Research scientist (medical)
Job Description
Medical research scientists plan and conduct experiments to increase the body of scientific knowledge on topics relatedto medicine. They may also aim to develop new, or improve existing, drugs or other medically-related products.Research may be basic, e.g. investigating the underlying basis of health and disease, or it may be more applied, e.g.conducting clinical research, investigating methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disorders. Researchmay be carried out at a molecular level, using appropriate cell and animal models, or using human volunteers to studythe clinical effects of various factors.
Typical Work Activities
Medical research takes place in higher education institutions, research institutes, hospitals and industry. The specifics ofthe role vary according to the setting, but much of the work is laboratory-based. Tasks typically include:
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planning and conducting experiments and analysing or interpreting the results;
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keeping accurate records of work undertaken;
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using specialist computer software to analyse data and to produce diagrammatic representation of results;
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teaching and supervising students (in higher education);
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writing and submitting applications and progress reports to funding bodies that support medical research (outsideindustry);
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discussing research progress with other departments, e.g. production and marketing (in industry);
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constantly considering the profit/loss potential of research products (in industry);
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setting up collaborations between industry, research institutes, hospitals and academia.Medical research scientists are also concerned with disseminating the results of their work to others. This includes:
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sharing the results of research with colleagues through presentations or discussions at team meetings;
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preparing posters and presentations, and delivering these at national and international scientific conferences;
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writing original papers for publication in peer-reviewed medical or scientific journals. (In industry, there is usuallyless pressure to publish. There is also often a lag period for any publications due to intellectual property issues.)Scientists also need to be aware of other research being carried out in, or related to, their field of study. Activities thatenable them to stay in touch successfully with developments and advances in their field include:
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carrying out searches for information using the internet and information databases;
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reading relevant scientific literature;
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attending scientific meetings and conferences in order to hear presentations from other researchers and participatein informal discussions with scientists from other parts of the world.
Work Conditions
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Range of typical starting salaries: £19,000 - £25,000 for a pre-doctoral scientist; £24,000 - £32,000 for apostdoctoral scientist (salary data collected Nov 07).
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Range of typical salaries with experience (e.g. after 10-15 years in role): £24,000 - £37,000 for a lecturer/groupleader; £38,500 - £50,000 for a senior lecturer/senior group leader. The higher end of the scale tends to apply toposts in industry or in prestigious institutions (salary data collected Nov 07).
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Working hours are normally nine to five. However, in reality, longer hours are often worked, although there isusually some flexibility in start and finish times, especially in academic settings. Due to the nature of experimentalwork, some evening and weekend work may be required. Long hours are often necessary when, for example,grant application deadlines are looming or a particularly important experiment is underway. It is unusual forovertime to be paid in academic posts, but more the norm in industry.
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Work is mainly laboratory-based with some time spent in the office planning and writing up experiments.
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With career progression, the work becomes more office-based with a focus on writing grant applications,collaborating with other scientists, supervising staff, planning experiments, writing papers for publication andreviewing papers.
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Scientists may work with potentially toxic or radioactive materials, so care and attention to detail is required.
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Working with animals or animal-derived products, such as embryonic stem cells, may form part of the research,which may result in ethical dilemmas for some. See the arguments on the Coalition for Medical Progress(www.medicalprogress.org) and National Anit-Vivisection Society (NAVS) (www.navs.org.uk) websites.
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Travel within the working day is rare but may occasionally be required as scientists often collaborate with otherinstitutions. Some national and international travel is needed for attendance at conferences to present the resultsof research, often with a stay of a few days. Travel usually becomes more frequent with career progression.
OCCUPATIONALPROFILE
This Occupational Profile forms part of
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Entry Requirements
A good honours degree in a medical or life science subject is usual for entry. The following subjects may increase yourchances:
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biomedical sciences;
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biochemistry;
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molecular biology;
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pharmacology;
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genetics;
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medical microbiology;
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immunology;
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physiology.Although graduates entering this area of work traditionally have a degree in a medical or life science discipline, manyareas of medical research now actively encourage interdisciplinary work. Thus, many research projects also needgraduates in chemistry, physics or statistics/bioinformatics.Entry with an HND/foundation degree only is not possible. Opportunities for HND/foundation degree holders may exist attechnician level - see Scientific laboratory technician - but further progression to medical research scientist will require afirst degree.Although an MSc or PhD is commonly required for entry to this field, opportunities at entry level without a postgraduatequalification do exist, particularly in industry. However, progress up the career ladder to group/section leader nearlyalways requires a PhD.The Medical Research Council (MRC) (www.mrc.ac.uk) is the main funder of PhDs in medical science in the UK. TheMRC also funds collaborative studentships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Working as a research assistantoften includes the opportunity to study for a PhD. This attracts a higher salary than the standard studentship stipend, butmay include additional responsibilities.Laboratory experience and knowledge of the range of techniques used will improve your chances of finding a researchappointment. This can be achieved through either a sandwich-year placement in industry or vacation work experience inacademia or industry. Summer placements in academia can be funded through the Nuffield Foundation(www.nuffieldfoundation.org/ ) and the Wellcome Trust (www.wellcome.ac.uk). The Academy of Medical Sciences
(www.academicmedicine.ac.uk) website has details of bursaries available to enable you to complete a summer researchproject within a university, as well as suggestions for various career paths.Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
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technical, scientific and numerical skills;
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good written and oral communication skills;
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a genuine enjoyment of your research subject;
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a methodical and imaginative approach to work;
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tenacity and patience;
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the ability to work well in teams and to network and forge links with collaborators.It is illegal for employers to discriminate against candidates on the grounds of age, gender, race, disability, sexualorientation or religious faith. For more information on equality and diversity in the job market see Handling Discrimination(www.prospects.ac.uk/links/discrimination).
Training
Most employers will assume that you already have sufficient research skills, either from your degree or a PhD, to makean immediate contribution to the work of the team.In academia, there is often very little formal training following completion of a research degree. Continuous on-the-jobtechnical training, either self-taught or from more experienced scientists, allows researchers to learn new laboratorytechniques. It is also quite common for scientists to visit other laboratories to be taught techniques that are alreadyestablished elsewhere. The UK GRAD Programme (www.grad.ac.uk) runs courses to support the personal developmentand teamworking skills of researchers. Many universities run similar schemes independently.Outside academia, training is usually more structured and there is a trend for scientists to develop their own trainingprogrammes with guidance from a mentor.Scientists in all settings must keep abreast of research techniques and scientific advances, so employers from allspheres will support activities such as attendance at conferences or meetings to promote this. Attendance at aconference often involves presenting your own work.Membership of a professional organisation, such as the Institute of Biology (IOB) (www.iob.org), is another option. Somescientists work towards chartered biologist status with the IOB.Some universities and commercial companies combine academic knowledge and business acumen through KnowledgeTransfer Partnerships (KTPs) (www.ktponline.org.uk). As well as acquiring useful business skills through a KTP post, ascientist can often study for a higher degree at the same time, funded by the employer.
Research scientist (medical)
Page 2 of 4 See also AGCAS Sector Briefings for an overview of job sectors -www.prospects.ac.uk/links/sectorbs
Career Development
Career structures vary between sectors. In academia, after a PhD, most medical research scientists enter employment inpostdoctoral positions. These are normally short-term contracts of up to three years.Most newly qualified postdoctoral fellows take up advertised positions or apply speculatively to an established scientistwith whom they wish to work. Many work abroad for a time, often in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia or Europe. Thisallows them to experience different laboratory set-ups and widen their network of international contacts.Career progression is usually related to the success of your research project and the quality and quantity of originalpapers you publish. Scientists must also make successful applications for their own research funding, initially supportedby a more established research scientist.It is common for researchers to work in at least two postdoctoral positions, although many scientists undertake three ormore short-term contracts before they have a chance of securing a highly sought-after permanent position in academicscience. There are nearly always teaching duties attached to these positions. Along the way, some may move into ascientific role outside academia, or change career altogether.Career development tends to be more structured in industry, hospitals or research institutes and usually involves takingon increased responsibilities, such as supervising and managing projects, before moving into senior management roles.It may be possible in some industrial companies to move into other functions, such as production, quality assurance, HRor marketing.
Typical Employers
Typical employers in medical research include:
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universities;
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industry (especially pharmaceutical companies);
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non-governmental and voluntary bodies, such as Cancer Research UK (www.cancerresearchuk.org) and theWellcome Trust (www.wellcome.ac.uk).Work outside industry is usually funded by the government by the allocation of research funding to universities, researchcouncils and hospitals, for example. For a list of research bodies, see the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC)(www.ukcrc.org) website. Medical research also receives extensive financial support from charitable bodies who fundspecific research into their areas of interest. For a full list of these, see the Association of Medical Research Charities(AMRC) (www.amrc.org.uk) website.Scientists employed within one organisation may often be funded from a variety of different sources.
Sources of Vacancies
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Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)(www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/training/welcome/html);
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university websites.There are specialist recruitment agencies for the pharmaceutical industry. See the vacancies pages in Nature and NewScientist for a selection of these.
Related Occupations
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Biomedical scientist
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Clinical biochemist
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Clinical cytogeneticist
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Clinical molecular geneticist
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Clinical scientist, histocompatibility and immunogenetics
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Immunologist
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Microbiologist
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Pharmacologist
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Research scientist (life science)
Research scientist (medical)
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