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Former postdocs case studies

Former postdocs from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds share their experiences of moving beyond academia by detailing their career stories.

Take inspiration from different experiences: you will hear about navigating the job search, but also about the skills and attributes they developed in academia and used to thrive in their new roles. These short videos or written interviews will take you on a journey to discover more about your own transferable skills. By exploring these case studies you’ll hear career advice directly from those who have continued their career path beyond academia.

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Landscape Architecture

Dr Al Mathers

Veterinary Pathology

Dr Bryony Parsons

Industrial Engineering and Production

Dr Carlos Peña-Monferrer

Pharmacology

Dr Christina Chan

Medieval Studies

Dr Chris Humphrey

Cell Biology

Dr Cristina Melero

Environment and Sustainable Technologies

Dr David Amienyo

Environmental Policy

Dr Dotun Olowoporoku

Physical & Theoretical Chemistry

Dr Edward Latter

History and Philosophy of Science

Dr Geoffrey Belknap

Agroecology

Dr Georgina Key

Headshot of John Ankers

Systems biology

Dr John Ankers

English

Dr John Miles

Neuroscience

Dr Kate Whelan

Headshot of Lan Hoang.

Engineering

Dr Lan Hoang

Computational Biology & Genomics

Dr Laura-Jayne Gardiner

Mathematics

Dr Matt Crooks

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For more inspiration visit the Former Prosper pilot postdocsBlue Arrow rightGo to

Other useful resources

Research Careers - a collection of profiles of people who have made the transition from academia to industry, from the University of Oxford.

Researcher case studies from University College London.

The Auditorium blog, specifically the pathfinder career narratives, from the Research Culture and Researcher Development Team at the University of Glasgow.

Where can you research take you? Case studies from the Royal Society.

Case studies: the career pathways of doctoral graduates from the British Academy

Post-academic careers database from the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA)

UKRI's 101 jobs that change the world campaign highlights some of the many roles that contribute to the success of the research and innovation system (not all of these are former postdocs but may serve as inspiration).

Books

Academia and the world beyond: Navigating life after PhD Edited by C R Madan (2022), contains interviews from 22 people with PhDs in both academic and non-academic careers.

Academia and the world beyond, Volume 2: A PhD is not a commitment to academia Edited by C R Madan (2024), the book contains a collection of 31 interviews with people who've completed a PhD and are now in a non-academic role.

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