27 Nov 2012
The Yorkshire and the Humber group hosted a careers option seminar at the University of York on 14 November 2012. The event demonstrated the range of research and non-research careers available, both in and out of the laboratory. It was attended by 60 undergraduate and postgraduate students, and post-docs.
Matthew Thornton of the Materials KTN (Knowledge Transfer Network) talked about his career in knowledge transfer. While no-one in the audience had previously heard of knowledge transfer as a career option, Matthew explained it very well.
Gareth Ensor, a process development and scale-up chemist at Astra Zeneca, showed that it is possible to have a great career in research without having a PhD.
Dan Woolaston, a trainee patent lawyer, gave an entertaining talk on the intellectual challenge of patent law, and the variety of work this can lead to. He gave examples ranging from cutting edge science to a lone inventor developing a new bicycle lock.
Finally, Jason Lynham, a senior lecturer in the University of York Chemistry Department, gave a talk on his own academic career. He spoke of the pleasure of working in something you really enjoy, and the travel opportunities that collaborations abroad can bring.