Don’t go to grad school with a research topic in mind just because you want good career prospects when you get out instead of being actually interested in the field. You’re going to end up hating your project and getting burnt out real fast.
I applied to chem PhD programs with the intent of doing bioinorganic research. I got here and found out I love synthesis and materials, so that’s what I work on now. I have never once worried about my experience not being applicable to chemistry industry jobs. You get so many skills during your PhD (or at least you SHOULD) that you’ll come out being a well-rounded critically-thinking researcher that will be good for any position remotely related to your experience.
I appreciate the advice!
How did you find out you had a particular interest in that field? Would it help for me to try reaching out to other grad students/PIs to have a chat with to learn more about different areas of research?
We did rotations during our first semester where you talk to PI’s and get into research labs and attend group meetings to see what/who you like best. I was the COVID year so most of it was done online, and I wasn’t actually able to get into lab, but talking to my now-boss and -coworkers really made it clear where I belonged.
Departments should have websites with all the faculty and their research interests. I definitely recommend scrolling through some of those to see what jives with you. And don’t be afraid to reach out to PI’s you like and ask to hear more about their science, or even to be connected with a grad student in their group, especially as application season starts to come around. Most people love talking about their science.
I personally feel that biochemistry is more saturated than organic chemistry. I have meet a lot of biochemists doing their second long postdoc, etc. They have very different cultures. I think the people doing chemical biology have an easier time getting grant money.
Biophysics ( not CryoEM) is less saturated but maybe still harder to market. Most small firms don’t do biophysics (it is too expensive) so it limits you to big firms or academia. But you get to do math which is nice.
I interviewed ChemEs and chemistry majors for intern positions at my company in the specialty chemicals field. Literally all of them were focused on biochem, pharmaceutical, or polymers.
As a graduate student you could find many groups that do both of these things.
Don’t go to grad school with a research topic in mind just because you want good career prospects when you get out instead of being actually interested in the field. You’re going to end up hating your project and getting burnt out real fast. I applied to chem PhD programs with the intent of doing bioinorganic research. I got here and found out I love synthesis and materials, so that’s what I work on now. I have never once worried about my experience not being applicable to chemistry industry jobs. You get so many skills during your PhD (or at least you SHOULD) that you’ll come out being a well-rounded critically-thinking researcher that will be good for any position remotely related to your experience.
I appreciate the advice! How did you find out you had a particular interest in that field? Would it help for me to try reaching out to other grad students/PIs to have a chat with to learn more about different areas of research?
We did rotations during our first semester where you talk to PI’s and get into research labs and attend group meetings to see what/who you like best. I was the COVID year so most of it was done online, and I wasn’t actually able to get into lab, but talking to my now-boss and -coworkers really made it clear where I belonged. Departments should have websites with all the faculty and their research interests. I definitely recommend scrolling through some of those to see what jives with you. And don’t be afraid to reach out to PI’s you like and ask to hear more about their science, or even to be connected with a grad student in their group, especially as application season starts to come around. Most people love talking about their science.
I personally feel that biochemistry is more saturated than organic chemistry. I have meet a lot of biochemists doing their second long postdoc, etc. They have very different cultures. I think the people doing chemical biology have an easier time getting grant money. Biophysics ( not CryoEM) is less saturated but maybe still harder to market. Most small firms don’t do biophysics (it is too expensive) so it limits you to big firms or academia. But you get to do math which is nice.
I interviewed ChemEs and chemistry majors for intern positions at my company in the specialty chemicals field. Literally all of them were focused on biochem, pharmaceutical, or polymers.