Welcome to Biomed Badass

Welcome to Biomed Badass a blog and discussion forum for biomedical researchers looking to expand their career horizons.

Congratulations you’re a biomedical researcher – you’ve picked an awesome industry to train in. Much of the work is at the forefront of medical innovation, you get to work with highly motivated and talented colleagues, and all the while your efforts are towards improving patients lives – it doesn’t get much more rewarding than that. Coupled to this you will have developed a range of highly useful generic skills as a biomedical researcher including independent, creative and critical thinking, organisation, communication, and problem-solving skills to name a few. This makes you a highly desirable employee in many sectors.

Working as a life science academic researcher in the biomedical field is a highly stimulating and exciting career, but is not without its drawbacks and the academic career route is certainly not for the fainthearted. Most notably the hypercompetitive nature of securing substantial funding to support an effective research programme, is leading many a talented biomedical researcher to revaluate their chances of making it long-term in the academic system.

The research training you’ve undertaken develops open minds and produces individuals that are well equipped to tackle challenges that the modern day workplace brings. So the good news is there’s a dearth of amazing opportunities for the career savvy biomedical researcher. How best then to navigate a kick-ass career if you’re biomedical researcher? For most this is not a straightforward question to answer, as many universities currently do not prepare researchers well for careers that are outwith the traditional academic route.

This is a pertinent issue at present given that we are now in an era where the vast majority of PhD graduates from science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics (STEMM) subjects will no longer pursue a traditional academic career. The Royal Society has estimated that 95% of STEMM PhD graduates will leave academia at some point in their research careers (royalsociety.org, 2014). This means the vast majority of biomedical research graduates educated to PhD level will at some point have to consider the wide range of career options open to them. Unfortunately for many, finding sufficient time and resources to do so is tricky.

Here at Biomed Badass the aim is to establish a resource for biomedical professionals to explore all possible career options (academic and non-academic), and ultimately provide support for their future success. Topics covered will discuss issues around developing skills for successful biomedical research, life along the traditional career path of academic researchers, problems arising from leaving academia and identifying, and transitioning to the variety of non-academic careers out there.

Welcome to this badass community and please feel free to comment. Contributions are gratefully received. Let me know what you think. What issues are you currently facing as a biomedical researcher navigating your own career path? What topics would you like to discuss? Follow us on Facebook (@biomedbadass) and Twitter (⌗biomedbadass) and above all keep a check on the weekly posts (click on the blog page) – there could be monumental changes ahead for your career. Until then – Stay open minded and learn how to be a Badass in your Biomed career!