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Between 2006 and 2009, 1.7% of doctoral graduates, or 240 employed doctoral graduates, are known to have been working as medical research scientists six months after graduation.

Job description and background

Doctoral level medical research scientists are typically found as HE researchers at the start of their careers, although many enter research outside the HE sector in healthcare, the pharmaceutical industry and scientific research and development.

Much of a medical scientist's work is very similar in nature to the research work the new entrant carried out as a doctoral student, with an increased level of responsibility. As a result, most entrants into these research roles should have a good idea of the basic nature of the job and many of the key responsibilities. Clinical roles may differ more.

Medical research scientists plan and conduct experiments to increase the body of scientific knowledge on topics related to medicine. They may also aim to develop new, or improve existing, drugs, treatments or other medically-related products.

Research may be basic, such as investigating the underlying basis of health and disease, or it may be more applied, like conducting clinical research, investigating methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disorders. Research may be carried out at a molecular level, using appropriate cell and animal models, or using human volunteers to study the clinical effects of various factors.

Typical work activities

Medical research takes place in higher education institutions, research institutes, hospitals and industry. The specifics of the role vary according to the setting, but much of the work is laboratory-based. Tasks typically include:

  • Devising and conducting experiments, and processing and analysing results and data
  • Collaborating with industry, academia, research institutions and health stakeholders (particularly hospitals) to apply the results of research and develop new techniques, products or practices
  • Publishing papers, and presenting ongoing work and findings to colleagues at academic conferences
  • Teaching, demonstrating or supervising students (in academia) and training and supervising other members of staff
  • Devising or helping to draw up new research proposals and applying for funding and grants
  • Keeping accurate records of work undertaken
  • Using specialist computer software to analyse data and to produce diagrammatic representation of results
  • Discussing research progress with other departments e.g. production and marketing (in industry)
  • Considering the profit/loss potential of research products (in industry
  • Keeping up-to-date with research being carried out in, or related to, their field of study.

Entry requirements

A postgraduate qualification (MSc or PhD) is commonly required for entry to this field and progress up the career ladder to group/section leader nearly always requires a doctorate. Although doctoral graduates entering this area of work traditionally have a degree in a medical or life science discipline, many areas of medical research now actively encourage interdisciplinary work. Thus, many research projects also need graduates in chemistry, physics or statistics/bioinformatics.

Salary

  • Starting salaries range from £25,600 - £31,300 for a postdoctoral member of research staff (salary data collected November  2009).
  • Experienced medical scientists (10-15 years in role) may earn upwards of £44,000. Typically higher salaries will be associated with team leader and/or senior support manager posts. The higher end of the scale tends to apply to posts in industry or in prestigious institutions

Sector and disciplinary information

Sector information

Doctoral graduates from 2006-9 working in this occupation were known to be employed in the following profiled sectors six months after graduation:

Disciplinary background

The most common disciplinary backgrounds for doctoral graduates (2006-2009) entering medical science were:

Career stories

Jessica Barrett

Career Development Fellow, Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit

"Because I have changed research areas, the subject knowledge and expertise I developed during my doctorate is no longer as important as it once was, but the skills I developed are still very useful for me in many ways. Some examples are: understanding how to absorb new subject material, the ability to ask critical questions, researching background literature, giving presentations and time management. Specific skills have also proved useful, for example learning how to write computer programs using the C programming language made it easier for me to learn how to use the statistical software necessary for my current job."

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