• Question: Do experienced scientists often become lecturers?

    Asked by Lottie to Chris, Josh, Rebecca, Rob, Susan on 17 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Susan Cartwright

      Susan Cartwright answered on 17 Jun 2015:

      I haven’t conducted a detailed survey, but I think most scientists work in industry, like my father (an industrial chemist) rather than in universities or national research labs (like me). It is not common, though it’s not unheard of, for industrial scientists to become lecturers, for the excellent reason that they earn a lot more money in industry!!

      The scientists who do become lecturers typically work as researchers in universities or national/international labs (e.g. CERN) for a while after their PhD. Most of them don’t become lecturers: they move out into related jobs like computer science. I’ve had maybe a dozen PhD students in my time at Sheffield, and two of them are now lecturers. Another two are teachers, and several are working in scientific research but not as lecturers. At least one has become a computer scientist.

    • Photo: Josh Meyers

      Josh Meyers answered on 17 Jun 2015:

      Only a very small percentage of the ‘experienced’ scientists I know are lecturers and the ones that are I only know because they lectured me! So no, I don’t think this is the most common career path.

      Having said that, it is very normal to give some lectures as a scientist even if you are just beginning your research career. I teach a course on bioinformatics and I am only a PhD student!

      Also, there are many organisations which do not have students and at these places, the experienced scientists will not give lecture courses.

    • Photo: Rebecca Dewey

      Rebecca Dewey answered on 18 Jun 2015:

      Of the scientists that work in academia (which is a fairly small number), most of them will have to lecture at some point. At the moment, I’m in a research-only contract, so I don’t actually do any lecturing, but I would like to! I think I would lecture undergraduate physics if I got the chance.

Comments

  • Photo: Kevin

    Kevin commented on :

    In my university is common to lecture as it is a requirement of the position and personally it can be a fun thing to do. However, this is not true of all universities. A number have experienced researchers employed solely to do research without any teaching.
    I think that if you are going to teach at a high level you need to be undertaking research/science at even higher level.