Any Ph.D's in Chemistry or related discipline?

[ajiver]

Are there any forumites with a Ph.D in chemistry? I have a Ph.D in chemistry and I'm currently working as a synthetic organic chemist in industry in N. Ireland. I might be moving to the south of England in the near future or at least I'm hoping to.
Any input about the job market there? Please feel free to PM me.

Ajiver (and I'm female)

[bobgadjet]

Originally Posted by ajiver

Are there any forumites with a Ph.D in chemistry? I have a Ph.D in chemistry and I'm currently working as a synthetic organic chemist in industry in N. Ireland. I might be moving to the south of England in the near future or at least I'm hoping to.
Any input about the job market there? Please feel free to PM me.

Ajiver (and I'm female)

Ph.D in Chemistry AND a dancer

WOW

Must add SOMETHING to the moves I s'pose :FLOWER:

Sorry, can't help there. The only Degree I've got is in Language.....mainly Double Dutch, and Jibberish

[Sparkles]

I don't know how 'South' you're looking for, but most of the good jobs for PhDs in sciences can be found in Oxford, Cambridge and London. You haven't been very specific about what you want so try www.newscientistjobs.com (or look in the back of a New Scientist mag). I think you're very brave to go for a PhD, I stopped at an MBiol
S. x

[CJ]

Originally Posted by Sparkles

I stopped at an MBiol
S. x

Yeah, but WHOSE biol where you Mastering?!?!?!

[bobgadjet]

Originally Posted by Ceroc Jock

Yeah, but WHOSE biol where you Mastering?!?!?!

Are you sure that Biol and not Boil

[ajiver]

Originally Posted by Sparkles

I don't know how 'South' you're looking for, but most of the good jobs for PhDs in sciences can be found in Oxford, Cambridge and London. You haven't been very specific about what you want so try www.newscientistjobs.com (or look in the back of a New Scientist mag). I think you're very brave to go for a PhD, I stopped at an MBiol
S. x

I've been looking at www.newscientistjobs.com, www.rsc.org, etc, but there appear to be fewer suitable ads. this year than in the previous year. Oxford, Cambridge and London are exactly the places that I'm looking at but hardly any suitable ads. this month. Are you working in industry? I was told that there are fewer jobs in the biological sciences than there are in chemistry.
Actually, ideally I'll like to continue working in a lab. setting but I'm pretty keen to live in the south of England so I'm willing to consider doing something outside the lab. like in administration (regulatory affairs, ect.) but I don't have experience in these areas?

Ajiver

[Sheepman]

Originally Posted by bobgadjet

Are you sure that's Biol and not Boil

Aha! So that's why she reads "The Lancet"!

Greg

[Sparkles]

Originally Posted by ajiver

I've been looking at www.newscientistjobs.com, www.rsc.org, etc, but there appear to be fewer suitable ads. this year than in the previous year. Oxford, Cambridge and London are exactly the places that I'm looking at but hardly any suitable ads. this month. Are you working in industry? I was told that there are fewer jobs in the biological sciences than there are in chemistry.
Actually, ideally I'll like to continue working in a lab. setting but I'm pretty keen to live in the south of England so I'm willing to consider doing something outside the lab. like in administration (regulatory affairs, ect.) but I don't have experience in these areas?

Ajiver

Chemists are indeed highly sought-after, but biologists seem to get a fair crack at the whip too.
To be honest you're looking at the wrong time of year. Most of the jobs come out just before Christmas time (if you want to go into one of the big companies, as their selection processes are quite long) or in the summer (in time to catch the new graduates (if you want to join a graduate scheme or work in academia). I work in academia in London and got my job by searching Nature and New Scientist jobs every day and just applying to everything that I thought I could do, even if I didn't have the exact qualifications for it. Unless you apply you'll never know. if you want to work in the lab I suggest you stick to that (but be wide-ranging about the labs you look at); in my experience people that have taken jobs outside the lab have founded harder to go back after a period of doing admin.

Good luck with your search - I hope you find what you're looking for soon.
S. x

[Chef]

Hello Ajiver

I have contacted you by PM before but was wondering how your job hunting efforts were getting on.

I have a masters degree in chemistry and have been working for a pharmaceuticals company for the last 20 years (time flies when you are having fun) doing chemical research in synthetic organic chemistry.

I haven't noticed there being a huge demand for chemistry graduates and doctorates in our industry because there is huge pressure on the drugs companies due to outside factors. The bottom line is that the companies need to get more results with fewer scientists and there has been a huge increase in the use of robotics in our labs over the last 6 years (and 10% of our scientists being made redundant two years ago).

One of those people that was made redundant used to be my supervisor. He now works for the Cancer Research Council doing chemical research at Kingston uni. He is an EXTREMELY bright guy (fellow of the royal society, writer of the RSC hetrocyclic review for many years, forgotten more chemistry than most of us will ever know), so if he can be made redundant then no one is safe.

Have you considered working for someone like the Cancer Research Trust? One of the great things about having a job in a place like Kingston is that you would be very near the west London dance hot house scene.

Have you considered the specialist scientific staff recruitment agencies?

Best wishes to all you job hunters.

[RogerR]

Some serious research into the market would be wise, OK I've only a BSc but every company I've worked for since 1976 has gone completely and I now driv an ambulance and do some DJing to clear the mortgage. Make sure its a carreer move. Look into the big name charities as they have huge spending power, but its likely to be project based contract work.