What do researchers do? publications
Vitae’s ground-breaking study ‘What do researchers do? First destinations of doctoral graduates by subject’ demonstrates that doctoral graduates continue to be highly employable across the economy in a wide range of occupations.
The study shows that doctoral graduates are prized within and outside the higher education sector. They fulfill very diverse roles using either their specialist or high level generic skills, or both.
Career stories
As well as the analysis of employment destinations Vitae is launched ‘What do researchers do? Career profiles of doctoral graduates’: a collection of 40 career profiles. These career stories provide insights into the paths that doctoral graduates take beyond their first destination. These career stories appear on the page below.
Andrew completed his thesis on agrarian capitalism in England at the University of Oxford. The then became a team leader at the Victoria County History and is currently Senior Properties Historian for English Heritage.
Cora completed her doctorate in Latin literature at the University of Newcastle and is now Associate Lecturer at the Open University.
Helen completed her doctorate in linguistics at the University of New York. After teaching and project management work whe set up her own training consultancy.
Ian completed his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Warwick. He then became the Head of the Graduate School Office at the University of Exeter and is now Head of Skills and Careers at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Jennifer gained a doctorate from Royal Holloway and now prepares electronic editions of medieval manuscripts at the University of Birmingham.
Lucy completed her doctorate in palaeolithic archaeology at the University of Durham, and before becoming a Public Affairs Officer at The British Library was a researcher for an MP.
Zoe has a doctorate from Monash University in Australia. Before becoming a lecturer at the University of Leicester she was a post doctorate researcher and a teacher.
Amanda completed her doctorate at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. She worked in healthcare market research and ran a doctoral training centre before joining Cambirdge Enterprise as Senior Consultancy Associate.
Andrea did her doctorate in the Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Glasgow before working as a nutritionist at Chester Zoo.
Dave completed his doctorate in plant science at the University of York. He is currently the chairman of a small banana business in Africa, having previously worked for the UN.
Erik was awarded his doctorate in biophysics at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and the free University Berlin (Germany) and is now a project manager at the Medical Research Council's Clinical Sciences Centre.
Jennifer spent 12 years in the Royal Airforce before undertaking her doctorate and eventually becoming a programme manager at the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
Kathryn completed a multidisciplinary doctorate at Manchester Metropolitan University. After packing lettuces and working in a motor bike shop Kathryn now works as a research associate at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Martin has a doctorate on population ecology of cereal aphids from the University of East Anglia. He previously worked on Countryfile, ran educational workshops in schools and was a lecturer for the Open University before becoming the founding member and coordinator of Story Soup.
Steve completed his doctorate in behavioural ecology at Liverpool University. He worked in postgraduate skills development before setting up his own training consultancy.
Tara undertook her doctorate at Cambridge University in the Department of Biochemistry before joining the corporate tax department of a 'big 4' accountancy firm.
Alastair did his doctorate at the University of Cambridge in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences. He is now a consultant neurologist and a senior lecturer in neurology at the University of Bristol.
Anna's doctorate was funded through BBSRC and GlaxoSmithKline to research drug resistance in the organism that causes tuberculosis. After a postdoctoral research position at Rockefeller University in New York she now works with the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.
Catherine obtained her doctorate in biochemistry and pharmacology from the Open University before becoming a researcher for the Medical Research Council's Clinical Sciences Centre.
John gained his doctorate at the University of Manchester before becoming a lecturer at the School of Nursing Midwifery and Social Work in the University of Manchester.
Karina has a doctorate in post-traumatic stress disorder and is now a therapist for a charity and a professor of mental health.
Mark completed his doctorate at Canterbury Christ Church University College (UK) and is now Senior Lecturer and Postgraduate Research Director at the University of Lincoln having had several teaching roles within higher education.
Andrew completed a doctorate in operational research at the University of Lancaster while working for the Ministry of Defence. He is now an independent operational research consultant running his own company.
After completing his doctorate Arnaud had a short post doctoral research role before joining QinetiQ and, subsequently, The MathWorks as an application engineer.
Charles completed his doctorate in the Institute for Manufacturing in the Department of Engineering of Cambridge University and went straight into a consulting role.
Daryl undertook a computer science doctorate and became the founding engineer in a spin-off computer company.
Esther gained her doctorate in physics and is now Regional Officer at the Insitute of Physics and also works for the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology Initiative (WiSETI) within the University of Cambridge.
Jessica completed her theoretical physics doctorate in the Mathematical Sciences and Physics Departments of Durham University. Since then she held a post doctoral research position before being awarded a career development fellowship at the Medical Research Council Biostatics Unit.
Julia undertook doctoral research in evaluation of learning technologies and is now self-employed as a research and evaluation consultant.
Kieran studied for a PhD in Soil Mechanics in the Department of Civil Engineering at Imperial College, London. After setting up a spin-out company he sold his shares and became a product manager at Thomas Telford Training, the knowledge arm of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Ray's doctorate in geology was from the University of Leicester. He now works in reserach administration in a research-intensive university.
Tim undertook doctoral research in electrical engineering before becoming a lecturer within the Centre for Communication Systems Research at the University of Surrey.
Vikki gained her doctorate at the University of Birmingham with research in organic chemistry and is now an editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry and a freelance writer.
Andy studied for his doctorate in the Industrial Relations Department at the London School of Economics (LSE) before becoming a senior lecturer at the University of York.
Anna undertook a PhD focusing on agricultural development in Chile at the University of Birmingham. She was a geography lecturer and a research project manager before becoming a researcher for the Department for Work and Pensions.
Derek completed his doctorate in the Department of Education at the University of Bath and is now an art teacher at the Vienna International School and a visiting research fellow at the University of Bath.
Joan was a senior lecturer in secondary education before achieving her doctorate. She was subsequently the head of a school before becoming a postgraduate training coordinator at the University of Leicester.
Louise studied for her doctorate in the Department of Sociology at Surrey University then did a market research job in a statistics department, after which she moved to Ipsos MORI where she is a research manager.
Melanie completed her doctorate at Cardiff Business School and became a lecturer at the University of Kent before becoming an associate professor at the University of Warwick.
Samantha studied for her doctorate at the Liverpool Law School before becoming a lecturer in law at the University of Liverpool.