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Life Scientist: Job Description, Duties, Salary and Scope
If you have an inquisitive mind and enjoy planning and working on experiments, being a research scientist could be for you
Researchers within life sciences are primarily involved in planning and conducting experiments and analysing results, either with a definite end use, for example to develop new products, processes or commercial applications, or to broaden scientific understanding in general.
As a researcher, you will usually carry out your experiments and research on your own, but you'll typically be part of a larger team and will share your findings and relevant information with professional colleagues. This is sometimes done at international conferences or through the publication of research papers.
You can find employment in commercial or government laboratories, hospitals and higher education institutions.
Types of work
Research within life sciences covers a whole range of scientific disciplines including:
- bioinformatics;
- biotechnology;
- cancer studies;
- genomics;
- microbiology;
- neurosciences;
- pharmacology;
- physiology;
- plant sciences;
- stem cell research.
The work is close to the medical sciences but also crosses over into other areas such as biochemistry.
Responsibilities
The exact nature of the work depends on your level of seniority, the specific area of life sciences, and whether you're in an industrial or academic setting. However, it's likely that you'll need to:
- create and conduct experiments;
- process and analyse results and data;
- communicate results to the scientific community via published papers;
- collaborate with industry/academia to apply the results of research and develop new techniques, products or practices;
- present ongoing work and findings to colleagues at academic conferences, and summarise the nature of the research, methodology and results;
- carry out field work to inform research;
- teach, demonstrate to or supervise students (in academia) and train and supervise other members of staff;
- devise or help to draw up new research proposals and apply for funding and grants;
- work in multidisciplinary teams, in different faculties or schools in academia, and in different functions of the business in industry;
- carry out peer reviews of written publications and presentations to validate theories and inform research;
- keep up to date with the work of other scientists;
- attend academic conferences across the world and regularly read industry journals.
Salary
- PhD studentships, which allow you to study for a PhD while also carrying out research work, usually come with a stipend. This is typically set at the minimum Research Councils UK (RCUK) rate of £14,296 but some may be higher than this.
- Research scientists who have completed an MSc, MPhil or PhD typically earn in the region of £25,000 to £35,000.
- At a senior level, you can earn £30,000 to £45,000.
- University professors or researchers with high levels of responsibility, such as at principal investigator level, can achieve salaries of £50,000 to £70,000.
Starting salaries are comparable between academia and industry, but private sector salaries at senior levels tend to be higher, particularly within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology areas.
Income figures are intended as a guide only.
Working hours
In academia, hours are fairly standard at approximately 37 hours per week, usually from 9am to 5pm. You may sometimes be required to stay after hours or to go in at weekends to complete experiments, but most organisations offer flexible working arrangements to accommodate this. If you're based in industry, you may have to work to fit in with shift patterns and commercial deadlines.
What to expect
- The majority of work is laboratory based, with field work required for some roles. Travel to and from clients' and colleagues' offices may also be required, particularly if projects are collaborations between industry and academia, or cross-university projects.
- Many researchers are employed on fixed-term contracts, associated with finite funding for particular projects. Most contracts last for several years. Permanent posts are highly sought after.
- Opportunities within life science organisations are available across the UK but some regions are particularly strong in certain fields. The largest regional concentrations of science industry employment are in the South East and East of England.
- Experimental work may involve working with hazardous and toxic materials. Experiments with animals or animal-based products may also be part of the research.
- Travel overseas, as well as in the UK, is sometimes necessary for attending conferences and seminars. Certain research areas, such as environmental science and ecology, may involve international field work.
- Many life science companies have global offices and universities across the world collaborate on research projects, so there are many opportunities for overseas employment.
Qualifications
You will typically need a good honours degree, usually a 2:1 or above, in a related-science subject to get into life sciences research.
Any subject based in the areas of health, medicine, agriculture, horticulture or biology should be appropriate but specifically, the following subjects are useful:
- biochemistry;
- biomedical science;
- crop and plant science;
- ecology;
- environmental biology;
- microbiology;
- natural sciences;
- pharmacology.
Many employers will also require you to have either a research-based MSc or a PhD, or to be working towards one, particularly for the higher-level roles.
It may be possible to enter with just an undergraduate honours degree and to study part time for a postgraduate qualification and then progress on to a more senior role.
Entry to a technician-level job may be possible with a foundation degree or HND but further study would be required in order to progress beyond this level.
Some research councils, such as the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) award studentships to PhD students each year in universities, research institutes or industrial partners. Funding is given directly to institutions so contact your preferred ones for further information or see BBSRC Investing in Doctoral Training.
Skills
You will need to have:
- a methodical approach, and the ability to analyse and process data;
- problem-solving skills when carrying out experiments, and the ability to find creative solutions;
- good time management and organisational skills;
- the ability to work with minimum supervision as a lot of the work is done independently;
- strong communication skills for writing papers, reports and bids and for giving presentations;
- the ability and desire to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams;
- tenacity and patience, to see experiments through from design to completion;
- networking skills, and the ability to build effective links with external organisations.
Work experience
Practical laboratory experience and knowledge of the range of techniques used will improve your chances when applying for research jobs. This experience can be achieved through a sandwich year placement in industry or vacation work.
Try to gain experience in both academia and industry as it will help to illustrate how the two environments differ and will inform your future career choice.
Employers
There are many different employers across a variety of sectors within life sciences, including:
- universities in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world;
- large pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies;
- private hospitals and NHS trusts;
- clinical research organisations;
- research councils and their associated institutes;
- national and global health-related charities;
- scientific and technical consultancies.
Job opportunities may also be available through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP). This is a joint project between a graduate, an organisation and a 'knowledge base', such as a university or a research organisation, which allows PhD graduates to apply research in a commercial environment.
specialist recruitment agencies are also widely used within the scientific community. These include:
- Cranleigh Scientific
- Hobson Prior
- Lab Support UK
- SRG
Professional development
The scientific and research skills acquired while studying for a PhD are viewed as appropriate basic training for more senior research positions. However, increasingly PhD researchers are also expected to possess a range of additional non-technical skills.
Vitae runs courses and events for research staff on various areas including career management and leadership development. It also provides the Researcher Development Framework (RDF), which helps you to identify your strengths, plan your professional development and set targets. Find out more at Vitae Professional Development.
It's important to keep up to date with new techniques, skills and innovations. Support for continuing professional development (CPD) via events and industry news is offered by institutions such as the BBSRC.
Jobs in industry tend to be accompanied by structured training programmes that may include completing placements in different functions of the organisation, working with a mentor and drawing up personal development plans with line managers.
All researchers involved in laboratory work are required to participate in training on health and safety and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). This training may include risk assessment workshops and control of substances hazardous to health regulations (COSHH) training.
It's also possible to acquire professional membership with a relevant institution such as the Royal Society of Biology and to work towards chartered biologist status.
Career prospects
In academia, progression is reasonably well defined, with most researchers aiming towards the level of senior research fellow or professor, leading research teams. You can achieve this through experience, successful research projects and publishing original, high-quality research.
Senior roles are accompanied by increased responsibility (i.e. securing funding) and additional teaching, supervisory and administrative duties.
In industry, you may progress towards senior scientific research or management roles, which are also accompanied by additional responsibilities, such as supervising and managing projects. Alternatively it's possible to move into another area of the organisation, such as business development, production or a regulatory role.
You're also able to move into a media or communications role. Public understanding of science is a topical growth area with many new opportunities, and jobs for journalists with a scientific background are becoming more prevalent.
Another career path open to you once you have experience is consultancy, for example, becoming involved in the technical and commercial evaluation of new ideas, products and technologies and providing scientific expertise to projects.
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