PhD Careers – What to Do After a PhD

Choosing what to do after your PhD isn’t always easy, particularly when you’re not sure if you want to work in academia. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of career opportunities that come with a PhD – and a good chance it’ll increase your earning potential.

This page contains an overview of some jobs you can do after a PhD. We've covered routes into academia, including postdocs and fellowships, as well as permanent academic positions. We've also expored some non-academic career options for PhD graduates.

To help you make the best decision, we also have guides on PhD employability and earnings, and how you can decide if PhD study is worth it.

How much do academics earn?

According to official data produced by HESA, in 2021-22 most full-time academics employed by a university in the UK were salaried between £47,419 to £63,668. The second largest salary range, with just over 33% of academics falling into, was £35,326 to £47,419.

How to become an academic

Postdocs and fellowships

Both postdocs (post-doctoral positions) and fellowships are fixed term contracts of research that employ recent PhD graduates. Usually contracts will be between one to four years and applicants will be expected to have completed their PhD no more than five years prior.

The main difference between postdocs and fellowships is the level of responsibility and control granted over a research project.

A postdoc is a temporary funded research position at a university or in industry. Postdocs work under the supervision of a research group or established academic and are considered an employee, unlike PhD students. Some roles will include teaching responsibilities and assistant supervisory roles to students. Responsibilities will also include grant writing, funding applications and administrative duties.

Sometimes postdocs can be referred to as Postdoctoral Research Assistants or Postdoctoral Research Fellows. A postdoc, however, is not the same as a fellowship.

Lecturing jobs are an entry level permanent position. Sometimes referred to as Assistant Professors, lecturers are required to teach, conduct independent research and administrative duties.

Usually lecture jobs have a probationary period of three to four years before the job is considered permanent. This period will also require successful completion of various training programmes.

The next level of academic rank is Senior Lecturer or Reader. Traditionally a senior lecturer’s position focuses on teaching whereas a reader will conduct more research. Reader positions, however, are becoming less common. Senior lecturers can also be referred to as Associate Professors, a title which is more commonly used in America.

To qualify for a promotion, you’ll usually be required to provide evidence of significant progression to a panel. Evidence could include publications, grants and contributions to teaching. Though there is no expected time frame, lecturers are often successfully promoted to senior roles after four or five years.

• A PhD in the Arts and Humanities demonstrates excellent written communication, presentation skills, creativity and analytical thinking. You may be suited to work for jobs in the Publishing industry, Digital Marketing or Civil Service.
• A PhD in Biological and Medical Sciences builds specialist subject knowledge, data proficiency and collaborative skills. This will compliment work in industries such as Pharmaceuticals, Genomics or Clinical Care.
• A PhD in Business and Finance will help build organisational and data experience that could benefit careers in Accountancy, Data Science or Consultancy.
• A PhD in Chemical Sciences will provide you with laboratory skills and an advanced understanding of chemistry needed to benefit jobs in Chemical Engineering, Industrial Chemistry and Food Technology.
• A PhD in Earth Sciences could set graduates up for careers in Construction, Environmental Protection or Mineral Surveying, utilising analytical skills and strong subject knowledge.
• PhDs in Engineering have a strong emphasis on project management and practical construction. This could aid jobs in Management Consultancy and Finance as well as more practical fields such as Aeronautics.
• The specialist knowledge gained from a PhD in Law can enable students to comfortably enter industries such as Investment. Additionally, soft skills gained in communication will help in careers such as Teaching or Public Engagement.
• A PhD in Maths and Computing could benefit jobs in Finance, Investment or Web Development, complimenting skills in logic, problem solving and data.
• A PhD in the Physical Sciences demonstrates experience with software and data. This could set graduates up to work in Software Engineering, Data Science or even Sound Engineering.
• A PhD in Social Science and Health requires a deep understanding of human society on a macro or micro level. Graduates may find themselves working in Epidemiology, Public Health or Social Work.

You may be inclined to apply for jobs relating to the subject of your research or previous studies. But a PhD is a versatile enough qualification that you can often look outside your discipline area.

You should invest some time during your PhD for personal and professional development (this is true if you want to stay in academia too!).

Even if you attend none of the formal training courses offered by your department, your PhD itself will provide you with many skills. When leaving academia, you'll need to translate your skills so they make sense to the industry and commercial employers. Think outside the box and take stock of what you are good at or have experience in.

Some translation examples include:

• The dissertation shows you're capable of presenting and organising large amounts of information.
• Having published papers shows you can communicate information across a range of formats.
• If you did interviews for your PhD project, you might graduate with skills in questionnaire design, sensitivity and data analysis.

There’s always a way to link your academic experience to the commercial world. Be prepared to do this in any upcoming job interviews.

It’s also a good idea to move away from the long, multiple page academic CV that you might be used to. Employers won’t read them. They also won’t be interested in scanning a lengthy list of articles. Instead, you should mention that you’ve had several publications without detailing every instance.