杏吧原创

IF THE headlines are anything to go by, 2009 is set to be a year of challenges. The credit crunch continues, we鈥檙e still wreaking havoc on our environment, and the world seems as far as ever from meeting its energy needs sustainably. Yet out of these challenges arise opportunities, especially for scientists 鈥� and the better qualified you are, the more opportunities are likely to come your way.

So don鈥檛 let worldwide financial woe put you off that course you were thinking of taking. Sure, you may have to adjust your priorities, with funding at the fore. But well-trained scientists still hold the key to a bright, sustainable future. In the low-carbon sector alone it is predicted that there may be as many as a million new jobs created by 2030. Initiatives to help scientists turn their research into lucrative businesses are on the up, and technological advances are bringing new and exciting ways to study.

Perhaps this year won鈥檛 be so bleak after all. New 杏吧原创 takes a closer at what鈥檚 on offer, and how to pay for it.

Crunch time

The main issue for new graduates will be money, says Chris Rea, employer business manager at the careers support service Graduate Prospects. 鈥淭he debt issue is an enormous factor and at a time of recession it鈥檚 going to exercise people鈥檚 minds even more.鈥�

To get the biggest bang for your buck, start early, says Ian Richardson, a third-year PhD student at Loughborough University. Contact institutions you are interested in as soon possible and ask about potential funding. Richardson received a CASE studentship, paid for by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and energy company E.ON, but the whole process took almost a year, he says.

Research councils like the EPSRC are a very important source of funding 鈥� their grants will cover fees and a cost-of-living stipend. But with over half a million postgraduates currently studying in the UK, research council funding is very competitive. 鈥淭here are no guarantees,鈥� stresses Rea, so you need to keep your options open.

One of those options might be charity funding. If the research councils are department stores for postgraduate grants, then charities, foundations and trusts are niche boutiques, offering subsidies for specific subject areas. And because many of them are quite specialised, find the right one and you鈥檙e likely to encounter less competition.

Universities themselves are another great source of funding, and offer plenty of opportunities to make more money once you鈥檝e settled in, says Rea. Teaching assistantships, for example, allow you to teach undergraduates for a salary or to offset some of your fees. This work will complement research skills too, by helping students communicate their work to others 鈥� an invaluable asset when looking for work.

In fact, good communication skills could be a nice little earner in their own right. Lewis Darntell not only wrote articles about his research while he studied for a PhD in astrobiology at University College London, he also had a popular science book published. To gain experience, start close to home, he says. 鈥淧ester the editors of your university newspaper to let you write science news articles or short features.鈥�

For engineers, a great way to get science communication training is through the Engineers Make it Happen campaign, says Martin Thomas of the Engineering and Technology Board. Students receive training from experienced public speakers, then go into schools and colleges to give motivational talks to students, to enthuse the next generation of engineers (see 鈥淗idden gems鈥�, for more information on science communication).

If, despite your best efforts, the credit crunch bites too hard, there is a last resort, says Rea. 鈥淚nstitutions have 鈥榓ccess to learning鈥� funds which are basically hardship relief.鈥� If you do end up so short of cash that you might not be able to complete the course, don鈥檛 be embarrassed to ask for help, he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 there to be used.鈥�

聯If you do end up broke and unable to complete the course, don鈥檛 be embarrassed to ask for help聰

Technology for today

While medical students at St George鈥檚, University of London, treat virtual patients in Second Life, others are busy utilising Facebook for group study, and at the University of Leicester anatomy podcasts are available for students to download to their iPods. The role of new technologies in student life doesn鈥檛 stop at providing learning tools. For the technically minded there is a plethora of well-funded opportunities for further study in the IT industry. Microsoft Research in Cambridge supports nearly 100 students through its PhD scholarship programme, with each awarded a bursary of up to 拢23,000 per year for up to three years. IBM also awards PhD fellowships to exceptional students in a range of science and technology fields. Employment opportunities are good too, says Fabien Petitcolas, head of intellectual capital development at Microsoft Research: 鈥淎s the UK comes out of recession, it will be on the back of innovative businesses creating global products and services 鈥� IT will be critical.鈥�

Sustainability for tomorrow

鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult to find an element of anyone鈥檚 life that isn鈥檛 touched by science and engineering, so the employment opportunities are far greater than they have ever been,鈥� says Thomas. The most relevant example for new graduates is our ongoing environmental concerns.

鈥淲e are looking at an acute shortage of green space 鈥� there isn鈥檛 enough to mop up the carbon dioxide we are emitting, and we are plundering resources,鈥� says Sara Parkin, founder director of sustainable development charity Forum for the Future.

This opens up opportunities for scientists. 鈥淢any companies now regard carbon performance as being one of the key criteria for both the cost base of a company and also its future ability to grow. This presents masses of employment opportunities,鈥� says Roger Gardner, chairman of OMEGA, a partnership of nine universities that addresses aviation sustainability, to help build a greener future for aviation. Most of its projects include postgraduate research, and would suit science students with an interest in sustainability and new technologies.

Energy for the future

鈥淚n the 1960s and 70s every kid wanted to be an astronaut and work for NASA or Jodrell Bank,鈥� says Dave Clarke, head of research and development at E.ON Engineering. Today, energy and low carbon are 鈥渢he space race research for the 21st century鈥�, he says.

鈥淭he employment prospects for graduates in the energy sector in the next five to 10 years are absolutely fantastic,鈥� says Clarke. E.ON and the EPSRC have jointly invested 拢10 million in energy research, which includes a number of studentships and engineering doctorates. 鈥淥ne of the major motivations for getting involved in the energy scene is that it鈥檚 one of the biggest challenges that we face,鈥� says Clarke, which makes for exciting times. 鈥淕raduates are really attracted to making a contribution and being able to make a difference.鈥�

If you want to get involved, there are a range of postgraduate degrees based on our need to find alternative and sustainable sources of energy, says David Elmes, academic director of the global energy MBA at the University of Warwick鈥檚 business school, with a raft of MSc courses that provide opportunities for scientists to make the transition into industry. But the energy challenge isn鈥檛 all about renewables; we need to remember the more traditional energies too, says Elmes. 鈥淭here is a surge in demand for people with the technical skills needed for the traditional oil and gas business because the reality is that they are going to be part of the solution for a considerable period of time and it鈥檚 not going to disappear overnight.鈥�

Finding your voice

You don鈥檛 have to be a research scientist to make a difference, though. Look to the new US administration and you鈥檒l see the growing role of scientists in politics. 鈥淏arack Obama has appointed top scientific advisers because he knows that if his policy is in defiance of science, it won鈥檛 work,鈥� says Parkin.

聯You just have to look to the new US administration to see the growing role of scientists in politics聰

For postgraduate courses which convert scientists to science policy-makers, the University of Sussex鈥檚 Science and Technology Policy Research Unit (SPRU) is a good place to start. Its graduates are incredibly employable, says Erik Millstone, a professor in science and technology policy from the unit. 鈥淲e show them how to apply economic and political analysis to decisions about developing science and technology. We equip them with the tools to connect these dimensions together so they are able to make sound decisions on what should or shouldn鈥檛 be done.鈥�

Former graduates of the unit work in academia all around the world, as well as in government, international organisations, and bodies like the World Health Organization and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Mind your own business

According to Stephen Uden, head of skills and economic affairs at Microsoft UK, small businesses are the engine room of the economy, and graduates would do well to consider the entrepreneurial opportunities they offer. 鈥淲e are looking at a long period of economic uncertainty. That doesn鈥檛 mean that business doesn鈥檛 go on, or that there won鈥檛 be opportunities for those who can take advantage of them,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hat it does mean is that those leaving university need to have the right skills to succeed.鈥�

In November 2008, the government鈥檚 Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform launched three University Enterprise Networks, designed to provide science students with these very skills. Each network provides training and advice, and is supported by private companies and regional development agencies, giving students first-hand experience of enterprising workplaces.

You might even find business opportunities closer to home. 鈥淢any universities are setting up small companies to take advantage of the scientific developments within their own departments,鈥� says Alistair Benson, academic director of Manchester Business School Worldwide. He points to the University of Glasgow as a prime example: 鈥淭hey have a large number of small companies that provide fairly large revenues, merely by working with the university鈥檚 patented discoveries.鈥�

For those outside academia, an MBA could be the way forward, and there are a number newly tailored to suit the needs of scientists. The reasons for scientists to do an MBA are the same as for anyone else, says Elmes: 鈥溞影稍�创s go into a company, flourish around their technical skills, then get to the point where they are taking on a managerial role and need to extend their skills base to include a business and strategic perspective.鈥�

As with most courses, the top business schools鈥� MBAs are among the most expensive, says Rea. A good MBA can set you back up to 拢30,000 over three years. So while it might make a good investment, is it possible to shop around for a recession-friendly bargain?

Andrew Villier has a master鈥檚 of engineering from the Open University and is starting an MBA in knowledge management in 2009. 鈥淭he OU are very cost effective,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 can learn what I need to learn, I can afford to do it, and I don鈥檛 have to do any blocks of study away.鈥�

This type of open-mindedness appears to be key to surviving 2009 as a scientist. The right choices in your short-term future, will make your long-term job prospects a lot brighter.