Researching for a career: Translating laboratory skills

Have you ever asked yourself why you decided to commit to a PhD and whether the time and effort you have invested has paid off in terms of your career? If you are reading this as a lecturer, permanent researcher or professor, you may well be satisfied with the outcome. If you are like many doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers, a research career is what you most desire and aspire towards. You may be passionate about your research topic, enjoy the research environment and would prefer to remain in it for the duration of your career. However, these days, if you are considering aiming for one of the top academic jobs in a university, bear in mind that, in most countries, only around 10% of researchers will obtain a permanent senior academic position1,2. The good news to offset this rather gloomy statistic is that, as highly qualified and skilled people, PhD-qualified researchers have the potential to forge a successful career in many different occupational fields.