Navigating the commercial landscape

When I finished my postdoc, I wanted to stay close to technology but didn’t necessarily want to do the research myself anymore, so I looked for roles where I could transfer my technical skills to a more commercial field. Whatever your motivations may be, it can be helpful to understand the seemingly different work environments across the employment spectrum. So below is a comparison of employers from academia, government public sector, and private companies to help you decide which is best for you. Opportunities for early-to-mid career candidates in both technical and non-technical roles are presented for each employer type.

The employers’ size, levels of commerciality, and work conditions reflect the nature in which they are funded and their broader mission. The exact work conditions you experience will vary depending on the sector you work in and your specific qualifications and expertise, as well as the wider economic backdrop. For simplicity, only full-time roles based in the UK are discussed here but be aware some places, notably the US and Canada, pay higher salaries for PhD graduates, while some EU countries offer much more amenable standards of living. Choosing where to work is just as important as what role to apply for.