Articles Written By Alex Woychek, PhD, MPH

During my third year of graduate school I realized that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life writing grants. I enjoyed teaching but at the bench side one-on-one, not in a giant lecture hall. It became clear to me that I was not destined to be a professor, I didn’t want to chase a tenure track position I was likely never going to get, nor would really enjoy.  At the same time, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I came from a small University, where networking was nearly impossible. I was surrounded only by…

Application scientists help customers use and apply a company's products. As ASBMB indicates, it’s very common to find job postings for application scientist positions that ask specifically for PhDs. And in most cases, application scientists will need to hold a doctoral degree. This is because they’re experts who draw from heavy science experience to use and teach others about complex products. Usually, science application happens in a STEM field like engineering or biotechnology. Science-based companies like Thermo-Fisher represent the sort of employer that needs PhDs who can interact directly with customers on their behalf. These customers won’t usually be laypeople…