ScienceCareers.org Plans a Busy Season of Workshops in the U.K.

UK outreach: ScienceCareers.org advertising in Cambridge

ScienceCareers.org has been busy developing career-development workshops in the U.K. to help early- career scientists prepare for life after the university and plan their next career moves.

These workshops, five of which will occur in the next month, offer graduate students and postdocs instruction on pursuing a non-academic career, creating an independent research group, and developing effective interviewing skills.

"The ScienceCareers.org outreach program aims to provide the next generation of scientists with the necessary skills that many sometimes find inaccessible in their academic preparation," said Seema Sharma, European program director for the career service offered by AAAS and the journal Science. "Our events provide young scientists with the opportunity to interact with role models and seasoned professionals who can encourage the development of a successful career path."

Committed to providing quality career resources for all scientists, ScienceCareers.org is a free, online resource that includes thousands of career-related articles, graduate program information, grant information, meetings & event notices, and a job listings page that is updated daily.

On March 23, Sharma will lead a session at a day-long career symposium at the University of Cambridge on alternative careers for life-science postdocs.

The event will encourage life-science postdocs to listen to—and interact with—a range of professionals who have made career transitions from academia into a diverse field of non-research careers including public relations, editing, regulatory affairs, management consultancy, tech transfer, patent law, and research administration.

In addition to a networking session and an interactive workshop on curriculum vitae led by Sharma, Stella Hurtley, senior editor for cell biology at Science, will be speak about her alternative career transition into editing.

Later this month, ScienceCareers.org will sponsor a workshop geared towards Ph.D. students and first-year postdocs featuring advice on how to market technical and transferable skills and attract employers.

Held at a meeting of the Society for General Microbiology at the University of Manchester, the 28 March workshop will also include job postings, grant information, sample curriculum vitae, and an opportunity to meet scientists in diverse careers.

"Many of our programs seek to make young scientists aware of the transferable skill set they gain as research professionals and help them match their aptitudes and interests with the needs of their potential new employer," said Sharma.

Science and AAAS are also co-sponsors of the Student Conference on Conservation Science, an event to help young conservation scientists gain experience, make contacts, and develop new ideas that will benefit their future careers. Participants of the conference include biological, environmental, and geographical university researchers, as well as scientists from conservation and resource management agencies.

The conference, to be held in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge from 27-29 March, will feature two poster sessions and several workshops on developing effective communication skills, publishing research, and working with the media.

On 4 April, Sharma will lead a special event in Harrogate, U.K., for postdoctoral researchers and Ph.D. candidates on how to chart successful career paths outside academia in diverse sectors including research in the pharmaceutical industry, science communication, finance, and regulatory affairs.

Entitled "What is the Alternative? Non-Academic Career Paths," the session held during the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) Annual Meeting will feature a panel of experts with advice on developing skills necessary for a successful transition away from academia. In addition, the meeting will feature a large discussion on working with the media to communicate your research to the general public.

On 25 April, ScienceCareers.org will team up with Imperial College to organize a full day of interactive workshops for postdocs with sessions on crossing the academia/industry divide, establishing your independent research group, and a curriculum vitae clinic. In addition, the event will feature a job application and interview workshop allowing postdocs to step into the shoes of recruiters and gain insight into a well-constructed application.

"The United Kingdom and the rest of Europe have committed themselves to developing the scientific and technical workforce because they realize that this is crucial to future security and prosperity," said Jim Austin, editor of ScienceCareers.org. "In these countries as in the United States, ScienceCareers.org is committed to assisting them by providing the best possible training in non-scientific career skills, which are no less important to their success than sound training in the core scientific disciplines."

Benjamin Somers

22 March 2007