Career options for Biotechnology Researchers by Dr Akhilesh Prajapati

Probably the most common question Biotechnology researchers ask careers advisers is 'What are the options after my PhD/current research contract?' This can be a tricky question to answer in general terms. Broadly speaking, the options are: An academic career, a research career outside of academia and working for yourself.

A bio-technologist may find jobs in various quarters. Biotechnology jobs in India can be found in the following fields: Drug and pharmaceutical research, Public funded laboratories, Chemicals, Environment control, Waste management, Energy, Food processing and Bio-processing industries

Additionally, A non-academic job within Higher Education- in administration, policy, research management, training, student support or project management, A job outside of research but related to the subject area of your research, for example as a medical writer, teacher or sales representative for scientists, or a teacher, journalist or a role in government for social scientists and a job outside of your subject area but using some of the technical or transferable skills you have used as part of your research, for example, using your project management skills in management consultancy, using numerical skills in the financial sector, using writing and editing skills in journalism or publishing.

Essentially, you could do anything. As a doctoral student or postdoctoral researcher, you are eligible to apply to one of the many graduate schemes or graduate jobs.

There are a small number of schemes that offer a PhD entry-level route, for example within management consultancy (with companies such as Biotech consortium India ltd., Consulting group) and industrial research organisations (CSIR, GSK, Astra Zeneca, Bharat Biotech etc.).

If you want to branch out further beyond your subject area you may well need to do some further training or gain experience. Changing career direction is hardly ever an instant switch, which is why forward planning is so important.

While government institutes and organisations, such as the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), agriculture, dairy and horticulture institutes may offer job opportunities to Biotechnology professionals, one can expect the best salary in the private sector.

Drug companies in biotechnology like Dabur, Ranbaxy, Hindustan Lever and Dr Reddy's Labs that have their R & D units offer Biotechnology professionals with handsome pay packages. There are also ample opportunities available to bio-technologists in the food processing industry, chemical industry and textile industry. Some industries employ bio-technologists in their marketing divisions to develop business in sectors where their products would be required. The major companies, hiring bio-technologists, include Hindustan Lever, Thapar Group, Indo American Hybrid Seeds, Bincon India Ltd., IDPL and Hindustan Antibiotics.

Academic careers:

Many doctoral and post-doctoral researchers would say that an academic (lecturing) career is where they see their future lying. However, there is a huge discrepancy between the numbers of researchers and the number of lecturing posts available. So, to maximise your chances you need to become aware, very early on in your research career, of what makes a successful academic.

Here are some ways to find out more about what's involved in and required for an academic post:

• Talk to lecturers in your department about what they do and how they got to a permanent academic post, and look at their CVs.
• Find job adverts for lectureships in your discipline and look carefully at the job description and person specification.
• Attend Workshops on careers in academia for PhD students and research staff as part of the Researcher Development Programme.
• The Vitae website has some sections dedicated to academic careers.
• The key careers resources for researchers has some blogs on life as an early-career academic.

All lecturing jobs are split between research, teaching and administration, to varying extents depending on whether you are in research- or teaching-intensive University. However, in some cases, it may be possible to obtain an academic post that only involves teaching, sometimes called a teaching fellowship or a research-only post. Nevertheless, research, teaching and administration are the key areas in which you will need to take action.

Research: You have to know what you want to research - in other words, find your niche. You need to develop ideas for independent projects and investigate ways to get them funded. Showing that you have the potential to attract and secure independent research funding is a key criteria for obtaining a permanent academic post. You can provide this evidence in a number of ways, including applying for small research and travel grants. The rules around whether doctoral and postdoctoral researchers are eligible to apply for certain types of grants, fellowships and funding vary widely across disciplines and across funders. If you have an idea for generating research funding, you should talk to your current PI and others in your department about your plans and potential funding sources.  Publish! A good publication record is vital. Think 'where' as well as 'what' - publications in high-quality journals will carry more weight with academic recruiters. Take every opportunity to present your research at conferences and seminars - this will build your reputation and develop your networks.

The rules around whether doctoral and postdoctoral researchers are eligible to apply for certain types of grants, fellowships and funding vary widely across disciplines and across funders. If you have an idea for generating research funding, you should talk to your current PI and others in your department about your plans and potential funding sources. 

Teaching: You'll need to demonstrate that you can engage students with your teaching, and work effectively with both them and colleagues in your department. Get some teaching experience. Start with demonstrating and tutorials, and move up to seminars and lectures if possible. Supervise final year students, and postgraduates if you can. Take any training courses on teaching offered by the University.

Administration: Go to as many departmental or faculty meetings as you are entitled to. Keep up to date with current University trends. Do the article reviews you get sent - it gets your name known. Postgraduates - consider getting involved with your Faculty Staff-Student Liaison Committee. Volunteer to help with University Open Days.

Routes and Pathways:

Routes into academic careers vary according to discipline, so talk to academics in your department to find out which route is most common/advisable in your subject area.

1. Research careers

A career in research is an entirely realistic option for postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers. What is important to realise is that this career does not have to be in academia. The commercial and public sectors also do large amounts of research and all value the skills and experiences of academic researchers.

• Research careers within academia

If you are interested in a research career within academia, it’s also vital to talk to current academics in your field for advice on steps you need to take to be competitive for lectureships positions.

• Research careers outside academia

Depending on your discipline, you could pursue a research career in:

• Industry (large or small)
• Charities and NGOs
• Central and local government
• Cultural organisations
• Research institutes and research councils
• Social research organisations
• Market research organisations
• Think tanks (https://indiabioscience.org)

2. Enterprise and self-employment

You may not think of yourself as an entrepreneur, but there are many parallels between entrepreneurship and research; both involve independent thinking and creativity, as well as the responsibility for taking projects forward, finding your next project and locating funding sources. The increased emphasis on impact and engagement in research means that more academics are creating spin-off companies or engaging in various forms of freelance or consulting work alongside research.

If you are interested in exploring your entrepreneurial side, its well worth getting involved with the Researcher to Innovator Programme organised GSBTM, Govt. of Gujarat. If you’re interested in commercialising an aspect of your research, contact the Research Commercialisation Team in Research and Innovation Services. Many government and private researcher Development Unit runs courses on enterprise and research commercialisation. For inspiration and examples of researchers who have become entrepreneurs, take a look at these case studies on the Vitae website.

If you like the idea of being your own boss and are not averse to risk-taking, you may want to consider freelancing or other forms of self-employment; below are some great resources and links to help get you started.

• Links and advice on freelancing for PhDs and post-docs from Jobs on Toast.
• Shell LiveWIRE - a comprehensive website aimed at potential entrepreneurs aged 16-30.
• HMRC - Simple, down-to-earth information on the regulatory side of setting up in business - what paperwork you need, and by when. You can also arrange a free workshop for practical advice on tax matters
• BIRAC
• Big Innovation Centre, India

Note: The views expressed in this article are that of GSFC University and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha