Hi everyone!

I have almost finished my (Italian) Master's Degree in Organic Chemistry, and I'm considering the possibility to begin a PhD in UK... But I'm not sure if I want to become an academic, probably after that I will go find a job. I am looking around, and have found some possibilities for an Industrial PhD (where 90% of the work is done in industry, in this case a pharmaceutical one). I have a good cv, so I think (and hope to be right) to have good possibilites to win one of these, but maybe also to take a PhD in a good university in UK. While these industrial PhDs are connected with "average" universities.

My questions are:
Is it worth to begin an industrial PhD? Does it give more chances to find a job after it? How is it better or different to a "normal" PhD at university?
If you have any experience and/or advice, that would be really appreciated! I'm a bit lost at the moment...

Thank you in advance!

Well, first of all: As a foreigner, I would not pursue a PhD in the UK unless you get an exceptionally nice scholarship. I hope that is not seen as offensive by UK users. The research is often top notch but there are a lot of other countries with equally good research facilities and way better conditions for PhD students in terms of salary and funding duration. Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial College might be an exception but also hard to get in. At most Universities you get an average salary for 3 years and then you are on your own, while in many other countries the salaries are decent, 4 years funding are standard and you are a full employee , which means you can get unemployment money in case you run out of funding (in my case 70% of my salary). But the research is of course cutting edge and some of their Universities are in the top ten worldwide ;)

If you want to work in industry, a PhD in industry is in my opinion always preferable. You show already before your PhD that you are interested in industrial applications and I guess that the chances are high that they hire you afterwards if they were happy with your work. However, that is probably highly company dependent and depending on the University you are working with that will award the PhD eventually. I think the question is also if you can secure a PhD in industry as there are not that many as far as I know. I am however not a chemist. Maybe there are more opportunities than for biologists :)

Good luck

Thank you very much for your answer. You did well in advising me concerning money… it’s always a big issue! However, I have other reasons to go in the UK, so in this situation I will try to find the best for me.

Indeed, there are not many PhDs in industry, as far as I know. I will surely apply for a few of them and see what happens. Thank you again for your answer on the topic: actually this is also my thought, that it should be better for an easier entry in the industry itself.
Being unlucky after the PhD, I was wondering if the “average” university with which they are usually connected will count or not, compared to a normal PhD in a higher ranking university.

Hey! Anyone else has some advice or experience to share? :)

Hi!

That is a very interesting question you posted and I am still thinking about it in my second year of my PhD. I completed my BEng and MSc in the UK-although I am Greek ;) -and I had the same dilemma when I finished my MSc. To be honest, I started my PhD because I saw it as an opportunity to gain some time to think what I actually want to do while I am getting paid (if I like research and academia, I will proceed with an academic career, if not, I will move on to industry) but my decision will be more certain in 3 years and I will get to know better myself, what I really want to do. I can tell you now that I do not enjoy academia as I see it from the 'inside', so I am thinking of looking for a job in industry (probably in the R&D sector). I think what is important is to look for a PhD that is as manifold as possible, so you can gain skills that can be applied in various applications. You will also gain so many transferable skills that will be very desirable in any job, no matter if it is industrial PhD or not. Also pursuing a funded PhD is a very positive aspect to add in your CV, no matter if the funding comes from a scpecific organisation, industry etc. Also, having studied at Imperial College, I can tell that many other universities do top-level research-depending on the field of course- and they offer a more friendly, helpful and not so competitive environment compared to the highly-ranked universities. It is important to look at the specific research level, the research team and the equipment provided in the universities that house your field and not only the ranking tables.

I hope this can help you! :)

Hi Ikaros, sorry for the delay. Thank you for your reply, it is very interesting to know about similar experiences!

You are right, I should look at teams, topics, equipment... I was just not sure whether a name on the CV was important or not! Thank you for sharing your opinion. (By the way, I classify Imperial as a highly-ranked university ;) )
As you have done, other people advised me to find a topic not focused on a single aspect, but maybe something applied to a broader field to develop other skills; personally I would like something related to the pharma world (obviously).

Thank you again! :)