case studies of career stories from what people have done with their PhD.

What parts of doing a PhD appeal to you?

It could be spending time in libraries and archives, fieldwork and interviews, running experiments, analysing data, problem-solving, creative thinking, writing and communicating your findings to others. It’s just as important to ask yourself which parts of it don’t appeal and consider how you would handle those aspects.

Once you’ve done this assessment you can think more about what a PhD might lead to.

Benefits of the PhD experience

The skills you gain and improve during a PhD are transferable and applicable to a wide range of careers. Prospective employers look for those with experience of doing research and a PhD is a research-based degree. What you researched might be directly related to jobs you apply for but it doesn’t need to be: it’s the fact that you have research experience that counts.

Employers also look for those with good written and spoken communication skills (online and face to face) and who can plan and deliver presentations. These could be for team meetings, conferences or sales pitches. Whilst doing a PhD, you will be networking not just within your university but in other areas. In recent years, networking skills have become more important in the work environment. Having networking experience, whether it’s ‘working the room’ at a conference or meeting or attending an online event will boost your potential and help you stand out.

You can develop your networks by attending conferences, talks and other events apart from regular contact with other students and tutors. These may be online given COVID restrictions but opportunities for face- to- face events have increased in the second half of 2021. These contacts can provide useful support and also share work opportunities. There are many online study and research forums  that can help you through your PhD and also offer opportunities for  finding work whilst you are studying  and post-graduation. Some of these online forums may be arranging small-scale physical meet-ups.

Considering Career Possibilities

Whilst a PhD is often seen as professional training for academia, this is just one possibility. In the UK less than half of PhD graduates become academics and this figure can lower in other countries.

As with any career ambitions, assessment of all that is involved. Academics are expected to do much more than research, teach and supervise students.

If this is what you’re aiming for, start preparing by taking up opportunities for  part-time teaching  that might fit into your schedule. This is valuable work experience even if you later decide not to go into academia.

Outside Academia

There are many options in the professions, business and management, public sector and more. From small and local, to large and global, many companies and institutions seek highly qualified personnel. Think about the  types of organisations  you could work for: everything from large multinationals, NGOs, charities, local and national government, regulatory bodies and agencies, SMEs (small to medium enterprises with under 250 employees). The vast majority of companies in the UK are SMEs and offer excellent career progression opportunities.

Different employment sectors have their specific features but increasingly overlap as economic, technological and political changes come into play. Whilst we can distinguish the public and private sectors these have shown degrees of convergence in recent years.

The Professions

These typically involve prolonged training and formal qualifications such as accountancy, civil service, law and medicine. Having a PhD is considered to be  indicative of professional development  but additional training may be required for your chosen area.

Self-employment

This category encompasses all forms of working for yourself, whether setting up a small business by yourself or with others, doing consultancy work or a mix of these.

The self-employed account for around 15% of the labour force in the UK.

There are possibilities of freelance working within academia as well as in other areas, by packaging and selling your expertise and skills. The advantages include being ‘your own boss’, taking on work you choose and being free of the 9 to 5 routine.

There are also challenges, with responsibilities for legal compliance and taxation. There may be long working hours without the ‘cushion’ of secure monthly income and paid holidays.

In the past decade, digital entrepreneurship has rapidly expanded with new start-ups coming online all the time. This trend has increased over the past 18 months as more people lost jobs and decided to set up their own businesses from home.

It’s likely that the gig economy will continue to develop and you may consider if you want to enter this as a sole proprietor or as an employee if self-employment is not your preferred career route.

Not-For-Profit

This includes charities, NGOs and community interest companies. As in other sectors, some are small and local whilst others are global, eg. Oxfam. NGOs might focus on one area or multiple parts of the world but a specific theme such as human rights or the environment. There are openings at different levels and whilst they may rely on volunteers they do have paid positions in fund-raising, advocacy, administration, marketing and management.

The skills and experience gained by a PhD graduate can certainly be applied elsewhere, particularly if you keep an open mind and your eyes on the jobs market from the early days of your  doctoral journey . You can upgrade your employability profile by networking and taking advantage of your university’s employability support and opportunities including gaining some work experience. This is always a big bonus and increasingly required by employers.

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Dr. Ruth Cherrington

Ruth Cherrington has a long record as a higher education professional. She has been a lecturer, trainer and employability adviser both in the UK and abroad. Ruth has always been committed to maximizing the professional development of those she works with. Another strand to her career is as a writer, with a wide range of publications to her name. Ruth enjoys travelling to meet former students and colleagues across the world. LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthcherringtonnumber7/

Reader Interactions

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12th March 2021 at 11:16 pm

I am an environmental chemist working in the waste management industry. I have an MSci degree, and hope to stay in this industry. I am curious if pursuing a PhD will improve my job prospects later down the line, or would working towards a chartership be more valuable?

3rd February 2023 at 2:47 pm

Pursuing a Ph.D. doesn’t only polish your skills, But also gives you a new form of understanding the demand for knowledgeable people required by industries. If you look outside towards different companies offering you more money and benefits, Ph.D. works as fuel to reach higher posts. In the education sector, there is a demand for Ph.D. professors. If you have an industry experience with a Ph.D. your hourly wage varies from around £70 to £100 an hour. I wish you best of luck

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Getting an academic job

A PhD is often used as a stepping-stone into the world of academia - here's how you can get started with landing your first academic job

What does an academic job involve?

Tasks vary according to job title, but may include:

• administrative work
• analysing data and preparing reports
• applying for Research Council funding
• marking and assessing work
• presenting work at conferences and seminars
• teaching in lectures and seminars
• writing up research and publishing the findings.

As detailed in our comparing UK universities article, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) assesses the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. Universities therefore work in a competitive environment and are under pressure to recruit the best possible staff. In turn, this increases the burden on academic staff, with many expected to hit performance targets.

How much do academics earn?

Typical salaries for academic positions include:

• research assistant - £29,000
• postdoctoral researcher - £27,000 to £39,000
• higher education lecturer - £34,000 to £50,000
• senior higher education lecturer - £39,000 to £59,000.

More than half (57%) of full-time academics had an annual salary greater than £46,718 in 2020/21, while just over a fifth (21%) were in the highest salary band of £62,727 or over (Higher Education Statistics Agency).

How do I get an academic job in the UK?

It's difficult to gain a permanent academic job immediately after graduation. The traditional entry point for PhD graduates is as a research assistant or research fellow. However, these roles aren't renowned for their job security. Short-term contracts are usually offered, lasting from three months to three years. It's not uncommon for a research assistant or fellow to spend years working on a temporary contract before being offered a permanent role.

Universities typically advertise academic positions on their websites. If you have a clear idea about where you want to work, try contacting the institution directly. You'll also find academic jobs online at Jobs.ac.uk - Research assistant jobs .

Having previous teaching experience will help your application, and universities often make teaching opportunities available to PhD students. Getting your work and name well-known is an excellent step into an academic career, so try to get articles published in high-quality journals and actively engage with other academics through collaborations and conferences.

The University of Manchester notes that successful academics must possess skills in leadership, management, networking, presentation, resilience and time management.

What about academic jobs abroad?

By taking a quick look at the QS World University Rankings 2022 , you'll find that the world's highest rated universities are spread far and wide - with the United States, Switzerland, Singapore, China and Japan all featuring in the top 25.

Therefore, if you're interested in working for one of these leading institutions, see our work abroad and study abroad pages to discover what it's like to get a job in a specific country and its higher education provision.

You'll then be able to make a more informed choice when considering the range of academic jobs abroad.

How do I apply for an academic job?

When applying for jobs in academia, it's important that your CV showcases your academic experience.

You must also provide clear evidence of your research and a plan of how you wish to develop this in future. As with most jobs, it's important to get your application in as early as possible.

An academic CV is essential when looking to apply for roles such as a higher education lecturer or anything that's research based.

You'll therefore need to ensure that your academic achievements plus research interests and any specialist skills are featured on the first page.

While there may be no page limit, keep your CV concise and targeted to the specific requirements of the role. Each section should be in reverse chronological order.

In terms of your writing style, it should be scholarly but still easily comprehensible for those unfamiliar with your field of interest.

Be sure to include information about the outcomes of your research, potential future developments, and any funding you've received, events you've attended, professional memberships you hold and publications you've been in.

Please note, if you're a postgraduate but not looking for an academic career, your CV should follow an alternative layout. You can find out more about this at CVs and cover letters .

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• PhD Salary in UK – Explained
• Funding a PhD

What Are PhD Salaries?

The average cost of undertaking a PhD in the UK is approximately £20,000 per academic year for UK students and £40,000 for international students. To help offset the cost of this, many students question whether undertaking a doctorate comes with a PhD salary.

The salary of a PhD student is governed by three factors: whether they’re assisting in undergraduate teaching, assisting in research, or have secured a PhD with a stipend. Depending on which of the three categories a student falls within, they will receive an income during their studies, however, the amount will differ by a substantial amount.

To help show you how you can fund your postgraduate degree and how much you can expect to earn whilst doing so, carry on reading below.

Types of PhD Salaries

There are three types of PhD degree salaries:

• Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) . In exchange for a salary, you’ll be required to assist in the delivery of one or more courses over a number of years. This includes, but is not limited to, marking student tutorials, supervising lab experiments and providing support to undergraduates during office hours. Besides this, you may have to teach a small section of the course itself. You can discover more about GTAs on King’s College London’s website.
• Research Assistantships (RAs) . In exchange for a salary, you assist a departmental professor with their research. In the ideal scenario, the professor you work with should also be your PhD supervisor and the research you’re asked to support with relates to your own doctoral project.
• Stipend via Studentship: A stipend is a non-repayable grant provided to doctoral students to help support their studies. A studentship covers a student’s tuition fees whilst a stipend covers a PhD student’s living costs. This includes outgoings such as rent, food, bills and basic travel. Unlike Graduate Teaching or Research Assistantships, stipends rarely have duties attached to them. The only expectation of receiving a stipend will be that you maintain continuous progress within your degree.

It’s worth noting these earning opportunities can be also be combined. For example, it’s possible to be a research assistant whilst also committing time to teach undergraduate students.

Average PhD Salary in UK

The average PhD student salary for teaching assistantships will vary depending on the level of responsibility you’re taking. However, to provide figures, past doctoral students have reported receiving approx. £10/hr for marking tutorials, £15/hr for leading laboratory sessions and up to £20/hr for leading undergraduate classes and tutorials.

The actual amount you can earn from teaching assistance will depend on the rate your department offers and the hours you can realistically take on. If you’re on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship programme, they will require you to dedicate a set number of hours per week. If you’re not on a GTA but would still like to earn an income through this scheme, you will likely need to commit several hours per week consistently. Although this can be a great way to earn whilst you study, you need to make sure you manage your time effectively as to not become overwhelmed by taking on an additional commitment.

The average salary for research assistantships will vary depending on the field of the doctoral degree you are enrolled in. Usually, these positions pay between £25,000 to £30,000 per year, however, it’s possible to come across positions which sit slightly outside of this. As a general rule of thumb, STEM assistors are paid more than non-STEM assistors.

In the UK, PhD students can receive a stipend which varies between £15,000 and £18,000 per annum. As part of the studentship your stipend is provided under, your tuition fees will also be paid for. UK tuition fees will vary between universities but are approximately £4,500 per year for doctoral courses starting in 2021/22 as per the UKRI recommendations .

Although £15,000 to £18,000 per year is the typical range for a stipend, some can be far greater than this. For example, Wellcome Trust , a research-charity based in London, offers an annual stipend of up to £23,300 and £26,000 for doctoral students located outside and within London, respectively.

Are PhD Salaries Taxed?

PhD stipends are tax free. Therefore, you don’t need to pay any income tax nor do you need to make any national insurance contributions. This means you’ll keep all the money you receive from an annual stipend. However, this is not the case for Research Assistants.

In the UK, Research Assistants are employed as university staff members and are paid a direct salary as opposed to a stipend. As a result, it will require you to pay tax on your earnings and make national insurance contributions.

To put this into perspective, for the 2019/20 UK tax year, you’re required to pay a 20% tax on any income above £12,500 but less than £50,000. You’re also required to make national insurance contributions of 12% of your weekly earnings over £166 but less than £962. This means that an annual Research Assistantship salary of £30,000 will equate to a take-home salary of £23,938 per year.

How to Get a PhD Stipend

To find research positions which offer stipends, we recommend you search our PhD database and filter by ‘funded’ positions.

Besides this, you can also secure a studentship from UK Research Councils or directly from your university as a scholarship. Independent organisations, such as charities and research trusts, and innovative firms within your industry also offer funding. You can read our PhD studentship guide to see how these work or our Where to find a PhD guide for further ideas.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

How to Get a Research Assistantship PhD

Unfortunately, research assistantships opportunities aren’t as common to come across compared to PhD stipends. Besides this, when they are available, they’re predominantly in STEM subjects such as computer science and engineering. The reason for this is these subjects usually have access to greater research grants and have a greater volume of practical work available.

To find a research assistantship, we recommend that you contact the university departments who host the courses you’re interested in directly. This is because research assistantships help professors with their research, and while they may require help, they may not be openly advertising for it. They may, therefore, be able to create a role for you within their department or put you into contact with one of their colleagues who already has an open position.

International Students

It’s worth noting that international students will have a harder time securing a funded PhD position than UK ‘home’ students will. This is largely because there are usually fewer funding opportunities available to international students, which as a result also attract significant competition.

Besides this, if you’re an international student studying in the UK you will most likely than not be on a Tier 4 visa. Although a Tier 4 visa will allow you to work to earn an additional income alongside any studentship you may have, there will be certain restrictions on what you can and can’t do. For example, during term-time, you won’t be allowed to work more than 20 hours per week. For a full list of restrictions, please refer to the government website.

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Find fellowships, studentships and bursaries for postgraduate study, broken down by faculty and school.

Click on the relevant link below for the full list of current PhD studentships at Imperial.

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Best universities for biomedical science in the UK - A New Scientist Careers Guide

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Best universities for biomedical science in the UK

Biomedical science is extremely diverse as it encapsulates all scientific disciplines that can be applied to human health. It primarily involves laboratory research to study biological processes to enhance our understanding of health and disease, ultimately contributing to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

Biomedical science degrees tend to receive one of the highest number of applications per place in the UK. The University of Oxford, for instance, had 11.2 applications per place in 2023. This is understandable as the UK is at the forefront of biomedical research, housing seven of the 50 top universities worldwide for life sciences and medicine according to QS World University Rankings.

This article outlines the best UK universities for biomedical sciences in 2024, as ranked by The Complete University Guide, one of the most reputable national university rankings. Its league tables give an overall score based on the following parameters: entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality and graduate prospects.

The top 20 universities in the UK to study biomedical science:

• University of Oxford

The course at Oxford is taught by world experts in biomedical science. The first year covers a diverse range of topics in human biology and medicine. You will also develop professional, research and quantitative skills . Over the following two years, students can delve into specialised areas, e.g. pharmacology, physiology or genetics .

As you progress through the course, you will pick up advanced scientific research methods. You have the option to either graduate after three years with a BA in your chosen specialisation such as neuroscience or systems biology , or complete an additional fourth year dedicated to conducting an advanced research project, leading to a Master's degree. 

Entry requirements: A*AA, including two in biology/chemistry/physics/mathematics; Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT)

• University of Bath

Bath enjoys global recognition as one of the top universities in the country, particularly due to its research centres in evolution and mathematical biology. The uni provides two pathways for biomedical sciences: a BSc (three years) and an MBiomed (four years), each offering an additional placement year.

While the curricula for both are identical, MBiomed has a greater emphasis on research skills . Optional modules are available in later years. 

Entry requirements: AAA or A*AB, including A in biology and chemistry

• Lancaster University

Lancaster differentiates between biomedical sciences and biomedicine. The former teaches a set curriculum and is accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS), enabling graduates to pursue careers within the NHS. Optional modules are only available in the final year. 

Biomedicine, on the other hand, offers flexibility in subject selection from the second year to match individual aspirations, priming students for an academic or industrial career. Additionally, students can transition to the MSci biomedicine programme or complete an additional year with a placement or studying abroad.

Entry requirements for both: AAB with A in biology and chemistry/ mathematics / physics

• University of St Andrews

At St Andrews, biomedical science is exclusively taught at postgraduate level in the form of its MSc(Res) in biology (biomedical sciences). This 12-month Master's degree involves completing a supervised research project. The biomedical sciences research department is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and led by world-renowned faculty.

Entry requirements: undergraduate honours degree at 2:1 or above in a relevant discipline, e.g. biochemistry, molecular biology or microbiology

• University College London (UCL)

UCL’s biomedical sciences course is recognised for generating highly employable graduates in life sciences . Transferring to its MSci programme can further enhance your job prospects in academia.

In year 1, all modules are mandatory, offering excellent exposure to various types of biomedical science. During the second year, you can specialise in specific streams, such as molecular biology or neurosciences. Year 3 involves a research project, as well as the opportunity to delve deeper into highly specialised optional courses, such as space medicine.  

Entry requirements: AAA in biology and chemistry , and preferably mathematics; GCSEs at grade B/6 in English and mathematics 

• University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh houses world-class research facilities and ranks highly for its impressive research output every year, particularly for its contribution to biomedical sciences. Its four-year BSc is a well-structured programme that offers great flexibility. 

The first two years cement core knowledge and principles, with a range of biomedical and non-biomedical modules to choose from. The teaching of fundamental concepts continues in years 3 and 4, when you can gain expert knowledge in specific areas of interest, as well as develop transferable skills. 

Moreover, the degree allows you to switch onto other specialised programmes after year 2 or 3, such as BSc anatomy and development, BSc physiology or BSc neuroscience.

Entry requirements: ABB with at least a B in biology and chemistry; maths or physics are recommended; GCSE English at 4/C and maths at 6/B

• University of Aberdeen

The third Scottish university in the top 10 has produced several impactful biomedical scientists, most notably John Macleod, the Nobel prizewinning scientist who co-discovered insulin. Aberdeen offers five biomedical science bachelor’s degrees: anatomy, developmental biology , molecular biology, pharmacology and physiology. 

The curriculum over the first two years is identical across all five courses, with a focus on general principles. The latter half of each degree focuses on its respective specialism. BSc biomedical sciences (anatomy) and BSc biomedical sciences (developmental biology) additionally offer a fifth year in industry or research. Aberdeen was ranked 1st for anatomy and physiology in 2024.

Entry requirements: ABB, including AB in chemistry and maths/another science, preferably biology

• Loughborough University

Loughborough’s three-year BSc in biomedical sciences is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology (RSB). The course also offers an additional placement year in industry or abroad, which comes with an extra qualification each, a diploma in professional studies (DPS) and diploma in international studies (DIntS), respectively. The university has strong industry links with organisations such as GSK and Pfizer.

The programme starts off with mostly compulsory modules to build a strong foundation and gradually introduces more choices over the years to tailor your degree. In the final year, all modules are optional along with your mandatory research project.

Entry requirements: AAB, including biology and maths/another science

• University of Bristol

Bristol is renowned for its state-of-the art research facilities, including human patient simulators. Its course provides insight into various sectors, including biotechnology, the food industry and pharmaceuticals, with graduates going on to study for a PhD, work in industry, study medicine or apply their transferable skills in non-scientific fields.

The first year consists of compulsory modules introducing broad topics. Year 2 introduces more optional modules with three distinct pathways: cells and molecules, molecules and systems, and systems. There is also a focus on transferable skills and employability. Year 3 largely comprises optional modules along with your research project.

Entry requirements: AAA, including chemistry and maths/another science

• University of Manchester

Manchester’s BSc highly values flexibility and a wide range of transferable skills for its students, maximising employability. You have the option to extend the course by one year with an integrated Master’s, placement year, entrepreneurship or a modern language. You can also transfer onto other related courses within the university’s medical bioscience division.

As with most biomedical science degrees, you start with a broad range of compulsory subjects in year 1, specialising in areas of interest from year 2 onwards.

Entry requirements: AAA-AAB, including AA in two of chemistry/biology/physics/maths

• University of Birmingham

Birmingham’s biomedical sciences course is RSB-accredited. Similar to Manchester, it puts great emphasis on transferable skills and employability, allowing you to graduate with a BSc in biomedical science with biomedical entrepreneurship or a BSc in biomedical science with biomaterials. The university also offers an optional MSci year in industry or a clinical setting.

The course follows the same general outline as most biomed courses: a compulsory set of core modules in the first year with the introduction of optional courses in later years.

Entry requirements: AAB with AA in two of chemistry/biology/physics/maths

• University of Warwick

Warwick graduates are some of the most sought after by the UK’s top 100 employers. The university’s course is also accredited by the RSB and offers an optional year in industry or abroad between the second and third year. Although the course structure is similar to that of other universities, you can transfer to other related programmes at the end of the first year.

Entry requirements: AAB, including biology and maths /another science or AAA, including biology

• Swansea University

Swansea’s course is titled BSc applied medical sciences and offers a combination of compulsory and optional modules from year 1. In the second year, you can select from one of three “employability strands”: medical science in practice, enterprise and innovation, and medical science in research. 

The first strand is ideal for those wishing to pursue medicine afterwards, as you will be guaranteed an interview for its graduate entry medicine programme. The second is designed for entrepreneurial individuals interested in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals or product development. The final strand is suited for students with more of a pure academic focus.

Entry requirements: AAB-ABB, including biology/chemistry and maths/another science

• Queen’s University Belfast (QUB)

As with Lancaster’s course, QUB’s BSc in biomedical sciences is IBMS-accredited, thus allowing you to work in the NHS. As such, the course is mostly geared towards clinical medicine and diagnostics, comprising only compulsory modules throughout. Furthermore, QUB has a partnership with the University of Nevada, which offers an opportunity to complete a year in research between years 2 and 3.

Entry requirements: ABB, including AB in biology and chemistry, and GCSE maths grade C/4, or AAB, including A in biology or chemistry and a second science, and GCSE biology and chemistry grade C/4

• Newcastle University

Newcastle’s course is RSB-accredited and offers a year in industry or abroad. At the end of year 1, you also have an opportunity to transfer to other degrees, including medicine or dentistry.

The course itself follows the traditional path of a biomed degree, with set core modules in the beginning followed by more optional courses, including a compulsory module designed to enhance professional skills, e.g. business enterprise for the bioscientist.

Entry requirements: AAB, including biology/chemistry and maths/another science

• University of Sheffield

Sheffield offers its biomed course in four different formats: a standard three-year course, a four-year course with a year in industry, a four-year course with a year in research and a five-year course with one year in industry and another in research. The programmes with added years - which can be done abroad - will award you with an MBiomedSci.

Sheffield’s biomed courses offer optional modules from year 1. These provide exposure to not just the human body, but also those of other species if you wish, such as zoology or plant science .

Entry requirements: AAB, including two sciences

• King’s College London (KCL)

KCL has contributed greatly to medical science. One example is Rosalind Franklin’s crucial research at the university that helped us understand our DNA. The university has multiple industrial links with companies such as GSK and Pfizer, as well as partnerships with universities in Australia, Sweden, Singapore and the US. If you opt for its four-year MSci in biomedical science, you can spend a year in industry or abroad at these places.

Its course teaches a set of mandatory modules in year 1, followed by more options in the second and third years. You can transfer onto specialised biomed degrees, such as the molecular genetics BSc or the pharmacology BSc.

Entry requirements: AAA, including biology and chemistry

• University of Strathclyde

Strathclyde’s BSc in biomedical sciences is accredited by the IBMS as well as the RSB. The course has a strong focus on biomolecular science and teaches a set of compulsory modules through all years, with year 4 allowing you to choose one module from the biochemistry, immunology or microbiology curriculum. You also have the flexibility to switch to other biomolecular courses throughout.

Entry requirements: BBB, including biology or chemistry and another science

• University of Dundee

Dundee’s RSB-accredited BSc in biomedical sciences offers great flexibility as you can choose from a range of optional modules from year 1 along with a set of compulsory subjects. Optional courses include subjects that can help enhance your employability, such as an introduction to scientific enterprises.

You can also transfer to other degrees, including neuroscience or pharmacology . The course offers opportunities to study abroad in industry or academia too.

Entry requirements: BBB, including biology and chemistry plus GCSE maths at grade B/6

• University of Glasgow

As with St Andrews, Glasgow only offers biomedical sciences at a postgraduate level. In contrast, however, you can apply to either an MSc in biomedical sciences or an MRes in biomedical sciences. Both are accredited by the RSB. 

Although the core taught modules are the same, the latter course includes more extensive research projects in defined specialisms such as biotechnology or cell engineering , while the former offers a wide range of optional taught courses, e.g. neuroinflammation or genome editing.

Entry requirements: 2:1 honours degree in a relevant subject

Studying biomedical science opens many doors, not just within the realm of medical sciences, but also in other sectors. You can choose to pursue an academic career and undertake a PhD in areas of interest, such as cell biology, molecular biology or anatomy and physiology.

Alternatively, you could transition into professional and regulated healthcare careers such as medicine or dentistry. If you enjoy lab work exclusively, you could become a biomedical lab technician in the NHS.

If you are hoping to apply your transferable skills in the tech sector - or even in a completely unrelated field where you can provide a unique perspective - you could complete a relevant Master’s or gain exposure with internships or placements.

Whichever route you take, higher education in biomedical sciences is only the first step, but it shapes you into a highly employable professional with excellent analytical thinking, problem-solving and numerical skills.

Biomedical science is a great degree to study as it provides excellent exposure to the vastness of medical sciences, offering something for everyone. With such breadth, you are likely to find a particular niche you are passionate about. You also get to learn a wide range of skills, all while developing specialist knowledge.

While all universities on the list are renowned for their biomedical science courses, some may be more aligned with your interests than others. You should consider course structure, the range of optional courses, industrial or research opportunities and the location of the university when choosing the best place to study biomedical science for you.

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• Biomedical Sciences BSc (Hons) [Internet]. 2024. Available from: https://www.bath.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate-2024/biosciences/bsc-biomedical-sciences/
• Biomedical Science BSc HonS (B990) - Lancaster University [Internet]. Lancaster University. Available from: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/biomedical-science-bsc-hons-b990/2024/
• Biomedical Sciences MSC (REs) - School of Biology - University of St Andrews [Internet]. Copyright ©  University of St Andrews. Available from: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/biology/prospective/pgr/biomedical-sciences-mscres/
• Biomedical Sciences BSc [Internet]. Prospective Students Undergraduate. 2024. Available from: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/degrees/biomedical-sciences-bsc/
• BSc Biomedical Sciences [Internet]. The University of Edinburgh. 2024. Available from: https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/degrees/index.php?action=programme&code=C190
• Biomedical Sciences | Undergraduate Subject areas | Study here | The University of Aberdeen [Internet]. Available from: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/subject-areas/343/biomedical-sciences/
• Biological Sciences BSc | Undergraduate study | Loughborough University [Internet]. Available from: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/biological-sciences-bsc/#modules_final_year
• BSc Biomedical Sciences [Internet]. University of Bristol. Available from: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2024/biomedical-sciences/bsc-biomedical-sciences/#entry-requirements
• BSc Biomedical Sciences (2025 entry) | The University of Manchester [Internet]. The University of Manchester. Available from: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2025/00532/bsc-biomedical-sciences/#course-profile
• Biomedical Science BSc [Internet]. University of Birmingham. Available from: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/med/biomedical-science
• Biomedical Science BSc (UCAS B900) [Internet]. Available from: https://warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/bsc-biomedical-science
• Applied Medical Sciences, BSc (Hons) - Swansea University [Internet]. Available from: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/medicine/applied-medical-sciences-bsc-hons/#bbq=on
• Biomedical Science [Internet]. Courses | Queen’s University Belfast. 2024. Available from: https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/biomedical-science-bsc-b940/#overview
• Biomedical Sciences BSc Honours | Undergraduate [Internet]. Newcastle University. Available from: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/b940/
• Biomedical Science [Internet]. The University of Sheffield. Available from: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/2025/biomedical-science-bsc#keydetails
• King’s College London. Biomedical Science [Internet]. King’s College London. 2023. Available from: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/biomedical-science-bsc
• BSc Hons Biomedical Science Degree Course | University of StrathClyde [Internet]. Available from: https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/biomedicalscience/#entryrequirements
• Biomedical Sciences BSc (Hons) [Internet]. University of Dundee. Available from: https://www.dundee.ac.uk/undergraduate/biomedical-sciences
• University of Glasgow - Postgraduate study - Taught degree programmes A‑Z - Biomedical Sciences (MSc) [Internet]. Available from: https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/biomedical-science-msc/#programmestructure,whythisprogramme,entryrequirements
• University of Glasgow - Postgraduate study - Taught degree programmes A‑Z - Biomedical Sciences (MRes) [Internet]. Available from: https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/biomedical-sciences-mres/#whythisprogramme,programmestructure,entryrequirements
• Tracey I. UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD ANNUAL ADMISSIONS STATISTICAL REPORT | 2023 [Internet]. 2023. Available from: https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/AnnualAdmissionsStatisticalReport2023.pdf

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Applications open - PhD Placements with Open Innovation Team 2025

We are now accepting applications from PhD students for placements beginning in January 2025

The Open Innovation Team have opened applications for the 2025 cohorts of PhD placements. Students wishing to participate in the programme must submit their applications before 14 June 2024 (11:59pm).  

Placements normally last three months, with students joining policy projects across a range of areas including health, justice, education, sustainability, energy, international development, and artificial intelligence. 

For the first time this year, students will have the opportunity to work with the team’s new Evaluation Service. This will involve helping evaluate the impact of policies that have been implemented across government.  

Over 150 students have completed placements since the programme began in 2016. Many of those students have gone on to work in professional policy roles, having developed key skills and abilities on the placement.  

Find out what previous PhD placement students thought of their time with the Open Innovation Team  here . 

The team will host information sessions where you can learn more about the placement and ask questions. These sessions will take place on Wednesday 15 May, 1-2pm, and Friday 31 May, 2-3pm. Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in attending, or join directly using this link .

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PhD Studentship in Family-Staff Communication in the ICU

Ucl - culture, communication and media ioe.

Project overview:

This is a unique opportunity to pursue a doctoral study on the communication between families of critically ill patients and staff in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). You will be studying under the supervision of Jeff Bezemer (professor of communication), Jonathan Smith (professor of psychology) and Tim Bonnici (consultant intensive care physician). Adopting a longitudinal ethnographic and experiential approach, you will (1) observe family-staff encounters on the ICU throughout the course of a patient’s ICU admission, exploring the nature of the communication which affect the outcome, e.g., how conversations are handled, how identities are constructed, how decisions are made; and (2) interview families and staff to examine how they experience their evolving relationship, exploring how particular individuals are making sense of the communications and relationships they are having. The output of the research will be rich, thick descriptions of telling cases that render visible the complexities of communication and developing a language of description around recurring themes in the conversations and accounts of family and staff, facilitating metacommunication (e.g. factors that are perceived to inhibit or promote effective communication). This will support ICU clinicians to understand and improve communication with families. 

Eligibility:  

Applications are invited from candidates with:

• A relevant postgraduate degree in the social sciences (e.g. sociolinguistics, psychology, sociology), completed or due to be completed before 1 October 2024.
• A passion for conducting qualitative research
• Experience in Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and/or (linguistic) ethnography.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• The psychological resilience required to conduct fieldwork around sensitive topics in a high-stakes environment and be witness to stories of stress, grief, anxiety, and depression.
• Preparedness to work during out-of-office hours and live within commutable distance from Euston Station, London to conduct fieldwork 

Desirables include:

• Research experience in the areas of clinical communication and/or lived experience of health and illness.
• Demonstrable affinity with clinical care and familiarity with intensive care and/or hospital settings.
• Experience of applying for research ethics approval from the UK Health Research Authority. 

Funding details:

• Starts 1 October 2024
• 3-year scholarship
• Funding covers full tuition fees plus stipend - £19,237 per annum (UKRI rate)
• Funding does not cover visa requirements  

How to apply:  

Applicants should apply through the UCL jobs portal and submit a cover letter in which they present evidence against each of the criteria listed above. More details about the project will be sent out to shortlisted candidates. 

For informal enquiries please email Professor Jeff Bezemer via [email protected]   

Application deadline: 15 May 2024

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Daniel Susskind: UK should look to Google for R&D lessons

Bringing the uk’s research budget closer to alphabet’s spending levels is vital for fixing sluggish economic growth, says economist.

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From his chats with Tesla boss Elon Musk to his Stanford University sweaters, Rishi Sunak has made no secret of his admiration for Silicon Valley and its start-ups-turned-tech behemoths.

But has the UK prime minister, who worked in California from his mid-twenties to his early thirties, drawn the right lessons about why Google, Apple and Facebook are so wildly successful, asks the economist Daniel Susskind in  Growth: A Reckoning , his new book exploring how politicians might deliver on oft-repeated promises to fix sluggish productivity and kick-start growth.

Resources for higher education professionals on research management

Specifically, does Mr Sunak appreciate the immense continuing research and development investments made by the world’s leading technology companies? For example, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, spent $27.6 billion (£22 billion) on R&D in 2020, or 15.1 per cent of its revenue, while Facebook ploughed $18.5 billion (21 per cent) into research and Microsoft $19.3 billion (13 per cent), noted Professor Susskind, a research professor in economics at King’s College London whose 2018 TED Talk on the future of work has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.

In contrast, the Westminster government “slapped itself on the back” when it announced that UK Research and Innovation’s budget would hit £8.8 billion in 2024-25, Professor Susskind observed about the “first-order problem” of unambitious R&D spending, a failing not confined to the UK either, given the “investment drought” seen in other developed countries since the mid-1970s.

“Rishi is pro-business and pro-R&D and knows research investment is important,” Professor Susskind, who served as a Downing Street adviser under Gordon Brown and Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, told Times Higher Education . “But if you look at what he’s done, he maybe thinks R&D isn’t important enough,” he said, referencing the government’s innovation outlay, which despite having risen to almost 3 per cent of gross domestic product and nearly £20 billion annually , is still well behind other nations with science superpower ambitions of their own.

“If you compare us to Israel or South Korea, our R&D investment is very low. But other comparisons are more astonishing, with innovative companies routinely investing 15 per cent of revenues into R&D,” continued Professor Susskind. “While a company is not a country, this level of investment gives you an idea of the importance of this spending.”

For Professor Susskind, the question of how to generate more economic growth is really the “same thing as asking, ‘How do we generate more ideas?’”, he writes in his follow-up to A World Without Work , his acclaimed 2020 best-seller . His prescription is “investing vastly more in R&D”, with universities key to this. “Universities are ideas factories – it’s where people should be spending time. They’re incredibly important, though the key issue is less the effectiveness of universities [in developing products and companies] but their role in the innovation ecosystem,” he said, adding that “the most impressive innovations tend to arise through collaborations with industry”.

Professor Susskind’s impassioned call for “far more” R&D spending is also critical of university-based research, drawing attention to the “administrative bloat” that he links to a decline in research productivity. In the US, for example, managerial and professional staff outnumber faculty and indeed undergraduate students at Harvard and Yale universities, he explains in  Growth .

With researchers spending about 40 per cent of their time on grant administration “rather than coming up with new ideas”, there is “no doubt that our universities have a case to answer” for sometimes underwhelming results, Professor Susskind concludes.

Given this situation, far higher investment in technology might be the key to raising research productivity and boosting economic growth, rather than “ever more education and training”, suggests Professor Susskind, who notes that Google’s artificial intelligence arm, DeepMind, managed within just a few years to generate 3D visualisations of molecule proteins, providing a solution that had long eluded academic researchers.

In future, R&D policy should “turn to technology and build computer systems that either help researchers in their hunt for new ideas or even replace them altogether”, writes Professor Susskind, who believes that “new ideas will be found and shared outside our minds”.

“There are few things that politicians agree upon, but the need for more economic growth is one of them. But they have a very 19th-century conception of where it comes from: building impressive physical things like new roads or train lines,” said Professor Susskind, who claimed that spending £200 million to improve poor wi-fi on British trains would deliver about a third of the economic benefit of HS2’s high-speed London-Birmingham rail line at about 0.5 per cent of the cost.

In the same way, comparatively modest investments in artificial intelligence will be “absolutely critical in driving the creation of new ideas”, Professor Susskind said.

“There are investments which aren’t exciting, but they are low-hanging fruit – these are what drives growth in today’s economy,” he said.

[email protected]

POSTSCRIPT:

Print headline: Economist: UK needs R&D  investment tips from Google

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