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Top 7 alternative Career Paths for Scientists

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Alternative careers

The good news is scientists are not confined to the lab anymore. In fact, candidates with a science degree and a science background are becoming increasingly desirable in other fields.

We’ve compiled a list of seven popular alternative career paths for scientists looking for a change.

A career in scientific writing

Writing requires many of the same skills you learn whilst studying a science degree; analysing a lot of information and presenting it in a way that is easy to understand.

The best writers are the ones who know first-hand about the topics they discuss in their writing. Consequently, writers with a science background are always in high demand for scientific writing.

Writing opens up a world of opportunities including journalism and writing about science and science novelties for the general public, or technical writing and presenting science findings for patents and authority bodies.

Alternatively, if you love reading and writing, a science degree can help you get a job for a specialist publisher such as Bloomsbury Sigma or IOP, whether that be in production, editing or proof reading.

Working in intellectual property law

If you are interested in the legal side of science, becoming a patent attorney could be an interesting option. Patent law is already a well-established career path for scientists, as companies recruiting trainee patent attorneys usually ask for a degree in science or another STEM subject. This is because to draft a patent, you need to understand the research and technology behind it.

Turning to consultancy

Moving into consulting is another popular move for scientists looking for a more client-facing role.

Big consultancies such as BCG, Accenture and Deloitte will have a dedicated science department recruiting analytical candidates with science backgrounds, to head projects for clients in the science and clinical space. Alternatively, there are also opportunities at a number of specialist scientific consultancies like IQVIA and Alacrita.

Working for a funding body

If working in an office seems more appealing than working in a lab, but you still want to stay up-to-date with the latest science news, then working in funding could be a great option. You might want to look at organisations such as Research Councils UK (for example, the BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC and the STFC) and major funding bodies like the Leverhulme Trust and the Wellcome Trust.

Sales and marketing for Pharmaceutical companies

Why not explore different areas of the value chain, and look at jobs selling and promoting products, rather than creating them?

Being knowledgeable on the product you are selling is particularly useful when presenting products and answering client needs and questions. These jobs tend to be less about pure selling and more about becoming a product expert.

Recruitment

If you enjoy using your people skills, then specialist recruitment companies like CK Science are always looking for recruitment consultants with science backgrounds.

Good knowledge of the science world helps recruitment consultants not only understand the jobs they are recruiting for, but also understand which skills are needed and which types of candidates would be better placed in each role.

Science teachers at all levels are in high demand right now in the UK, as great initiatives are being taken to close the current STEM skill gap. So, if you have a passion for science and sharing your knowledge, teaching might be something to consider.

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Alternative Careers For Scientists

Resume and pen on a table to represent someone applying for alternative careers for scientists

What happens when you finally get the life sciences degree you worked so long for and then realize you really don’t want to spend the rest of your life in the lab?

Or you get tired of working long hours with few results and low pay, or you succumb to any of the other reasons that might put you off being a scientist.

You may well decide to hang up your lab coat and move into something else… and there are a lot of great options for people with a science background and postgraduate degrees that lead to rewarding and lucrative careers.

15 Alternative Careers for Scientists

In order to help you decide on an alternative career choice, we’ve compiled a list of  15 alternative careers for scientists that might be worth considering if you ever decide it’s time to leave the lab. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it might give you a few ideas.

1. Technical Services

Technical Services support involves interacting with scientists over the phone to troubleshoot problems with products or even to provide a scientific consultation on general experimental strategy and design. As this isn’t a face-to-face role, it makes for an easy transition for an introverted scientist to a more outgoing profession.

Many opportunities exist to grow your career within a company if you want to move up the corporate ladder. Just be prepared to answer the phone 30–40 times a day and, once in a while, be berated by a customer.

2. Product Manager/Marketing

Product managers are responsible for a product from launch to discontinuation. The job has many responsibilities so fits best with people who are highly organized, and can multi-task, and lead teams. The main goal of a product manager is to make money for the company.

You accomplish that goal by numerous marketing activities (advertising, attending scientific conferences, promotional giveaways, etc.), by building new products that people want, and by making sure that every product is in perfect working order when received by the customer.

The salary is generous but be prepared to work 12-hour days and be under constant pressure to increase revenues.

3. Biotech Sales Representative

Who is that person who comes to your door and tries to sell you everything from tips and tubes to kits and instruments for PCR? It’s your friendly neighborhood sales representative. Most, if not all, salespeople in biotech have worked in the lab and some even have PhDs, making it one of the most common alternative careers for scientists.

If you take a minute to talk to your biotech sales rep , you will see that their true purpose is to make sure you have everything you need (from their company!) to be a success. But your success is always paramount to their sale.

Of course, there are those who are under intense pressure to make a sale to the point where they push too hard, and some are too green in their career to understand that they are trying to sell you something you don’t use.

But, overall, they are a bright and hard-working group of people who want to excel at their job by helping you excel in the lab. The income you can make in sales can be very high but so is the pressure to meet the revenue targets assigned to you.

4. Field Application Scientist (FAS)

The FAS role is often a perfect position for academic bench scientists looking to move into industry. The FAS is called in when a customer is interested in purchasing a new product or is having trouble getting an existing one to work.

Working in the customer’s lab, the FAS will demonstrate how well a product works, troubleshoot problems with a product, or teach a lab how to use a complex instrument. The FAS may also install instruments or robotics and maintain their proper function.

The FAS travels frequently because they are assigned large territories and will sometimes need to stay at an account for up to a week. Part of their role is to build solid friendships with the labs they support while helping their company win (or keep) new accounts.

5. Business Development

Business development is a very exciting role that involves growing and shaping the scope of a company’s business approach. This can mean making technical collaborations with other companies, bringing in contract work, or licensing in or out technologies through to deciding on mergers and acquisitions.

Typically, this requires an MBA degree in addition to a science background, but working your way up through the company ranks is another route. Business development requires a strong mix of technical knowledge and marketing experience.

The person should have a good feel for the changes going on in the market and what the next hot technology or area of research might be. Your advice can have a big effect on the decisions a company makes, so expect high stress and pressure.

6. Manufacturing Quality Assurance (QA)/Quality Control (QC)

The process of taking a product from the research phase to market requires the ability to produce it on a large scale. You’ve successfully formulated the buffers and the procedure for a new kit in the lab. Now try building 500 of them and make sure they work exactly as well as the single one from the lab.

Or try scaling up protein expression and purification to make liters of enzyme and keep it soluble. Or making liters of competent cells , bearing in mind that if the efficiency falls below a set number you have to start all over again. You get the picture!

Manufacturing requires precision, perfection, and focus. Manufacturing scientists do everything from production to the QC. Depending on what the product is used for, the QC can involve complex techniques such as real-time PCR, cloning, or enzyme activity assays.

Manufacturing is not a glamorous job but it is critical to the success of a company because if manufacturing can’t keep up, it can cause huge losses in revenue and customers.

7. Technology Transfer

Technology transfer involves finding ways to commercialize technologies developed in the public sector (universities or government agencies). It is like the academic equivalent of business development and requires many of the same skills.

Tech transfer jobs can be found in the public institutions themselves, in companies that routinely commercialize technologies that originate in the public sector, or in non-profit technology transfer organizations.

8. Science Copywriting

Copywriters produce the copy (the written material) for marketing products or ideas. This is a great position for people who like to communicate science through writing. If you work for a biotech company as a copywriter, you would be helping product managers to communicate their message to the market about a product via a print ad, email blast, banner ad, webpage, or flyer.

Copywriters and product managers work together to perfect the message before the copy goes to design for layout and imagery. This position really accentuates your creative side, but be prepared to deal with stressed-out product managers.

9. Medical/Technical Writing

Another type of science writing is technical writing, which includes writing handbooks/product manuals and application notes. This requires less creativity and more of the ability to communicate exactly how something should be done. If a protocol is unclear, it is the problem of the technical writer (and the product manager).

More info on working in medical and technical writing is available here.

10. Science Journalism

Yet another type of science writing is science journalism. Science journalists produce content for newspapers, magazines, and websites (just like I’m doing now). You can work either freelance or as a staff writer , employed directly by the publication. Either way, the competition is tough. The best way in is simply to start writing and trying to get things published.

11. Scientific Illustration

If drawing, rather than writing, is your forte, then scientific illustration may be an option. Although opportunities in this field are limited, they do exist. Breaking into this field is like scientific journalism – you just have to start drawing and try to get your work noticed. Here is a great article on carving out a career in scientific illustration .

12. Recruitment/Head-hunter

Recruiters help companies to find suitable candidates for job openings and can work for independent recruitment consultancies or for a company’s in-house human resources department. This type of job requires an outgoing personality and the ability to develop a great network for candidate searches.

Having a science background will help you know when a candidate’s skills are a good match for an employer, but the competition for good candidates is high and part of the job is being a nudge. Typical recruiters call or email at least 10–15 times before they accept a “no” answer!

13. Teaching

Some people are born teachers and if this is you, high school teaching can be a great option. Aside from the joy of teaching (assuming it is a joy for you), the holidays are great and the pay can be pretty good too. The downside is working with teenage kids, which is an unenviable task if you ask me! Here is a good article on moving from the lab to the classroom.

14. Patent Examiner

Patent examiners are employed by the government to review patent applications and decide whether they should be granted. Typically this involves searching the literature and patent databases to determine if the application is innovative and meets the requirements for a patent to be granted. Get more information on the role of a patent examiner here. 

15. Patent Lawyer/Attorney

Patent lawyers operate at the other end of the patent application process, working for clients who wish to file and maintain patents or who need guidance with any aspect of patent law. This is a very well-paid career, but is also high pressure and requires both scientific and law training.

The level of training required to become a patent lawyer varies from country to country. More details about the qualifications required to become a patent lawyer can be found here.

Do you have any other alternative careers for scientists? Beverage scientist, anyone?  Did this article help you find your next career move? Leave us a comment below!

Originally published January 3, 2008. Reviewed and updated on January 14, 2021.

36 Comments

science jobs that aren't research

I want to be a CEO of a multinational company. for instance, in audi or in google. Does the Ph.D degree needed to become a CEO such this company. I am looking forward to your feedback.Thank you in advance.

science jobs that aren't research

I am doing MSc photonics am interested in technical field and marketing field I not interested in research I need make good money within Short time anyone give me a suggestions? about my carrier which one should I choose

science jobs that aren't research

I have a PhD in microbiology, did post-doc and started working in industry for the last 2 years. One thing I realize about my self is that as much as I love science, I love and crave interaction with people even more. I am tired of working with scientist, who are introverted, lack communication skills and always have headphones on. I am trying to transition to more “support” and costumer facing roles. Anybody feel the way I do? Tired of unsocial scientists dragging your positive attitude down?

science jobs that aren't research

Hey man, Worked with enough scientists to strongly agree with the introversion and lack of communication skills. Considered working in a big CRO or drug discovery biotech? Lot more people interaction and can still keep the love for science intact.

science jobs that aren't research

Thanks! Great article and useful comments

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26 high-paying jobs for people who aren't interested in science

  • Many of the United States' highest-paying jobs — such as doctors and pharmacists — are science-focused.
  • However, there are also plenty of high-paying jobs out there that involve little to no scientific background or training at all.
  • Using data from the US Department of Labor , we took a look at positions that don't require an interest in science that earn over $53,490 per year, the average annual salary for all occupations in May 2019.
  • Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Insider Today

If you want to become a doctor, astronomer, or pharmacist, you'll obviously need to have a pretty strong scientific background.

Recent reporting from Business Insider's Andy Kiersz and Madison Hoff shows that the highest-paid position in many US states requires a medical degree . Luckily, though, there are also plenty of high-paying jobs out there that don't require that degree of scientific training.

We combed through the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) , a US Department of Labor database that compiles detailed information on hundreds of jobs, and looked at salary data on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics ' Occupational Employment Statistics program to find positions with a low "science importance" score and an average annual salary of over $53,490, the overall average annual salary in May 2019, the most recent available data.

O*NET ranks how important " using scientific rules and methods to solve problems " is in any job, assigning each a score between one and 100. Science-centric positions, such as chemists and veterinarians, rank between 80 and 100 on the spectrum, while jobs such as broadcast news analysts and musicians are under five.

While many jobs may call for a bit of science knowledge at some point, we looked at occupations where their average annual salary was above $53,490, and that had a scientific score no greater than 20.  

Keep reading for a look at 26 positions that had a low science-importance score and were also high-paying. 

26. Postsecondary philosophy and religion teachers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Philosophy and religion professors teach courses in philosophy, religion, and theology. 

Average annual salary: $88,970

Science importance score: 19

25. Financial examiners

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Financial examiners ensure compliance with laws governing financial institutions and transactions. They review balance sheets, evaluate the risk level of loans, and assess bank management.

Average annual salary: $92,330

Science importance score:  6

24. Sales representatives (wholesale and manufacturing)

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Sales managers sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals.

Average annual salary: $92,980

Science importance score: 13

23. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents connect buyers and sellers in financial markets. They sell securities to individuals, advise companies in search of investors, and conduct trades.

Average annual salary: $93,090

Science importance score:  3

22. Athletes and sports competitors

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Athletes compete in athletic events.

Average annual salary: $93,140

21. Directors (stage, motion pictures, television, or radio)

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer's script to entertain or inform an audience. Producers also earn a similar salary.

Average annual salary: $93,940

Science importance score: 0

20. Financial analysts

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Financial analysts provide guidance to businesses and individuals making investment decisions. They assess the performance of stocks, bonds, and other types of investments.

Average annual salary: $94,160*

Science importance score:  16

Average annual salary is from the occupation title "Financial and investment analysts, financial risk specialists, and financial specialists, all other" on BLS under the new Standard Occupational Classification code for financial analysts.

19. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : They directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police force.

Average annual salary: $94,950

18. Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : They represent and promote artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with current or prospective employers.

Average annual salary: $97,170

Science importance score:  13

17. Administrative law judges, adjudicators, or hearing officers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers conduct hearings to recommend or make decisions on claims concerning government programs or other government-related matters. They also determine liability, sanctions, or penalties or recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims or settlements.

Average annual salary: $100,230

16. Art directors

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Art directors are responsible for the visual style and images in magazines, newspapers, product packaging, and movie and television productions. They create the overall design of a project and direct others who develop artwork and layouts.

Average annual salary: $109,600

Science importance score:  10

15. Software developers (systems software)

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Software developers research, design, develop, and test operating systems-level software, compilers, and network distribution software for medical, industrial, military, communications, aerospace, business, scientific, and general computing applications.

Average salary: $111,620*

Science importance level:  16

Average annual salary is from the new Standard Occupation Classification code for "Software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers" that includes system software developers.

14. Postsecondary education administrators

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Postsecondary education administrators plan, direct, or coordinate research, instructional, student administration and services, and other educational activities at postsecondary institutions.

Average annual salary: $112,400

13. Personal financial advisers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Personal financial advisers advise clients on financial plans using knowledge of tax and investment strategies, securities, insurance, pension plans, and real estate.

Average annual salary: $119,290

12. Air traffic controllers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Air traffic controllers control air traffic on and within vicinity of airport and movement of air traffic between altitude sectors and control centers according to established procedures and policies.

Average annual salary: $120,140

Science importance score:  19

11. Purchasing managers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Purchasing managers plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services.

Average annual salary: $128,400

10. Human resources managers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET :  Human resources managers plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization.

Average annual salary: $129,570

Science importance score: 16

9. Postsecondary law teachers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Law professors teach courses in law.

Average annual salary:  $129,950

8. Public relations and fundraising managers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Public relations managers plan, direct, or coordinate activities designed to create or maintain a favorable public image or raise issue awareness for their organization or client; or if engaged in fundraising, plan, direct, or coordinate activities to solicit and maintain funds for special projects or nonprofit organizations.

Average annual salary: $132,630

7. Compensation and benefits manager

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Compensation managers plan, direct, or coordinate compensation and benefits activities of an organization.

Average annual salary: $134,210

6. Sales managers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Sales managers plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer.

Average annual salary: $141,690

5. Advertising and promotions managers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Advertising and promotions managers plan, direct, or coordinate advertising policies and programs or produce collateral materials, such as posters, contests, coupons, or give-aways, to create extra interest in the purchase of a product or service for a department, an entire organization, or on an account basis.

Average annual salary: $141,890

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Lawyers represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions.

Average annual salary: $145,300

3. Financial managers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Financial managers plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment

Average annual salary: $147,530

2. Marketing managers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Marketing managers plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers.

Average annual salary: $149,200

1. Computer and information systems managers

science jobs that aren't research

What they do, according to O*NET : Computer and information systems managers plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.

Average annual salary: $156,390

science jobs that aren't research

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10 alternative science careers

Passionate about science but don't know what to do? It's time to think outside the box, so forget about stereotypes of petri dishes, lab coats and test tubes and read up on the alternative science careers on offer

Communication and outreach

This area of work is about sharing scientific knowledge and information with non-experts and explaining or presenting it in an easy to understand way.

For example, you could work as a:

  • Science writer  or  journalist  - You'll relay science news to the general public through media outlets and publications.
  • Museum education officer  - Working in museums and science centres, for example at the Science Museum (London) or the Science and Industry Museum (Manchester) you'll explain scientific concepts to visitors.
  • Event manager  - Involves organising science-related information events or festivals for businesses, students or the general public.

Your job could involve presenting scientific findings to the government or visiting schools and universities to promote science-related subjects and activities. You could also pursue a career in public relations.

If your undergraduate degree is in an unrelated subject Masters courses in science communication are available - Cardiff University, The University of Manchester, The University of Edinburgh, The University of Sheffield and Imperial College London all offer programmes.

While this type of course is on the rise, the best way to enter the field is through gaining relevant  work experience  and building industry contacts. Valuable experience includes writing for university publications, joining university science clubs and organising events,  volunteering  at science museums and entering writing competitions.

Search for postgraduate courses in science communication .

Medical sales

Medical sales representatives work for pharmaceutical companies and sell medicines, medical equipment and prescription drugs to healthcare professionals such as GPs, hospital doctors, pharmacists, nurses and dentists. When starting out you’ll earn between £19,000 and £24,000 but with experience salaries can reach £50,000.

The career is open to all graduates but a degree in life sciences, medicine or  pharmacy  may be particularly useful.

Discover more about the  sales sector .

Consultancy

Management consulting is an attractive option for scientists who are searching for a career outside research. It gives you the chance to apply your scientific background and analytical skills to solving client problems, such as improving the efficiency of manufacturing processes.

Management consultancy  is open to all graduates but a degree in business, economics, engineering or science will be beneficial.

You could find work with a general consultancy, which houses a science department such as PA Consulting, or for a specialist scientific consultancy such as BMT. Starting salaries for junior consultants in large forms fall between £25,000 and £33,500.

Learn more about  consulting graduate schemes .

Jobs in this field are incredibly competitive but you could use the knowledge gained from a scientific degree to work for a specialist publisher.

Science publishing, both online and print, tends to focus on the production of books, scientific journals, textbooks and revision guides. The main publishers in this field are based in Cambridge, London and Oxford, and include:

  • Bloomsbury Sigma
  • Springer Nature
  • Taylor and Francis

Jobs can be found in production, proofreading and editorial. Some employers may accept an undergraduate degree in a science subject, but due to the competitive nature of the industry a postgraduate qualification in publishing will stand you in good stead.  Search for postgraduate courses in publishing .

Writing for university newspapers and science clubs, starting your own science themed blog or YouTube channel and interning at scientific publishers demonstrates previous experience and a degree of commitment to the industry. Discover  how to get into publishing .

Atwood Tate, a specialist recruitment agency, advertises scientific and medical publishing roles.  The   New Scientist  also advertises vacancies.

Intellectual property and patent law

Scientists with an interest in the law may want to consider a career as a  patent attorney ,  patent examiner ,  solicitor , or  trade mark attorney . Patent attorney and examiner roles are particularly suited to those with a science degree.

Patent attorneys assess whether inventions are new and innovative and therefore eligible to be patented. Typical trainee starting salaries fall between £27,000 and £36,000. A degree in a science, engineering, technical or mathematics-based subject is usually required. Meanwhile, patent examiners use their technical and legal skills to assess applications for patents.

If you'd like to become a solicitor, you could put your scientific background to good use in areas such as intellectual property and environmental law. See what the  law sector  has to offer.

Manufacturing and production

The  engineering and manufacturing  industry offers plenty of alternative careers for those with a science background. You could become a:

  • Health and safety inspector  - Science and engineering graduates are at an advantage when entering this highly competitive profession. The work involves protecting people by making sure that risks in the workplace are properly controlled.
  • Product/process development scientist  - Manufacturing companies need development scientists to understand and control the processes used to make the final product. You'll work across the manufacturing industry on a range of products, such as foods, medicines, cosmetics and paints. A background in engineering or science will stand you in good stead.
  • Quality manager  - You'll aim to ensure that the product or service an organisation provides is fit for purpose, is consistent and meets both external and internal requirements.
  • Nuclear engineer  - You'll be designing, building, running or decommissioning nuclear power stations. You'll work in multi-disciplinary teams to come up with technical solutions. Chemistry and physics qualifications are particularly useful.

If you'd like to share your passion for science with future generations, you should consider teaching in schools, colleges or universities. Jobs include:

  • further education teacher
  • higher education lecturer
  • primary school teacher
  • secondary school teacher

You'll need to gain additional qualifications to become a teacher, so find out more about the different  routes into teaching . Generous bursaries are often available for graduates training to teach a STEM subject, see  funding for teacher training  for more information.

Funding and administration

If you'd like to keep up to date with the latest scientific developments but prefer the office to the lab, working in science funding and administration could be the role for you. You'll most likely work for Research Councils UK (for example, the BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC and the STFC) and major funding bodies like the Leverhulme Trust and the Wellcome Trust.

This type of work is about using your scientific knowledge to support others research and activities may include administering grant applications and advising applicants.

Recruitment

Your knowledge of the science industry can be put to good use in the  recruitment sector , where you can work as a  recruitment consultant  and match candidates' skills to the right scientific role. Trainee recruitment consultants start on salaries between £15,000 and £20,000.

You could work for a number of specialist recruitment agencies such as CK Science, Network Scientific Recruitment, SRG and STEM Graduates.

While not strictly a recruitment role, you could also consider working as a  higher education careers adviser , specialising in science.

Science policy

Jobs in science policy require you to draw on your scientific knowledge and understanding to inform and assist policy formulation. Policy workers are employed in a variety of settings in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Typical employers include:

  • government departments
  • non-governmental organisations
  • public sector organisations such as the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST)
  • scientific professional bodies, for example, The Royal Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, Institute of Physics
  • trade associations.

The work involves identifying and analysing policy issues, collecting information on scientific issues, drafting reports and writing briefing papers. Learn more about the role of a  policy officer .

Vacancies are hard to come by and almost all policy officers hold a postgraduate qualification in subjects such as politics, social politics or policy studies. The University of Sussex offers a one-year MSc in Science and Technology Policy, while the Wellcome Trust's Graduate Development Programme covers a variety of business areas including policy.

Find out more

  • Gain an insight into the science and pharmaceuticals sector .
  • Learn more about graduate jobs in science and pharmaceuticals .
  • Discover why you should study meteorology .

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Ditch the lab coat: science careers outside of the lab.

science jobs that aren't research

It’s a common misconception shared amongst many science students and graduates that they are destined only for a life in research. As a biomedical science student myself, I shared this feeling too until quite recently. Now, more and more science students are realising their potential to work outside of the lab and this is largely thanks to careers talks provided by accomplished science graduates to Universities across the country. Like the humorously named “Ditch the lab coat: Science Careers outside of the lab” held at Royal Holloway, University of London, last week. Here we were very fortunate to hear from a hugely inspiring and professional panel about their science careers that have taken them away from the lab bench.

First to talk was Laura Wheeler, Community Manager at Digital Science, a division of Macmillan Science & Education. Laura kicked off by recalling her time studying Biochemistry and her lab placements: it was very reassuring to hear her describe her lack of finesse in the lab; I have no doubts most students find lab work extremely challenging and could relate to her desire to branch out. Laura went on to tell her career story and how she preferred communicating science and how this led to her role at Digital Science. It seems that work experience is absolutely key for those students looking to broaden their horizons and gain vital skills beyond those acquired during their degree and PhD training. As Laura explained:

“Only 3.5% of UK science PhDs stay in university research.”

So we do need think about alternative careers and be aware that you can still train as a scientist, and use those skills to have an illustrious career outside of academia.

Next was Esme Richardson, a Scientific Recruitment Consultant at Inspired Selection and Treasurer of The Society of Young Publishers. Esme explained the wide range of roles available in Science Publishing: It’s not just writers and editors that are needed in this area but individuals with creative and digital skills that are in high demand too. Esme’s message here was that student’s should never feel afraid to approach companies to request work experience as it is often the case that these places are keen to train students with specific skills to suit a particular role.

Following Esme’s talk, Matthew Rodgers talked about his job as a patent attorney at BTG international. Matthew made it clear that to be an attorney was not an easy role and involved working very long hours. Furthermore, to reach a professional level this required some years in intense training. The salary as an attorney, however was certainly attractive! Matthew had one key message for us students to take away which was to

“never dismiss opportunities that are offered to you as you never know where they will lead you.”

This was certainly a principle by which Matthew lived throughout his career and it has served him very well in getting him where he is now.

Lastly, but certainly not least was TallulahBygraves , Director of her own Bonobo Conservation society and Ambassador for Teach First who inspired us all with her entrepreneurial skills. It was so wonderful to see how enthused she was about the work she does every day for both the conservation society and in her teaching career. This was a perfect example of how rewarding it can be to pursue your dreams and to work for something you feel very passionate about.

After the talk I took the opportunity to speak to the presenters in person to ask some questions I had about requesting work experience. I also learned about an opportunity to write a blog post for Digital Science which I thought was too good to be missed!

I came away from the talk with a new optimism for the future as I now know of the wide range of career options available to me. Not only this, but I now know of what steps I should take to get where I want to be. Science students really are hugely versatile and the skills that are gained in their degree set a good foundation upon which they can learn new skills to specialise into other career areas. The world is our oyster!

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The Hyper Blog

Hrs press releases, hands-on science jobs that aren’t in a lab.

Hands-On Science Jobs That Aren’t In a Lab

When you think about a career in science, you probably picture a team of scientists all wearing white lab coats and peering into microscopes or messing around with beakers and test tubes. But there are plenty of science jobs that don't involve any of these things!

Not all science graduates want to sit around a laboratory all day. In this blog, we're going to look at some rewarding, hands-on science jobs that aren't based in a lab.

Careers for Scientists Outside of the Lab

Medical science liaison.

If a company employs you as their medical science liaison, you are effectively that company's scientific expert for particular drugs. A medical science liaison acts as the mediator between clinicians, researchers and the pharmaceutical industry.

As a medical science liaison, your focus is on drug education rather than sales. Your main responsibilities are as follows:

  • Provide important information to colleagues who work in commercial departments (e.g. marketing, sales) and influence future strategies
  • Educate key clinicians about medical devices or particular drugs
  • Answer any scientific questions regarding medical devices or drugs

While working as a medical science liaison, you will most likely be assigned to a specific geographical location and will specialise in a particular medical device, drug or treatment.

Medical Sales Representative

Another hands-on job that might interest you is that of a medical sales rep. In this role, you will be charged with promoting and selling your company's scientific products to key healthcare professionals. These products can include:

  • Medical equipment
  • Prescription drugs

Your customers will mostly be hospital doctors, nurses and general practitioners. You'll visit a number of different institutions, working strategically to boost awareness and use of your company's medical and pharmaceutical products in hospitals and elsewhere.

Again, you will most likely be assigned to a specific geographical location, and you will typically specialise in a particular product or medical area. Your role will require you to:

  • Answer questions about what you are selling
  • Offer advice and meet sales targets
  • Produce detailed presentations and organise events for healthcare professionals

Technical Writer

Biopharmaceutical companies don't just require individuals with lots of qualifications and an advanced understanding of the science behind their products - they also need individuals who can write about those products clearly and effectively.

Regulatory agencies require a lot of written grants and documentation, so if you're a strong writer with a passion for science, a career as a technical writer may be perfect for you.

In this job, you will be responsible for writing specialist information about products / services and how they operate. You will be required to explain how a particular product or service is used in a way that is easy to understand. You may be expected to provide information in a number of different formats, including:

  • User guides
  • Reference and instruction manuals
  • Instructional videos
  • Illustrations & graphics

Quality Control Manager

Scientific companies - particularly organisations within the biopharma industry - often have a huge need for specialists in quality control and quality assurance. These professionals monitor the company's manufacturing operations and ensure the quality of all products and services that are released to the market.

As a quality control manager, you'll be responsible for coordinating the activities required to meet the relevant quality standards for your employer's products and services. You'll ensure that quality is consistent and meets both internal and external requirements.

The responsibilities of a quality control manager include:

  • Devising quality procedures, standards and specifications
  • Organising and managing controls and documentation procedures
  • Training and supervising a team of quality control technicians
  • Identifying methods that help to reduce waste and increase efficiency
  • Ensuring manufacturing and production processes meet international and national standards

These are just some of the many science jobs that aren't based in a lab - perfect for anyone with a passion for science who doesn't want to be confined to research or working in a laboratory every day.

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Here at HRS, we are continuously striving to place talented science graduates into roles that will allow them to change the world for the better. If you're looking for a new job in the scientific sector, be sure to visit our jobs page to explore the latest vacancies!

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science jobs that aren't research

Non-research career options

If your passion lies outside the lab it is important to get as much experience as possible in your chosen area. There is a variety of opportunities outside of

the laboratory such as science/technical writing, science administration and management, science communication, editing, technology transfer, patent law, teaching, sales and technical support. You are eligible for these positions because of the transferable skills acquired during your degree however you are competing against graduates from other scientific disciplines as well as your own, so it can be a very competitive career choice.

Science communication

Science communication is an enormously rewarding but increasingly competitive field to enter.

Public engagement

If public engagement is where your interest lies it is important to get as much experience as possible because employers in this sector will be looking for evidence that you are enthusiastic and proactive. Volunteer to help out with your university’s outreach events or at one of the many Science Festivals run in the UK every year. The Society’s Public Affairs department has a wide range of outreach activities. If you are a member and are interested in helping out, we'd love to hear from you. Please contact  [email protected] . Offering your time to Science Centres and Museums in your area will also help you gain valuable experience.

Science writing

If you wish to become a science writer, experience is important. You need to show an ability to write good English and explain complex topics in a straight-forward style. Write for your university paper or department newsletter, or submit a piece to a scientific writing competition. The Biochemical Society, Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust and Society for Endocrinology run essay competitions. Your local paper may be interested in a piece if you are writing about something big in the news at the time. Become a member of the  Association of British Science Writers , look into internships at science magazines  New Scientist ,  Nature  and  BBC Focus Magazine . Setting up your own blog is another good way to get your writing out there and get your name known.

Science policy

Science policy aims to inform and influence government by providing accurate scientifically sound information to aid policy decisions. If you are interested in getting involved in science policy apply for a policy placement. These placements (usually lasting a few months) are designed to give you a taste of what is involved in working in science policy. Many Learned Societies offer policy internships; there are also policy placements available to PhD students sponsored by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Intellectual property or patent attorneys work with businesses and scientists to protect their inventions, products and ideas. As well as a strong scientific background you need further qualifications in law. Some law firms accept exceptional science graduates onto in-house training schemes. The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, together with the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys has responsibility for running these examinations. Once you've completed the qualifications you will be a member of the Register of Patent Agents and the Register of Trade Mark Agents. For more information visit the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys and Intellectual Property Office.

If you are interested in a career in business, most employers look for evidence of 'commercial awareness'. BBSRC runs a competition called  Biotechnology YES (Young Entrepreneurs’ Scheme)  which gives students a taste of what is involved in commercialising a research idea, complete with a Dragons' Den-style panel that will assess your 'company'.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) are another good way of getting some experience in a business setting. A KTP is a three-way project between a graduate, a business and a university/research organization. The projects are paid and generally last on to two years depending on the project.

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12 Best Careers in Science

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Dawn Rosenberg McKay is a certified Career Development Facilitator. She has written hundreds of articles on career planning for The Balance.

science jobs that aren't research

Biochemist or Biophysicist

Conservationist, environmental scientist, environmental science and protection technician, forensic scientist, geoscientist, hydrologist, medical scientist, computer and information research scientist, atmospheric scientist, nuclear technicians.

Hinterhaus Productions / Getty Images

Imagine a world without scientists. People who work in science careers are responsible for many of the things we, as a society, benefit from every day—ways to prevent and cure diseases, new technology, and strategies to help control climate change.

To prepare for a science career, you will have to study either life or physical science. Life sciences involve learning about living organisms and include subjects like biology, biochemistry, microbiology, zoology, and ecology. Physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geology are all physical sciences, which deal with the study of non-living matter.

Here are 12 science careers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (B.L.S.) predicts that employment in most of these occupations will grow at least as fast as the average for all occupations between 2020 and 2030. Many will grow faster or much faster than the average. You may also be interested in learning about STEM careers, health professions, and health technology careers.

Biochemists and biophysicists study the chemical and physical properties of living things and biological processes. To work in this field, you will need at least a bachelor's degree in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, or physics for an entry-level job. A doctorate is required to do independent research or work in development.

Median Annual Pay (2021) : $102,270

Number of People Employed (2020) : 34,800

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : 5% (slower than the average for all occupations)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 1,600

Chemists study chemicals and how they can be used to improve our lives. You will need a master's degree or Ph.D. in chemistry for most research jobs, but a limited number of positions require only a bachelor's degree.

Median Annual Salary (2021) :   $79,760

Number of People Employed (2020) : 92,400

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : 6% (as fast as the average for all occupations)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 6,000

Conservationists help landowners and governments find ways to protect natural resources such as soil and water. To get a job in this field, you will have to earn a bachelor's degree in ecology, natural resource management, agriculture, biology , or environmental science .

Median Annual Salary (2021) :   $63,750

Number of People Employed (2020) : 39,000

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : 7% (as fast as the average)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 2,900

Environmental scientists identify, reduce, and eradicate pollutants and other hazards that threaten the environment or the population's health. You can get an entry-level job with a bachelor's degree in environmental science, biology, engineering, chemistry, or physics, but if you hope to advance, you might need a master's degree.

Median Annual Salary (2021) : $76,530

Number of People Employed (2020) : 87,100

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : 8% (as fast as the average)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 7,300

Environmental science and protection technicians—sometimes called environment technicians—monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution and work under environmental scientists' supervision. You will have to earn an associate degree or a certificate in applied science or science-related technology, but some jobs require a bachelor's degree in chemistry or biology.

Median Annual Salary (2021) : $47,370

Number of People Employed (2020) : 34,200

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : 11% (faster than the average)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 3,600

Forensic scientists—also known as forensic science technicians or crime scene investigators—collect and analyze physical evidence. Many employers prefer applicants with bachelor's degrees in fields such as chemistry, biology, or forensic science.

Median Annual Salary (2021) : $61,930

Number of People Employed (2020) : 17,200

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : 16% (much faster than the average)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 2,700

Geoscientists search for natural resources or help environmental scientists clean up the environment. To get an entry-level research position you will need at least a bachelor's degree in geoscience or earth science, but some positions may require a master's degree.

Median Annual Salary (2021) : $83,680

Number of People Employed (2020) : 29,000

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : 7% (as fast as average)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 2,000

Hydrologists study bodies of water, both on the earth's surface and underground. They look at their circulation, distribution, and physical properties. To work in this field, you will need at least a bachelor's degree, although some employers prefer candidates with a master's degree.

Median Annual Salary (2021) : $84,030

Number of People Employed (2020) : 6,500

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : 6% (as fast as the average)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 400

Medical scientists research the causes of disease. They also look for ways to prevent and cure them. Most medical scientists have a Ph.D. in biology or similar fields. Some medical scientists get a medical degree instead of a doctorate.

Median Annual Salary (2021) : $95,310

Number of People Employed (2020) : 133,900

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : 17% (much faster than the average)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 22,600

Computer and information research scientists research and design computing technology. These scientists typically need a master's degree in a field such as computer science. Federal government jobs in this field may have less stringent education requirements.

Median Annual Salary (2021) : $131,490

Number of People Employed (2020) : 33,000

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : 22% (much faster than the average)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 7,200

Atmospheric scientists study issues relating to weather and the climate. Meteorologists you may see on TV fall into this career category. Atmospheric scientists usually need a bachelor's degree, although research positions typically require a master's degree or doctorate.

Median Annual Salary (2021) : $94,570

Number of People Employed (2020) : 10,700

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : 900

Nuclear technicians assist physicists, engineers, and other high-level scientists with their nuclear research and energy production. Unlike top-level nuclear careers, technicians typically only need an associate's degree to get started. Once working, these professionals will have extensive on-the-job training.

Median Annual Salary (2021) : $99,340

Number of People Employed (2020) : 6,600

Projected Job Growth (2020-2030) : -12% (decline)

Projected Jobs Added (2020-2030) : -800

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Biochemists and Biophysicists ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Chemists and Materials Scientists ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Conservation Scientists and Foresters ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Environmental Scientists and Specialists ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Environmental Science and Protection Technicians ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Forensic Science Technicians ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Geoscientists ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Hydrologists ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Medical Scientists ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Computer and Information Research Scientists ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Atmospheric Scientists, Including Meteorologists ."

Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Nuclear Technicians ."

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10 Cool Jobs in Science You Didn’t Know Existed [Infographic]

  • By MarcusCannon
  • February 22, 2018

Female engineers working on robotic arm development

With such an extraordinary breadth of fields to study, there are plenty of cool, strange and unusual science jobs that you may not have heard of. Rather than being confined to their labs, some scientists move into areas that seem more akin to something from a Hollywood movie or your favourite TV show.

Others, while not what you’d perhaps term cool , aren’t exactly a regular 9 to 5 either and are very much a far cry from what springs to mind when you think of a scientist. From the deepest expanses of the ocean floor to the jaws of carnivorous reptiles, these odd jobs find their labourers conducting research in some pretty strange locales, far away from the usual lab or office that many will be used to.

Infographic: Cool and Unusual Jobs in Science

While some of these jobs are logical – but interesting – extensions of existing branches of science, others are maybe not what you’d expect to hear about. Some of these jobs may make you envious of the lucky professionals who venture out in the field every day. Others may make you feel grateful for the warmth and comfort of your lab or office. But, we’re sure they’ll all raise a wry smile and an admiration for those who go further in their pursuit of science.

So, to salute the scientists who do the work others might not be willing to deal with, we’ve created this infographic of cool and weird science jobs you didn’t know existed that runs the gamut from intrepid and intriguing to dangerous and… disgusting? Read on for more…

Feel Free to Share This Infographic on Your Site:

<!—– Copy and Paste This Code Into Your Post —-></p><br /><h3>10 Cool Jobs in Science You Didn’t Know Existed </h3><br /><p><img src=”https://thumbnails-visually.netdna-ssl.com/10-cool-jobs-in-science-you-didnt-know-existed_5a8ecddc3685c_w1500.jpg” alt=”cool and unusual jobs in science” width=”800px” /><br></p><br /><p>Created by the team at<a href=”https://www.mynewlab.com/blog/10-cool-science-jobs-didnt-know-existed-infographic”>InterFocus</a></p><br /><p>

However you plan to use your workspace (from the traditional to the non-traditional), InterFocus can help you create the perfect working environment. For more information about our bespoke fitted labs, visit our  homepage  or call our team on 01223 894 833.

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Beyond your ph.d.: how to break into science education, communication or outreach.

March 4, 2020

Congratulations, you’re *this close* to getting your Ph.D. and are ready to pursue a career in science education, communication or outreach! Do you know how to make your next step a reality? You have options, and each one has its own timeline, process and end goals.

Get a ‘Real’ Job

If you have never been in the job market, the idea of finding a ‘real’ job can be daunting. Where do you even start? Since graduate students know when they will graduate a few months beforehand, use this lead time to not only craft a resume and cover letter you can easily tailor to postings (hint: make them modular!), but to also set up your job search. A little bit of legwork up front can save you hours combing through listings when the crunch is on.

One of the easiest strategies is to set up job site filters based on a search like “science education and outreach.” Although there are numerous science-specific sites, be aware that they typically focus on academic and industry research jobs, and aren’t the best resource for science education, outreach or communication jobs. Instead, use broad sites like LinkedIn, Indeed and Idealist. Experiment with various search terms and parameters, like filtering by state or city, to find the combination that yields the most promising results. Then, have the sites email you a daily digest of new postings that match your search parameters. Many of the postings may not be relevant (‘outreach’ means many things, for example), but casting a wide net ensures that you don’t miss jobs that are relevant. Plus, you’ll be able to see what’s out there that you aren’t even aware of.

Another strategy is to target specific organizations that have science education, communication or outreach staff. Find the job openings section of each organization’s website (usually in the footer or under “About Us”), bookmark it and check it for new postings every week or so. Jobs in science education, communication or outreach are niche, but exist in a wide variety of organizations:

  • Scientific societies ( ASM , Society for Neuroscience, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, American Association for the Advancement of Science).
  • Science, natural history and technology centers and museums.
  • Universities and research institutions, particularly those with Centers for Teaching and Learning or Broader Impacts offices.
  • Non-profits (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Society for Science & the Public, Carnegie Science, National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine).
  • Government agencies (National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation).
  • For-profit companies (Bio-Rad, Discovery, National Geographic).

If you’ve done all the right things during your time in graduate school, you likely have contacts in the world of science education, communication or outreach as well. These could be staff who managed programs you volunteered for, speakers from career seminars or people you sought out for informational interviews. Reach out to them to let them know that you’re in the market. Don’t be too forward about it (for example, don’t send your resume unsolicited), but ask that they keep you in mind if anything comes across their desk.

One word of caution: don’t start applying to jobs until you’re within a month or so of graduating. Unlike postdoc or fellowship positions, if you get an offer, the organization likely will want you to start within 2-3 weeks, so you have to be prepared to wrap up what you’re doing quickly.

Do a Fellowship

Fellowships are a great way to get in-depth, paid experience in science education, communication or outreach, and are designed to boost you into your new field. As with setting up a postdoc, it usually takes a few months to find, apply and interview for fellowship positions. You are also beholden to the sponsoring organization’s timeline for the fellowship, and the start date may or may not work for your circumstances. Fellowships tend to be highly competitive, so even if you decide to apply, you should have a solid back-up plan.

Here are a few fellowships in the science education, communication or outreach space (if you have an opportunity to add to the list, send it to [email protected] ).

Do a Postdoc in Science Education Research

Since AAAS published Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education in 2011, biology departments across the country have hired faculty whose research focuses on biology education. Like ‘typical’ biology faculty, these discipline-based education research (DBER) faculty manage research groups, complete with graduate students and postdocs. If you’re interested in how people learn biological concepts, probing active learning techniques and improving pedagogy and assessment, a postdoc in biology education might be for you. These positions set you up to become DBER faculty yourself.

Finding a DBER postdoc is much like finding a bench research postdoc. You have to seek out faculty with open positions, apply and interview, then negotiate your start date. Generally, the process takes several months. For more on how these positions work, see “ A Guide for Graduate Students Interested in Postdoctoral Positions in Biology Education Research ” by Melissa L. Aikens, et al. The Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research also has a job board dedicated to DBER positions at all levels.

One final piece of advice: if at all possible, do not default to doing a bench research postdoc if you know the career you’d like to pursue doesn’t require one. Why not? For one thing, you end up wasting prime years of earning potential. We all know that postdoc wages are not exactly competitive, so why relegate yourself to meager pay and benefits for a position that gets you no closer to your goal? Yes, straying from the default path is scary and unpredictable. Yes, you might feel like you’re ‘not ready.’ But remember, you just completed an original scientific research project for which there was no blueprint—you figured it out. You got this!

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Few Teachers Learn About ‘Science of Reading’ in Their Prep Programs. Some Colleges Are Working on That

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Just four years into her career as an elementary school teacher, 26-year-old Kaylee Hutcheson has established herself as a resident expert on evidence-based reading instruction at Hawthorne Elementary School in Mexico, Mo. Recently, she was even appointed to sit on her district’s literacy committee. But the recent college graduate admits that her expertise in the “science of reading” has little to do with what she learned in either her undergraduate or master’s level coursework.

“I had no idea about the science of reading when I was in college,” Hutcheson said. “We weren’t aware that it was so important.”

That’s through no fault of her own.

Between 2013 and the start of 2024, 37 states and the District of Columbia passed laws or implemented policies related to evidence-based reading instruction, according to an Education Week analysis. But the onus for who will train these states’ educators in evidence-based literacy instruction has fallen primarily on school districts and, by extension, existing classroom teachers—not the colleges and universities that train the teachers.

“Only about a quarter of the teachers who leave teacher preparation programs across our nation enter classrooms prepared to teach kids to read [in a way that’s] aligned to the science and research on reading,” said Heather Peske, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, or NCTQ, in conjunction with the release of a 2023 study on the topic by her organization.

The 2023 NCTQ analysis rated the majority of licensure exams “weak”, observing that many were not adequately addressing all five science-based components of reading proficiency, as developed by the National Reading Panel : phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. To address that gap, the NCTQ called for a “transition to a stronger reading licensure test.” But to pass reading licensure tests that incorporate the tenets of evidence-based literacy instruction, teacher candidates must first be taught them. .

Why aren’t more teachers-in-training learning evidence-based literacy instruction?

There’s no single or clear-cut reason why the push to learn evidence-based literacy instruction hasn’t focused on colleges of education. Some policy experts suggest that tenured faculty at colleges of education are slow to change their long-entrenched pedagogy and associated teaching methods.

“They’re not shifting fast enough,” said Javaid Siddiqi, president of The Hunt Institute, a nonprofit affiliated with Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy that advocates for positive changes in public education. “There’s a mentality among some tenured faculty that ‘this is the way I’ve always taught.’”

Some research also suggests that college instructors’ long-held theories about how best to teach literacy do not align with evidence-based best practices, even though the research establishing ‘science of reading’ practices has come out of higher education. In a recent nationally representative EdWeek Research Center survey of postsecondary reading instructors, 68 percent of respondents agreed that “ balanced literacy ,” an approach proponents say combines explicit instruction, guided practice, and independent reading and writing, best described their philosophy of teaching early reading.

But some higher education experts have a different take on why not all colleges of education instruct aspiring teachers in evidence-based literacy approaches.

“I think that there are a lot of really strong programs out there, but also a lot of really weak ones,” said Holly Lane, director of the University of Florida Literacy Institute . Part of the University of Florida College of Education, the institute provides programming to prepare pre-service and current educators for teaching foundational reading skills using evidence-based practices.

Lane blames the lack of uniformly high quality literacy instruction in part on the prevalence of ill-qualified adjunct professors, which she sees as a serious and pervasive problem in colleges of education. “We have a shortage of qualified people preparing teachers,” she said.

Challenges to the evolution of teacher-prep programs

Changes, however slow, are afoot. As of January, 21 states have passed some form of relevant legislation requiring that institutes of higher education and teacher preparation programs review their course offerings or instructional approaches, bring them in line with evidence-based practices, and require courses to cover certain topics related to early reading, according to an Education Week analysis.

Some literacy experts expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of such legislation. Lane, at the University of Florida Literacy Institute, said that, although she believes lawmakers have children’s best intentions in mind, the focus of this legislation is sometimes misguided. For instance, it would be more effective if the new laws focused on what to teach, rather than what not to teach, she explained.

“Banning the 3-cueing system —that’s not going to have a real effect,” Lane said, referring to the practice of prompting students to draw on context, sentence structure, and letters to identify words. “Instead of banning things, making sure they’re using evidence-based practices and programs makes sense.”

Lane raised another question about recent literacy legislation: Does the expertise exist at the state level to make these sort of nuanced decisions around literacy instruction?

That’s where organizations like the Hunt Institute may help. Siddiqi, the institute’s president, has both education and policy experience as a former science teacher, principal, and state education secretary in Virginia.

“We’ve been working with states and state teams to transform teacher preparation and licensure programming to ensure that the science of reading is embedded in [teachers’] learning experience,” Siddiqi said.

The Path Forward , one of the Institute’s signature programs, was launched to strengthen alignment with evidence-based reading instruction and teacher preparation, program approval, and licensure. It supports individual state teams—groups of six or seven individuals working together to shift their teacher preparation and licensure programs to include evidence-based literacy approaches. So far, 18 states have signed on to the program, which operates via virtual meetings and targeted coaching support.

The support and specific goals vary depending on the needs of individual participating states. For instance, North Carolina’s cohort collaborated with educator preparation programs in the state to ensure all pre-service teachers are trained in evidence-based reading instruction before licensure. Arizona’s cohort worked with a state literacy nonprofit on a whitepaper codifying core principles of elementary teacher preparation on early literacy that reflect the continuum of effective literacy practices for students from age 8 through 8th grade.

Siddiqi said policymakers pay attention to what other states are doing, and that this form of positive peer pressure may help facilitate more states to adopt legislation related to changes in literacy instruction. “Having worked in the governor’s office in Virginia myself, we would always pay attention [to what neighboring states were doing],” he said.

In the meantime, the responsibility to learn how to teach students to read proficiently using evidence-based methods will likely continue to fall primarily on teachers—both those who have been using other approaches for years as well as newer teachers like Hutcheson.

Hutcheson has been among the first wave of teachers in Missouri’s Mexico school district to receive training in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS , a program which instructs teachers in essential literacy skills and the research behind them. She also attends conferences and other training as time permits to enhance her knowledge of evidence-based literacy instruction.

“What I’ve learned,” Hutcheson said, “is that understanding the science of reading is key for educators to provide the best possible literacy support to their students.”

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  • NEWS FEATURE
  • 26 February 2024

How to find meaning in your science career: six expert tips

  • Helen Pearson

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Climate-change research could help to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems. Credit: Eric Kruszewski/Design Pics Editorial/UIG/Getty

Syahirah Abdul Rahman spent five years pursuing fundamental research for her business PhD. She published her work on Malaysia’s financial markets in a leading journal. But her discovery that “only six people read it” — according to the handful of citations her paper accrued — prompted a career change. She realized that she wanted her work to be more immediately practical, and now studies the factors that help research to have a social or economic impact, at Oxford Brookes Business School in Oxford, UK.

Many people want their work to make a positive difference — addressing health, poverty or environmental issues, say — and data suggest that younger generations are prioritizing such goals. A 2023 survey by the global consultancy firm Deloitte of more than 22,000 people — specifically Millennials (those born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s) and those in Generation Z (born mid-1990s to early 2010s) — found that more than one-third of respondents have rejected employers because they did not align with their values.

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Help to shape policy with your science

The crises of the twenty-first century, such as the great recession , the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change , might be driving a shift among young people, says Christopher Wong Michaelson, a philosopher who studies what makes work worthwhile at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “We talk more openly about meaning and purpose at work today than in the past,” he says.

But what counts as meaningful work for researchers, and how can they direct their energies towards it before, during or after their PhDs? Eleven experts — including philosophers, labour economists, other social scientists and a Nobel prizewinner — shared their tips with Nature .

1. Make what you love benefit the world

One conventional framework for thinking about meaningful work is to look for the intersection between what you are good at, what you love, what you can be paid for and what the world needs. Unfortunately, few careers land neatly in the middle of this Venn diagram, says Michaelson, with laboratory work probably falling into the category of worthwhile but underpaid.

Rather than wrestling with whether we should serve ourselves by doing what we love, or instead serve the needs of others, Michaelson says a pragmatic answer is to think about how to turn what you love into something that is beneficial to the world, or vice versa. For a researcher, this might involve directing a passion for artificial intelligence into regulation of the technology , or tilting research on car emissions towards work on low-emission cars . Or it might mean choosing work that is worthwhile — and becoming good enough at it that satisfaction will follow.

Michaelson, who worked in management consulting before entering academia, cautions that research careers can be slow-burning. “A lot of research will never see the light of day, it will fail or will remain obscure,” he says. By contrast, applying research by bringing an idea to market might have an immediate but more shallow impact, and “we need both”, he says.

Walairut Tuntaprasart, a young entomologist at the Public Health Department of Mahidol University, Bangkok, and her team are testing mosquito nets impregnated with a new insecticide.

Researchers test insecticide-laden mosquito nets in Thailand. Infectious-disease research can be rewarding, but slow to bear fruit. Credit: Thierry Falise/LightRocket/Getty

Those seeking a meaningful career should beware of companies that have rushed to articulate ‘purpose statements’ about making the world a better place. There is a risk that this amounts to ‘purpose-washing’, says Michaelson, in which firms flaunt do-good goals to boost shareholder value and attract value-driven young employees.

But there’s good news for researchers looking for purpose in their work: the philosophers interviewed for this article mostly viewed research itself as a meaningful career. “Expansion and production of knowledge tends to be of benefit to human beings,” says Michael Cholbi, a philosopher at the University of Edinburgh, UK, who teaches a course on the ethics of work. Academic researchers are often educators, too, he adds, and there is plenty of research evidence that education improves people’s lives 1 .

2. Choose a pressing problem

In 2011, University of Oxford philosophy students Will MacAskill and Ben Todd were trying to work out how to pursue worthwhile careers. They found that standard career advice fell short because it didn’t show which path might help the world most. That prompted them to start 80,000 Hours, a careers advisory organization in London, that aims to help students have the biggest positive impact with the 80,000 working hours in their lives (40 hours × 50 weeks × 40 years). It became a foundational group in the worldwide ‘effective altruism’ movement, which seeks the most impactful ways to help others.

80,000 Hours has compiled a list of the world’s most pressing problems — topped by risks from artificial intelligence , catastrophic pandemics and nuclear war . The group ranks problems as more pressing if they affect many people, if they are relatively neglected (so that one person tackling the issue might have a large impact) and if solutions might be found. Acknowledging that some people might disagree with the list, the group provides a way for someone to work out which problems matter most to them. 80,000 Hours also suggests that people examine areas in which they could best excel or ‘fit’, and experiment.

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How to switch research fields successfully

What does all of this mean for someone pursuing a career in research? For students thinking about a PhD, it might be investigating academic disciplines that are relevant to their own list of pressing problems, Todd says, and trying jobs outside academia before taking the plunge into a PhD. Because people feel a lot of pressure about choosing the right career, Todd encourages them to think more of a “step-by-step process where you’re going do something for a few years and then re-evaluate”. 80,000 Hours provides detailed online career guidance and individual careers advice, based on experts’ views and academic research.

The group estimates that it has reached more than 400,000 people and that hundreds have changed their careers as a result. But it faced controversy last year because of its links to the former billionaire and convicted cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried. MacAskill had encouraged Bankman-Fried to ‘earn to give’ — that is, to pursue a high-earning job and donate to good causes. And 80,000 Hours had featured Bankman-Fried as a success story, which Todd says was a mistake; the group now emphasizes more strongly that high earners should not do work that harms others in order to donate. Some have criticized the group’s focus on long-term, existential risks at the expense of more immediate problems such as poverty, something that Todd defends: “Addressing the problems we’re focused on would be good for the present generation as well as future generations.”

3. Be prepared to work behind the scenes

Having an impact when it comes to research often means shaping governmental or other policies . But early-career researchers often don’t know where to start, says Paul Cairney, who studies evidence and public policy at the University of Stirling, UK. Some “don’t even know what impact means, or what is expected of them”, he says.

Some standard advice, Cairney says, is to work out which problem your research might help solve, who’s responsible for it and therefore which venue of policymaking — such as a government agency or non-governmental organization — to focus on and build relationships within. But influencing decisions could also mean taking a less obvious route. For example, UK scientists might see submitting evidence to a parliamentary enquiry as a quick way to influence policy. This might get your work cited, but could make little actual difference amid hundreds of other submissions. “If your aim is to have an influence on the choices people make, you’re much better off doing things behind closed doors with civil servants and getting no credit for it,” he says.

Scientist Kafayat Falana tries to test the viability of Cowpea germinated seed in the laboratory at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria, on June 22, 2017.

A routine laboratory task might be ‘crafted’ into something inspiring by focusing on its potential to solve wider problems, such as alleviating hunger. Credit: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty

Another common misconception, says Kathryn Oliver, a social scientist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, is that policymakers don’t understand science. She’s observed the opposite: that it’s scientists who often don’t understand how to contribute to the policy process. “The job is listening and working out where you’ve got a useful contribution — and a lot of academics aren’t taught that skill,” she says, because they are too used to talking about their interests.

Oliver recommends that researchers spend time in a policy environment to learn how the process works, for example through fellowships run by national funding agencies such as UK Research and Innovation or by non-profit organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington DC. Both place researchers temporarily in government agencies or policy groups. Even a week’s work shadowing could help, she says.

For prospective PhD students who want their work to have an impact, Abdul Rahman recommends studying what others have done. As part of her research, she read more than 100 statements submitted by universities to the UK Research Excellence Framework that described how research had an effect beyond academia, such as on the economy, society or public health. “You can see how impact is created from fundamental research,” she says.

4. Do your homework and follow the data

When seeking meaningful work, it would be useful to have data showing which research fields or jobs do the most good for society and the economy. Governments also need to take this into account when considering where to invest in research and development. But, at present, data sets do not exist to answer this question, says Julia Lane, a labour economist at New York University.

One reason, she says, is that it’s difficult to trace and measure the wide-ranging downstream outputs of a career or monetary investment in research. What’s more, the world is changing rapidly. Just as it would have been almost impossible to predict 40 years ago which fields or industries would have the biggest impact on our lives today, it is difficult to predict which fields might have the largest effect a few decades from now.

science jobs that aren't research

Postdoc career optimism rebounds after COVID in global Nature survey

If you’re reading this in 2029, however, you might have better luck: Lane is optimistic that more data will be available to guide career choice by then. She is developing a way to trace the impact of the billions of dollars currently pouring into artificial-intelligence research by identifying key researchers in the field. The goal is to follow the career trajectories of the PhD students and postdoctoral scientists who work for them, including the industries they eventually work in and the wages they earn. In a few years, comparing such data on different fields could reveal which are having the biggest economic impact — and, for individuals choosing a career path, which firms are hiring and what types of skill are in demand.

In the meantime, Lane says, the career advice that she has given PhD scientists at research conferences is to find out where the smartest postdocs and students are going and who they are talking to. “They are betting their careers on the best new ideas,” she says, “so find out who is the charismatic, hard-working faculty member who is fizzing with ideas.”

But plan your career carefully, says Paula Stephan, an economist at Georgia State University, Atlanta, who has studied the careers of scientists and engineers. Particularly in the life sciences, “people get sucked in” to doing a PhD and then a postdoc with no permanent academic role in sight. “They really need to go in with their eyes open,” she says.

5. Keep sight of the big picture

Organizational psychologist Jennifer Tosti-Kharas is one of many in her field to become interested in the idea of work as a ‘calling’ — a meaningful, consuming passion. When she and her team systematically reviewed more than 200 studies on experiencing work as a calling , they found it was more strongly linked to positive outcomes, such as engagement at work and overall well-being, than to negative ones 2 .

This was true regardless of whether someone thought their work was objectively meaningful (‘my work benefits others’) or subjectively meaningful (‘it is fulfilling to me even if it doesn’t benefit society’). “Both paths matter for overall well-being,” says Tosti-Kharas, who works at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and has co-authored a forthcoming book with Michaelson called Is Your Work Worth It?

But passion could backfire if, for example, it drives people to overwork, neglect their health or risk being exploited. A study of US zookeepers suggested that those with a strong sense of calling considered their work meaningful and significant, but that they were also willing to sacrifice pay and personal time 3 .

Another problem with any work is the inevitable times when it feels mundane. Tosti-Kharas says her work as a professor is meaningful overall, but not “in the thick of grading or dealing with a pesky reviewer on a paper or sitting in a boring committee meeting”.

One solution is to keep the bigger picture in mind. A study of hospital cleaners found that whereas some viewed themselves as low-skilled and in work they disliked, others thought their work was enjoyable, highly skilled and an essential part of patient care 4 . This discovery helped to seed the idea of job crafting — proactively shaping work into something enjoyable through a change of mindset, as the happy cleaners did, or embracing new relationships and tasks. When it comes to research, a dreary lab role might be crafted into something more inspiring if a worker focuses on the people or industry the work ultimately aims to help. “Get close to the end goals of the work to remind yourself why it’s worth it,” says Tosti-Kharas.

6. Remember that changing the world is hard

Timing and chance play a part in whether and how much a researcher can have an impact, says Cairney. For example, a set of results might become influential because it emerges at just the moment that a related policy is being revamped.

Abhijit Banerjee, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge who shared the 2019 Nobel economics prize for his research on fighting global poverty , has attributed his own career to a series of happy accidents — the first being that he was born to two economists. Because chance events have a hand in our lives, Banerjee is cautious about being too directive in telling young people to enter one field or another. “A lot of it is accidents that make us who we are,” he says, and sometimes we learn something about ourselves as a result of them.

Whatever you do, he says, be willing to work hard. The work of Banerjee and his collaborators has touched the lives of an estimated 600 million people, but he’s also been open about working long hours. Banerjee has a warning for those who think they can change the world while making lots of money. “I’m not saying it’s impossible, but don’t fool yourself — it’s often hard,” he says. “Changing the world might be a full-time job by itself.”

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00476-z

IHME-CHAIN Collaborators. Lancet Public Health https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00306-7 (2024).

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Dobrow, S. R., Weisman, H., Heller, D. & Tosti-Kharas, J. Adm. Sci. Q. 68 , 508–550 (2023).

Bunderson, J. S. & Thompson, J. A. Adm. Sci. Q. 54 , 32–57 (2009).

Wrzesniewski, A. & Dutton, J. E. Acad. Mgmt Rev. 26 , 179–201 (2001).

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Education Jobs That Aren’t Teaching

  • Share This: Share Education Jobs That Aren’t Teaching on Facebook Share Education Jobs That Aren’t Teaching on LinkedIn Share Education Jobs That Aren’t Teaching on X

Passionate about education but NOT interested in teaching? It’s true that the face of education seems to be teaching in a traditional classroom setting, however, there are so many more options to explore if you are interested in education.

Where to start? Take some time to reflect and understand your interest in education more deeply. Ask yourself about your…

  • Interests:    What is it that draws you to education? What do you like about it? Are you excited to share a certain topic or subject matter with others? Do you like working with people and helping them grow?
  • Values:  What is important about education in your eyes? Is it that you care about equal and equitable access to education? Certain types of experiences?
  • Skills:  What skills do you like using? If you aren’t interested in teaching, you may not love presenting or public speaking, but perhaps you enjoy working with people one on one, mentoring, coaching, and/or building relationships. 

Now that you have a more nuanced understanding of your broad interest in education, here are some ideas of education-focused position that don’t have you running a classroom:

Academic Advising Academic Advisors are on the frontlines for  communicating with students, helping students choose courses, stay on track to graduate, and more. This kind of role is great for anyone who wants to be involved in the education sphere, particularly at the college level, and enjoys that immediate level of connection with students.

School Counseling These professionals, among them guidance counselors and school psychologists, serve as a crucial support system for students at any age. Depending on the age and school setting, responsibilities could range from meeting one-on-one regarding college applications, necessary disciplinary measures, or discussing mental health matters with students. Becoming a school counselor could be worth exploring if you love working people, and are comfortable providing that level of support to students.

Student Affairs  Countless student services exist at the college level in order to supplement the courses students take, providing experiential learning opportunities outside of the classroom and preparing them for life after graduation. Professionals that work at this level are career counselors, program directors, and other coordinators working in areas such as residential life, student engagement, and event planning. In a role like this, you can combine a number of interests and work collaboratively toward the goal of enhancing students’ education from outside the classroom.

Educational Research If you enjoy working in clinical settings, or have a passion for learning outside of an office or classroom, conducting research could prove to be a very successful and exciting career for you. This could also translate into a career in writing and publishing books, textbooks, and scholarly articles. Sharing your research with a community of educators and other researchers allows these studies to develop steadily.

Education-Related Nonprofit Organizations  There are many incredible organizations with a variety of education-related missions. Nonprofits have all kinds of roles, so whether you like working with students, adults, or behind the scenes (think marketing, communications, or fundraising) you can find all types of roles at nonprofits doing meaningful work you can get behind.  www.Idealist.org  is a great search engine for identifying nonprofit organizations you’re interested in. You can also explore  these five education nonprofits working with schools directly .

Museum Educator  If you’ve been to a museum, then you hopefully have noticed how much effort goes into making your visit and interactive and meaningful learning experience. Ultimately, museums are public educational organizations, and roles there span from working with children and educational programs, to curation, communications, collections, finance, and management and administration.  Learn more about working in museums here .

Corporate Learning and Development  Understanding how people learn can also be used to support those who work in corporate environments. Learning and development in organizations can include everything from in-house training courses for staff and employees, to coaching and mentoring.

Library Sciences If there’s a need for information, there’s a need for a librarian. Libraries have been empowering people by offering resources, services and training to expand their knowledge for years. Libraries work with schools, both K-12 and colleges and universities, public communities and even specialized communities, like corporations, hospitals, prisons, and government entities.  Learn more about the various library jobs here.  As library services become more varied, so do the jobs in libraries. Librarians are no longer the only professionals working in libraries. Libraries employ web developers, knowledge managers, and IT professionals. Youth workers, security officers, archivists, book conservators, school liaisons and social workers are a few of the unique positions you might find in libraries.

Health Educator  Health educators  teach people how to live healthy lifestyles. They work in schools, at nonprofits, in hospitals and in government offices. If you are interested in and/or enjoy public and community health, this could be a meaningful intersection to explore.

Instructional Designer  Instructional Design involves creating learning experiences based on the unique needs of a specific audience or topic. Instructional designers develop courses, curriculums and training materials. These jobs vary depending on the employer and the exact position, and can include anything from writing training for hospital staff, to designing curriculum for adult remote online education. Anywhere there’s a need to teach or train a group of people on a topic, an instructional designer could be involved.

Ed Tech Education Technology is the practice of introducing information and communication technology tools into the classroom to create more engaging, inclusive and individualized learning experiences. There are many companies and start-ups with new innovative EdTech products today, and jobs in this field can vary by workplace, product, and/or specific role.

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The RV Investigator has completed more than 100 voyages over the past decade, allowing scientists to conduct critical oceanographic, atmospheric, biological and geoscience research.

The CSIRO ship has clocked almost 500,000 kilometres, exploring a vast region spanning the edge of Antarctica in the Southern Ocean to the tropical waters of Australia's north.

Among its many achievements is the discovery of almost 1,000 new species — such as zombie worms and carnivorous sponges — as well as previously unknown undersea volcanoes and long-lost shipwrecks.

The 94-metre vessel has also collected valuable data about the impacts of climate change and sea level rises .

Rough seas seen splashing over the bow of a research ship.

But the ABC has confirmed insufficient public funding will see the ship's future operational capacity slashed by a third.

Instead of offering researchers 300 days at sea per year, the RV Investigator will be funded for about 200 days in 2025–26.

It means the state-of-the-art facility could be stuck in its home port of Hobart for as much as 165 days, unless alternative funding is sourced.

The ship's schedule for the current and upcoming financial years appears unchanged, but two research voyages have already been advised they won't proceed in 2025–26.

The impact on the ship's 2026–27 schedule is not yet known.

Uncertainty also surrounds the impact on a highly regarded program that equips marine science students with industry-relevant training on the vessel.

"I think it's a terrible tragedy," oceanographer Professor Tom Trull said.

"In terms of the science, it's a significant loss."

Impact on scientific output

Professor Trull, who recently retired from the CSIRO, was the chief scientist on several voyages including the RV Investigator's maiden trip a decade ago.

"It's a great facility and it's operated well," he said.

"It's a nice platform with a big back deck for mooring work and it can take a wide range of specialist equipment to sea and about 40 scientists."

Tom Trull aboard a ship.

But Professor Trull said even at its current research capacity of 300 days per year, the ship could only cover a limited portion of Australia's entire marine estate, which is the third-largest in the world.

"Even operating at full time is just really a small effort compared to many other maritime nations who invest much more heavily."

He said the reduction of two future voyages would have a significant impact on scientific output.

"That's already somewhere between 20 and 40 per cent of what gets done each year."

A group of expeditioners walk along the snow.

Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, who raised the funding issue at a Senate estimates hearing earlier this month, criticised the funding shortfall.

"It's a waste of taxpayers' money to have this boat sitting idle on the docks when it should be out there doing critical research," Mr Whish-Wilson said.

"Some of the projects that rely on the RV investigator, such as marine observations, are absolutely critical to our understanding of the changing climate and the impact that's having on us."

RV Investigator facing $34 million shortfall

The RV Investigator is a key part of the Marine National Facility [MNF], which also includes advanced scientific equipment as well as 40 years of marine data.

It costs approximately $49 million to operate the MNF for 300 days at sea, with funding sourced via both the CSIRO and the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

But when the CSIRO last year applied to NCRIS for $93.65 million over four years, it was told in October it would only receive $59.3 million – a shortfall of $34.35 million.

The new funding will support ship operations, investment in the latest technologies, and the RV Investigator's mid-life refit in 2024–25, which will require 78 days in port.

However, at this month's Senate hearing, the CSIRO was unable to specify the impact on the ship's future schedule, apart from confirming the funding would not sustain 300 days of annual operations.

In response to subsequent questions from the ABC, the national science agency has now provided a clearer picture.

"Based on current financial modelling, the MNF is able to support approximately 200 days at sea in the 2025–26 voyage schedule," a CSIRO spokesperson said.

"Two research voyages have been advised that they cannot be accommodated in the 2025–26 period."

Marine science profession to take a hit

Details about the affected voyages could not be disclosed due to restrictions in the Privacy Act, the spokesperson said.

It was also too early to know how the funding shortfall would affect the Collaborative Australian Postgraduate Sea Training Alliance Network (CAPSTAN) program, they said.

"The MNF is currently in discussions with research partners regarding the CAPSTAN program and we hope to be able to offer CAPSTAN students an opportunity to join an RV Investigator voyage in the 2024–25 voyage schedule."

Professor Trull said if opportunities were withdrawn, it could have long-term impacts on the students' careers.

"I know that CSIRO is working hard to find a way to get those students that experience … to keep their expertise developing and keep their commitment," he said.

"But it is an important thing that students see opportunity in marine science and the maritime economy, which is one we seek to grow.

"And when things like this happen, students, they read the writing on the wall.

"They think, 'well, I guess it's not that important, maybe I'll look at some doing something else'."

Similar concerns were flagged by research institutions last year in relation to funding issues affecting the Australian Antarctic Division last year .

CSIRO research vessel Investigator at sea

CSIRO seeks alternative funding models

The CSIRO said it was currently exploring a range of funding options to enable the RV Investigator to return to 300 days of service.

"This is an opportunity for CSIRO to explore alternative models of investment that would improve sustainability of funding of the MNF long term," the spokesperson said.

Senator Whish-Wilson said he was concerned about the ship potentially being contracted by the commercial sector.

"I'd hate to see the Investigator, for example, being leased out to oil and gas companies that want to use this boat to go out and study geological structures in the ocean so they can go and explore for more oil and gas," he said.

"It is a boat built by the taxpayer for public-good science that should be fully funded for public-good science."

Professor Trull said he was hopeful a long-term funding solution could be found through other government agencies, commercial entities or philanthropists, with the proviso that scientific independence be guaranteed.

"The only credible science is done when it goes through peer review, and that means that funding has to come without strings attached on what can or can't be published," he said.

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