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Data Analyst

Do you love working with data and want to make a real impact? Do you have great ideas to maintain information processes and analyse data sets into meaningful reports? Then we want to hear from you!

• Closing date: 05 June 2024
• Southampton

Associate Dean of the NIHR Academy, (Infrastructure & Capacity Building Structures)

We are looking for an exceptional person to be the Associate Dean, specialising in research training in the NIHR infrastructure and capacity building structures, for NIHR Academy. As Associate Dean, you will be accountable to the Dean of the NIHR Academy and the Executive Director, NIHR Academy.

• Closing date: 07 June 2024

Associate Dean of the NIHR Academy - Researcher Inclusion

We are looking for an exceptional person to be the Associate Dean, specialising in researcher inclusion, for NIHR Academy. As Associate Dean, you will be accountable to the Dean of the NIHR Academy and the Executive Director, NIHR Academy.

Senior Research Collaboration Manager

Joining our team means embracing innovation and collaboration. We offer a dynamic work environment where your skills and ideas are valued, fostering personal growth and contributing to the success of a forward-thinking organization.

• Closing date: 22 June 2024

Technology Transfer Manager

Are you passionate about advancing cutting-edge research? Join our dynamic team as a Research Funding Specialist and play a pivotal role in driving innovation.

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What Jobs Can You Get With A Biology Degree - A New Scientist Careers Guide

• Career guides

“What can I do with a biology degree?” is a question biology students often ask themselves. Everything from microscopic proteins and the DNA within the cells of all living organisms to how we interact with complex ecological systems on Earth falls under the realm of biology. Some of the major types of biology include molecular biology , anatomy, physiology and ecology .

With science becoming more interdisciplinary, new careers in biology are emerging as well. Indeed, a degree in biology provides you with knowledge and skills highly relevant to countless industries. 

Graduating from the best universities for biology in the UK, as ranked in the 2024 league table by the Complete University Guide, can lead to lucrative career opportunities. Top universities include Cambridge, University College London (UCL), Oxford, Imperial College London and Durham.

Popular areas where your biology degree will be highly valued include pure biology and life sciences , clinical science , technology and engineering , and environmental science . This article discusses the top three highest paying jobs with a biology degree in each of these fields.

Pure biology and life sciences

Traditional jobs for biology graduates typically involve teaching, research or health promotion. In these fields, you could inspire future biological scientists and conduct high-impact research. With experience and excellence, you could even become a pioneer in whichever area you work in, helping progress the field of biology as a whole.  

• Headteacher

Job role: Headteachers run schools and ensure their success. They are the face of the school and they set out the school’s values and agenda, devise strategies for areas of improvement, comply with health and safety standards, manage finances and foster relationships with students, parents, teachers and, sometimes, politicians. You can still continue to teach biology as a headteacher.

Route: With a biology degree, you could start teaching biology at school once you complete the qualified teacher status (QTS). Get involved with senior roles within your school and help with running the school. Ideally, complete the National Professional Qualification for Headship. After several years of experience as a senior teacher, you could become a headteacher. 

Average salary (experienced): £131,000  

• Professor of biology

Job role: Teaching biological sciences at higher education level is no small feat. Senior lecturers and academics at universities are typically pioneers in their area of interest and have contributed greatly to research, especially at renowned institutions.

Route: Once you have graduated with a BSc in biology, you usually need a Master’s to enter a PhD programme. After working as a research scientist, getting involved in lecturing and doing high-impact research as a postdoc for several years, you could apply for professorship. Senior academics usually end up doing research in a niche area of biology.

Average salary (experienced): £55,000; over £100,000 at certain universities e.g. Cambridge  

• Sports physiologist

Job role: Sports and exercise scientists apply their knowledge of human physiology to help people enhance their sporting performance and improve their overall health. Their working environment may include sports centres, hospitals or research facilities. Many work privately, seeing a range of clients including athletes.

Route: A degree in physiology or biology is typically required; a Master’s or PhD specifically in sports physiology or exercise science can further enhance your employability. After you have established a good reputation, you could manage your own consulting company or work exclusively for high-profile athletes.

Average salary (experienced): £60,000

Naturally, biology is at the heart of medicine and healthcare . Expertise in fields such as genetics , microbiology and biochemistry are driving innovation in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. If you completed a biology degree, you could do a Master’s, clinical training or placements to qualify for a range of clinical careers.  

• Pathologist

Job role: Pathologists process and examine tissue samples collected from patients to aid the diagnosis of medical conditions. They work with high-tech machines and microscopes and are usually based in hospital labs.

Route: Relevant undergraduate degrees include biology or biomedical science. To work in the NHS, you must enrol onto the Scientist Training Programme (STP) and register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). You could additionally complete Higher Specialist Scientist Training (HSST) to obtain consultant status.

Average salary (experienced): £69,000

• Clinical scientist

Job role: Clinical scientists can work in a range of specialisms, such as neurophysiology, cardiac science or microbiology. They form a crucial part of a multidisciplinary team to deliver healthcare efficiently and safely. Your exact duties will depend on your chosen career path and may include working as a laboratory technician or seeing patients and performing tests.

Route: This job also involves completion of the STP and HCPC registration, and, optionally, HSST for consultancy. A biology degree is broad enough to allow you to move into most specialisms in clinical science. As a senior clinical scientist, you could take on managerial roles in your department or apply your expertise in biotech , e.g. quality control or research and development.

Average salary (experienced): £68,000

Job role: Geneticists analyse the genomics in all living organisms, but in a clinical setting their focus is limited to human genetics. They study genes involved in health and disease to help medical teams diagnose and offer targeted therapies for genetic conditions and cancers. 

Route: Relevant pre-STP degrees include genetics, biology or other life sciences. A Master’s or PhD is the norm, particularly in academic research. With experience, you could manage genomic research departments, become a professor or move into industries, e.g. the pharmaceutical sector.

Average salary (experienced): £58,000

Technology and engineering

As with most industries, research, medicine and agriculture are becoming heavily reliant on technology. Fields such as biotechnology, bioinformatics and biomedical engineering require excellent knowledge of biology as well as engineering and physics principles. As such, biology graduates with an interest in technological innovation can play a vital role in the biotech sector.

• Data scientist

Job role: Data science is one of the highest paying jobs in tech, particularly in life sciences that deal with large amounts of complex data. Data scientists with a background in biology perform complex data analysis for universities, research facilities or biotech companies with the aim of providing actionable insight.

Route: After a biology degree, you could either do a Master’s in data science or gain relevant experience to land a junior position. Learning advanced methods relating to machine learning and artificial intelligence can significantly boost your job prospects. With experience, you could become a principal data scientist at a biotech firm or an independent consultant data scientist.

Average salary (experienced): £82,500

• Software engineer

Job role: Software engineers with a background in biology design, build and test software for use in biological research at hospitals, labs or biotech firms. They ensure their programme meets their clients’ needs and troubleshoot any potential errors.

Route: A biology degree puts you in a good position to apply to biotech firms for junior positions as employers often prefer candidates with in-depth knowledge of the field. To gain programming skills, you can do a Master’s in software development or become self-taught. With experience, you could move into consultancy or run your own business.

Average salary (experienced): £70,000

• Biomedical engineer

Job role: Biomedical engineering combines principles from biology, physics and engineering to design medical machines and equipment, ranging from prosthetics and implants to surgical robots and scanners. Those in this field often conduct research to build new products to be used in healthcare.

Route: An undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering is the traditional route, but you can still enter this field with a biology degree if you do a relevant Master’s or gain relevant experience, e.g. working as a biological technician. 

As a senior biomedical engineer working in a specialised area, e.g. bionic eyes, you could move into industry and take on managerial roles in health-tech companies. You could also work for the NHS if you complete the STP and register with the HCPC.

Average salary (experienced): £50,000

Environmental and animal care

Biologists working in the environmental and animal care sector offer immense value when it comes to tackling global challenges such as sustainability, conservation , biodiversity and restoration. Environmental scientists can help shape policies and practices aimed at preserving natural environments and safeguarding animal welfare , ensuring a better, greener world.  

Job role: Agronomists supervise agricultural operations and offer guidance to farmers on enhancing soil health and increasing crop yields. Working environments include farms, laboratories and offices. They research soil properties, fertilisers and other substances, and innovate new farming techniques.

Route: A degree in biology with exposure to agriculture is typically sufficient to secure junior positions. Some employers prefer candidates with postgraduate qualifications in certain areas, e.g. crop technology. You could move into consultancy if you become a specialist in advanced methods such as laser weeding.

• Environmental consultant

Job role: Eco consultants investigate the effects of an organisation’s activities on the climate and vice versa. They provide guidance to organisations or governmental bodies on green energy, waste management and environmental regulations. 

Route: After your biology degree, ideally with a focus on ecology, you could complete a Master’s in environmental science to maximise your chances of landing a job and reaching consultancy level quickly. The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) may be of interest, as it offers postgraduate courses with academic and industrial research projects. With experience, you could become a chartered consultant.

Job role: Zoologists explore animals and their behaviours and may work in academia, wildlife conservation or government. They develop specialisation in one field, such as entomology (insects), ornithology (birds), herpetology (reptiles) or marine biology . Tasks vary based on the sector, but typically involve applying research methods in the field or laboratory to study animals.

Route: Aim to focus on zoology for your biology degree and gain exposure to wildlife conservation. A Master's or PhD degree can significantly enhance your prospects, particularly if you wish to conduct independent research. As you gain experience, you could manage zoology departments, become a consultant or move into environmental journalism.

Average salary (experienced): £48,000

Biology degrees provide a breadth of knowledge about all living organisms and how they interact with the world surrounding them. This, along with their critical thinking and transferable skills, make biology graduates highly employable across sectors. From analysing molecules in disease to building artificial organs or even conserving endangered species, there is no shortage of jobs involving biology .

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• How to become an Ecologist or Environmental Manager - CIEEM [Internet]. CIEEM. 2024. Available from: https://cieem.net/i-want-to-be/how-to-become-an-eem/
• Science & Research | ZSL [Internet]. The Zoological Society of London. Available from: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/science-research

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Revealed: with the right support, most UK gas sector workers could transfer skills to other jobs, report finds

Press story.

• Challenge facing workers as gas industry shrinks in a net zero world is more manageable than expected, IPPR research reveals
• Governments across UK must boost skills training and guarantee opportunities to those whose jobs may disappear

Gas sector workers who could be affected by job losses in the transition to a net zero world can switch to other careers with the right kind of support from the government. However, the report warns against complacency and argues that without careful planning, the transition may jeopardise meeting net zero targets or lead to disruption in the workforce.

While decarbonisation efforts might prompt more workers to switch roles, the report suggests that they can readily transition to many ‘climate compatible’ occupations that do not contribute to carbon emissions.

Workers from various branches of the gas industry, such as oil and gas production, gas power stations, gas networks and boilermaking, will need to transition into new jobs as the UK moves to net zero. According to IPPR’s analysis, with the right support by government the transition could result in minimal career disruptions for them.

The report looks at “green occupations” (those specific to green industries) and “blue occupations” (‘climate compatible’ occupations that are not specific to green industries but do not entail high carbon emissions). It finds:

• 93 per cent of the approximately 115,000 people working in these gas sectors share more than 50 per cent of their existing work tasks - such as inspecting and repairing equipment - with green or blue occupations.
• If gas sector workers were only moving into green jobs such as solar PV installers, (non-gas) energy plant managers and environmental scientists, many would likely need more significant retraining and other support.
• However, the transition would be much less challenging if they moved to some climate compatible blue occupations such as surveyors, materials engineers, and construction workers.

It highlights two main challenges to delivering a fair transition for workers in the gas sector. First, the slow transition to cleaner energy risks limiting career options and could lead to abrupt disruptions in employment. Second, current government policies do not commit enough support to affected workers, regardless of how similar their future career options may be, including a failure to involve trade unions and inadequate training and career guidance.

The government’s current plans to support workers have been “piecemeal” at best, the report says. It identifies a need to shift away from abstract rhetoric and concentrate on offering practical career paths for those who might need to switch jobs, along with tailored support for skills training they would need.

To deliver a genuinely fair transition, IPPR calls on the government to:

• Reform the skills system by introducing an annual £1.1 billion Green Training Fund to provide free training to workers in gas sectors (and other industries that are decarbonising) that may need to change occupations.
• Provide certainty both to industry and workers by clarifying the role of gas capacity in the future energy mix.
• Adopt a fair transition approach involving workers and their unions, committing to give workers career guidance, training and retraining, and ensure industries commit to high quality job standards.

Joshua Emden, IPPR Senior Research Fellow, said:

“Our analysis offers some reassurance that the transition to net zero need not be as disruptive as some people suggest. However, government complacency and the inadequacy of current commitments put a fair and orderly transition at risk.

“Even if future career options require similar skills to current roles, workforce planning that supports workers with retraining, offers careers advice and commits to decent working standards is essential to delivering a genuinely fair transition.”

Joshua Emden, the report’s lead author, is available for interview

David Wastell, Director of News and Communications: 07921 403651 [email protected]

Liam Evans, Senior Digital and Media Officer: 07419 365334 [email protected]

NOTES TO EDITORS

• The IPPR paper, Skills matter: Shaping a just transition for workers in the energy sector by Joshua Emden and Andrew Sudmant will be published at 0001 on Friday 17 May 2024. It will be available for download at: http://www.ippr.org/articles/skills-matter
• Advance copies of the report are available under embargo on request
• Our analysis for understanding how closely related gas sector occupations are to green and ‘climate compatible’ occupations is based on a methodology developed by Farinha et al (2019) . It involves analysing all the work tasks associated with every occupation in the UK and then using an algorithm to form a network of all occupations arranged into clusters that are determined by how many work tasks they share with each other.
• IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society. We are researchers, communicators, and policy experts creating tangible progressive change, and turning bold ideas into common sense realities. Working across the UK, IPPR, IPPR North, and IPPR Scotland are deeply connected to the people of our nations and regions, and the issues our communities face. We have helped shape national conversations and progressive policy change for more than 30 years. From making the early case for the minimum wage and tackling regional inequality, to proposing a windfall tax on energy companies, IPPR’s research and policy work has put forward practical solutions for the crises facing society. www.ippr.org

Married to the job no more: Craving flexibility, parents are quitting to get it

The number of Americans who are up and quitting their jobs has been growing for months. From low-wage, frontline employees to more affluent workers and executives, this turnover tsunami is sweeping through the entire workforce. Parents, who have faced some of the harshest conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, are joining this exodus with gusto.

As part of our research on the Great Attrition , we found that parents were more likely to have left their jobs over the past several months than their nonparent counterparts. Reasons include exhaustion from the competing pressures of working from home and juggling childcare responsibilities, struggles with returning to the office but not finding consistent childcare, and reevaluating their overall work–life balance. Parents are looking for more flexible work opportunities, from taking time off and starting their own businesses to turning to gig roles. 1 Kathryn Dill and Josh Mitchell, “Workers quit jobs in droves to become their own bosses,” Wall Street Journal , November 29, 2021.

According to our survey data, 2 Our survey data on parents and nonparents comes from a survey of employees in Australia, Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States in August 2021. The employee survey included 5,774 people of working age, though for specific exhibits included in this article, only the relevant data on parents and nonparents were included. While we did not focus on nonparent caregivers in this survey, many of our recommendations would apply to that group as well. this trend will continue for the next several months, if not more, with non-White parents planning to leave at higher rates than their White counterparts. For instance, fully half of non-White fathers we surveyed said they were planning to leave their jobs. Non-White mothers are planning to leave at higher rates than White mothers, at 43 percent to 34 percent (Exhibit 1).

Companies don’t want to lose large numbers of workers of any stripe. But this trend among non-White parents—as well as the large numbers of women who have left the workforce since the pandemic started—is compounding the challenges organizations face as they pursue goals related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. McKinsey research has shown that inclusive organizations have a competitive advantage  in attracting and retaining talent, among other positive business factors.

Parents also tend to belong to a crucial category: midtenure employees who play key managerial and individual-contributor roles. 3 2022 employee experience trends: The 4 things your people need you to know , Qualtrics, November 2021. They are leaders or are on the leadership track. Any organization that loses this cohort can take a big hit to its institutional knowledge, including its managerial capabilities and mentorship pipeline.

What’s more, managers who are parents, and in particular women, provide much of the social support in organizations. Our Women in the Workplace 2021 report revealed that women managers have supported employee well-being throughout the pandemic at a higher rate than their male counterparts (Exhibit 2). Losing these women could erode an organization’s social fabric, further intensifying the cycle of grief and burnout  that companies have been grappling with since the pandemic began.

For all these reasons, it is crucial for organizations to create an environment that will accommodate and retain parents. But that means they have to understand why parents are looking for alternatives in the first place.

Why they’re leaving

Our research shows that the problems that all employees are grappling with—not feeling valued by their organization or manager, not feeling a sense of belonging, and not having a good work–life balance—affect parents and nonparents alike. However, there are key factors contributing to why parents are leaving that are distinct from nonparents. Of more than 20 possible reasons given for leaving their job in the past six months, parents cited caring for family as a top five reason, while nonparents cited family near the bottom of the list, at number 18.

Similarly, workload and the ability to work remotely were among the top ten reasons that parents left their job but were toward the bottom of the list for nonparents (Exhibit 3).

These results are consistent with McKinsey research on the future of remote work , which has shown that employees with young children are more likely to prefer primarily remote-working models and flexible work locations, with only 8 percent suggesting that they would like to see a fully on-site model in the future.

Where they’re going

Our survey shows that parents are significantly more likely to start a new business compared with their nonparent counterparts. The data suggest that they will continue to be more likely to do so over the next several months, with 45 percent of parents more likely than their peers without children to leave to start a new business (Exhibit 4).

Although our survey showed more workers in all categories doing gig work because they prefer it, parents are 6 percent more likely to take gig jobs than nonparents. Lower-income individuals are more likely to be driven to gig work out of necessity, the survey shows, and parents among this group more so than nonparents (Exhibit 5). One of the reasons, the lower-income respondents said, is that this type of work affords them more flexibility to care for family.

How to keep them

It’s abundantly clear that organizations have to move quickly if they want to retain working parents and others with caregiving responsibilities. Addressing their needs for increased flexibility  is the first place to start. But how?

Many companies have addressed the attrition problem with blunt instruments, including pay raises and extra paid time off. While money and time off are always welcome, more precise tools are needed. McKinsey research throughout the pandemic has shown that the best companies listen closely to their employees  and craft responses tailored to their needs. In the case of parents, even more than other groups, this means focusing on work–life balance and health while treating remote work and schedule flexibility—formerly viewed as perks—as table stakes.

Here are three areas where organizations can be more bold and creative in their thinking about how to retain parents:

Embrace radical flexibility. This goes beyond giving parents and other caregivers extra paid time off to take care of family needs. What if an employee needs every Tuesday afternoon off to care for a child or other family member? The response might be to give them a free floating day per week that they can take whenever they need it, no questions asked. Maybe some parents would love taking off from 3:00 p.m. until after dinner, then logging back in as needed after the kids are in bed.

Companies might create radically flexible roles, allowing all employees to cut back to 60 percent workweeks or downshift to a less-demanding role for a time, with the understanding that they can ramp back up when ready. They could even break positions into pieces, allowing job sharing, or hiring someone to do 20 percent of a job one day a week, for example. These radically flexible roles already exist in some more advanced healthcare settings, where nurse staffing demands are constantly changing. Per diem and part-time nurses are able to pick up variable-length shifts as needed to cover gaps and meet patient care needs as well as their personal need for flexibility.

Models of this nature could be considered for other roles in other industries, establishing new paradigms that provide greater flexibility for workers as companies increasingly update their focus to evaluating employees on deliverables rather than time spent at work.

Get more creative with childcare support. Some companies have provided in-house subsidized childcare or concierge services. These are welcome policies that can be viewed not as short-term emergency actions but as long-term adjustments.

For example, Patagonia’s on-site childcare drives its nearly perfect retention of new mothers and reduces overall turnover of parents to 25 percent below the general employee population, the company says. Patagonia believes parents’ engagement, loyalty, and productivity have also been enhanced by the benefit. 4 Talent Blog , “Why Patagonia CHRO Dean Carter sees onsite child care as a bedrock benefit,” blog entry by Bruce M. Anderson, September 10, 2019.

However, many parents may still be reluctant or unable to return to the office with their child, essentially rendering those services useless to them. Companies can go above and beyond these options by offering parents off-site, including at-home, childcare that is either fully or mostly subsidized. This will not only show a personalized commitment to employees but it will also help them maintain the flexibility they desire. Organizations can also expand the use of parental-leave programs by encouraging all parents to participate in them, not just mothers . By equalizing and normalizing participation in these programs, companies can create a more equitable environment for their entire workforce.

Let them go—and make a concerted effort to get them back. Having gone through a prolonged global pandemic, many employees need a break. This is a normal and increasingly common response to an abnormal event.

Some companies have already developed processes that allow parents who have taken leave to adjust to returning to work, recognizing that the childcare and other responsibilities that prompted their departure  likely have not disappeared. In addition to accommodating their childcare needs, companies can offer on-ramp programs that help returning parents update their skills to get up to speed.

Organizations can also conduct a different type of exit interview, asking, “What would it take to keep you here? If we accommodate your needs, would you be willing to stay for a pilot program to test how it works?” This approach would rely in part on training leaders and managers to elicit an honest appraisal from employees about what led them to this point.

Organizations that think they can wait out this period without responding to employees’ concerns about flexibility may face a rude awakening as parental attrition in particular gets worse. They also risk increasing burnout throughout their entire workforce  if more individuals leave and existing employees have to fill those gaps.

Companies that experiment with how to design jobs that will appeal to parents—and anyone looking for more flexibility—are acknowledging reality: no matter how dedicated they may be to their jobs, individuals are more than employees. Parents need to take care of their children, adult children may need to take care of aging parents, and we all need to take care of our own health and well-being. Companies that get creative with solutions are meeting this need for flexibility with a flexible response—a welcome model for everyone.

Aaron De Smet is a senior partner in McKinsey’s New Jersey office, Bonnie Dowling is an associate partner in the Denver office, Marino Mugayar-Baldocchi is a research science specialist in the New York office, and Joachim Talloen is a senior research science analyst in the Waltham, Massachusetts, office.

The authors wish to thank Taiwo Ajayi and Sasha Zolley for their contributions to this article.

This article was edited by Barbara Tierney, a senior editor in the New York office.

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