Graduate Careers Programme 17/18

PhDs in the physical science and technology disciplines have plenty of options once they graduate. In this interactive session we will look at the pros and cons of different career options. You will have a chance to think about what you want your work to do for you and what you can offer employers, and you will learn ways to find out more about jobs you are interested in. You will also learn more about how selection processes work including how to put together a CV and cover letter and how to prepare for job interviews

Chloe Francis (Eight19 Ltd) will talk about the opportunities that come with working for a small company, using Eight19 as a prime example. Eight19 is a start-up company based in Cambridge that develops new generation solar technology and energy autonomous devices. There’ll be an introduction into Eight19’s technology capabilities and the stages of technology commercialization, before we move on to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of starting your career in a small company.

This session is aimed at those contemplating postdoctoral research. Israel and Tessa will discuss many aspects of this, including changing field or remaining in the same area, getting funding and moving country, all from both a personal and then more general perspective. Some information on making applications for funding will be given and there will be plenty of time for a Q&A session following their short presentations.

We are looking for additional postdocs who have complementary experience and background to those who have already agreed to give the session to contribute.

Professor Scherman will outline how to go about writing an effective fellowship and grant applications in order that participants may have a realistic idea of what this entails, should they be required to do so at any point.

Stuart Cantrill (Chief Editor, Nature Chemistry) will discuss the publishing process and what goes on in the editorial office, as well as providing some guidance on how to write a paper, how to write an abstract and some DOs and DON'Ts when it comes to titles and graphical abstracts. There will also be broader consideration of peer review in general, the wider chemistry publishing landscape and also other aspects such as metrics (impact factor, altmetrics, etc) and the use of social media.

This session will look at various pathways leading from academic research background into secondary school teaching and what the job is like in different environments. There will be short presentations and plenty of time for questions.

See how SciFinder can help you narrow the job search during this presentation. You’ll see the research discovery application as never before – an effective tool for finding industries and companies aligned with your research and professional interests

This session will illustrate how it is possible to develop careers that are very different from the traditional routes followed by science and technology graduates and why it is important that some science and technology graduates pursue these careers.

Simon Turner and Tim Guilliams have a wealth of experience in many different areas of entrepreneurship and innovation. If you feel that this might be the direction for you to head in, hearing them speak and being able to discuss with them the options available in this area will be extremely useful.

Many chemists will have already been involved with scientific publishers through submitting journal articles, using databases or reading textbooks. In this session, Helen will give an introduction to the diverse careers in scientific publishing that are available to chemistry graduates and discuss what life is like on the other side of the computer screen.

How do Government and Parliament make decisions? What can you do to make sure that the decisions that are made are sensible, and take account of the evidence available? In this session, Julian will discuss the mechanisms that are available to input into policy making, whether you want to do this as a full time career or just provide occasional advice.

Drs. Chorghade and Scott will make themselves available for individual discussions regarding your CVs and aim to help you produce a good CV or even tailor what you have towards the job you are interested in applying for. Please book to register your interest, individual appointments will be made when we have an idea of how many people will require them.

If you have an interest in becoming a process chemist, this session will be of interest to you. Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) represent an exciting new class of therapeutics, combining a tumour targeting antibody with a cell-killing cytotoxic drug (Payload). Payloads are typically highly complex natural products prepared using lengthy and challenging synthetic routes. This talk provides background on ADCs and the types of payloads used in these molecule, then focusses on the Process Chemistry work completed on the development and scale-up of AstraZeneca’s Tubulysin payloads.

ITOPF is a not-for-profit marine ship pollution response advisory service providing impartial advice worldwide on effective response to spills of oil & chemicals. Annabelle is sent across the world to advise people on how to clean any oil or chemical spill occurring at sea. She also advises on pollution damage caused by spills (environmental and economic) and assesses the technical merits of claims for compensation. She will explain the wide variety of backgrounds of people working in this industry and their role in an incident.

In this session, Freija and Eleanor will give an introduction to patents and the patent application process. They will discuss the role patents have in protecting chemical inventions and hindering the exploitation of certain products, and they will introduce some of the concepts that are of particular importance to those working with patents, including novelty and inventiveness. Eleanor and Freija will also discuss the career options that are available to chemists wishing to work in patent law.

RSSL is a contract analytical sciences company serving the food, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Having Mondelēz International as a parent company means that a portion of the work involves fascinating products such as Cadburys chocolate and Philadelphia cream cheese. In this session the presenter will explain the work of a contract analytical company through the lens of RSSL and explain how analytical chemistry adds intellectual and financial value to organisations.

In this session, Deborah will outline the opportunities that exist in both the US and the UK respectively for University jobs that are teaching-focused. She will highlight the differences which exist between the countries and explain how to prepare and apply for these positions.