Your career – where next?

Career planning for bioscientists

Session A1: Saturday, 5 September, 9:15 - 12:15 Hall 6B

This workshop will present information on the job market with examples of careers related to the biosciences, within and outside of academic research. The first part of the workshop will focus on analysing the job market and how to make effective career choices. Participants will be able to review their own skills and interests and relate these to different career sectors and professions, as well as learning about how to gain entry to non-academic jobs. The second part of the workshop will provide practical strategies for participants to plan and manage their careers, including effective job seeking. The workshop will consist of presentations, self-assessment and interactive exercises and there will be handouts with resources to take away afterwards.

Trainer: Sarah Blackford, Head of Education & Public Affairs, The Society for Experimental Biology, Lancaster UK

About the trainer: Sarah Blackford is the head of Education & Public Affairs for the Society for Experimental Biology, an international learned society. An academic and scientific careers adviser (MA, Warwick University), with a background in research and publishing, Sarah provides a wide range of career support to doctoral students and early career researchers. She has been delivering specialised career workshops and one-to-one coaching for over a decade and has authored a book entitled ‘Career planning for research bioscientists’. She is one of the founding members of CARE, a network of careers advisers supporting researchers in Europe. Much of her advice and resources are published on her blog, www.biosciencecareers.org.