Series 11: Episode 5 From Theoretical Physics to Quantitative Finance: Navigating Career Transitions

How different is 'industry' to academia and what can we do to adapt to those changes and survive the learning curves?Dr Sam Keightley, Senior Behavioural Science Researcher at BeHive Consulting answers those questions and gives us plenty more fascinating insights into his first role since completing his PhD.Join us as we discuss change, uncertainty, communication styles, the dreaded perfectionism, and self-advocacy.Sam KeightleyBeHive ConsultancyCheck out our KEATS page on Careers Beyond Academia for Researchers

"I can do this and be successful, but does it bring me joy?" Offering valuable insights for PhDs and research staff interested in ‘academic adjacent’ roles, Dr Eleanor Gurney, Senior PGR Manager at King’s, shares her journey from academic research to a fulfilling role in professional services.Dr. Gurney reflects on her diverse career path, including her work in international development and her PhD research on low-fee private schooling in India. She candidly talks about the challenges and isolation she faced during her PhD and how she realised that the traditional academic track wasn't the right fit for her.We discuss the rewarding aspects of Eleanor’s  current role, which involves overseeing faculty support for postgraduate research programs, using her knowledge of the academic landscape and many transferable skills, to improve PGR student experience. Dr Harold Moody Studentships for Black UK residents to undertake a PhD at King’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Public Policy at King’s Careers Support for King’s students and researchers 

In this episode we are delighted to be joined by Teresa Bautista Solans who shares her transition from a research career in theoretical physics to quantitative finance. It's a fantastic testament to the transferability of the skills developed in research such as critical thinking, analytical skills, and research communication which are so valuable in her role as a Senior Analyst and Model Validator at ICE Clear Europe. It is also a brave and honest account of finding a way through a mid-career change balancing researcher identity, home life, and practicalities with finding a rewarding career. Useful resources: ICE Clear Europe Teresa Bautista Solans King's Careers & Employability

In this episode, we delve into the intersection of research and entrepreneurship with Dr. Mercy Ofoya, founder of the Mami app, and Dr. Ema Talam, Entrepreneurial Skills Manager.  Our discussion explores how Mercy, with support from the King’s Entrepreneurship Institute, took an idea for a life-saving health app and made it a reality.  Ema tells us about the entrepreneurial mindset and how developing 7 key skills can help researchers succeed both in and beyond academia.  Together, they challenge perceptions of commercialisation, outline practical steps for validating ideas, and emphasise the value of articulating the ‘threads’ that run through your work.  Useful links: Dr Mercy Ofuya: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercy-ofuya-phd-02053380/ Mami App: https://mymamiapp.com/ CupArise: https://cuparise.org/ King’s Entrepreneurship Institute: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/entrepreneurship King’s Careers & Employability: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/careers

This week's guest is Pippa Sterk, a postdoctoral teaching fellow at King's who was curious about where their research could take them. Seizing an opportunity, they successfully applied for a place on the King's Parliamentary Research Internship (for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers). Pippa tells us the valuable lessons they learned through this work experience and how it has shaped their future career plans.

In this episode we meet Dr. Lienkie Diedericks, a King's PhD graduate. After completing her PhD Lienkie worked for the Royal Institute of British Architects on their equality and diversity initiatives. She has now returned to work at King's on research culture in our Faculy of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences. In this episode we discuss the unexpected turns researchers careers can take, being an international student and professional in the UK, what higher education institutions need to do to be more equitable and what research culture means in practice.

We're back with Series 11! We are delighted to be joined by King's PhD alumnus, Adrian Signell, Senior Associate at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Adrian completed a PhD in Biology and Genomics in 2023 and started it 'with the full intention to ride the academic wave until, you know, being a professor into my late 70s'. Find out what happened next including tips for building relevant experience and what the biggest differences were between academia and consultancy. Useful links include: www.kcl.ac.uk/careers for King's students and research staff https://www.savitas.co.uk/newsletters for sector updates www.bcg.com - Boston Consulting Group

In this episode we meet Joe Shute, a humanities PhD researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University. Joe is also a journalist and is about to publish his third book. In this podcast he talks about combining his three careers and offers us his insights on how they compliment each other. He also provides us with tips on getting started in writing and how he manages the multiple demands on his time. We also get to find out more about creative non-fiction. We'd like to thank the Leverhulme Trust for their introduction to Joe and their generosity with their time and support to make this episode possible.

“Narrative CVs are an attempt to be able to surface all of the things which academics do in a structured way.” We would like to invite all researchers and their supporters, developers and enablers to build their awareness of Narrative CVs (NCV) with this podcast episode. They are increasingly used for funding applications, in recruitment or promotion processes, and as such are also a useful framework for academic career planning. We are delighted to be joined by narrative CV researchers, Becky Ioppolo and Kate Murray from the University of Cambridge who are doing fascinating research into the use of narrative CVs to uncover more about them and answer the big questions about whether or not they meet their purpose of being more inclusive, how to write a good one and where you can go to find out more. Resources below mentioned in the episode: King’s researchers can access one-to-one specialist careers support and narrative CV resources. If you are based in another institution, check for careers support and training available to you. Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI): guidance – UKRI Video-based resource from the University of Glasgow provides insights as to how other researchers have approached writing an NCV The University of Oxford’s resource on writing NCVs.  Search their website for more information on writing team NCVs. NCV sharing platform - Join for access to narrative CV examples, set up by the Marie Curie Fellowship Alumni Association and others. ARRC Project one-page PDF supporting researchers to write an NCV and signposting to many different sources of help. ARRC Project NCV FAQs and do submit any you would like them to answer! LSE blog post⁠ - Bordignon et al. summarise the reasons behind the creation of the NCV Evaluation from the FNR, Luxembourg national funder, mentioned in connection with the amount of time it takes to write an NCV. Alzheimer’s Research UK podcast on implementation and general advice Jargon: NCV - narrative CV R4RI - Resume for Research Innovation (same as a narrative CV) UKRI - UK Research and Innovation - UK government research funding ARRC Project - Action Research on Research Culture

'It's really an art' - join us for an enjoyable and informative conversation with Antonio Forte about the ups and downs of applying for fellowships, the importance of resilience and building a supportive network and the joy of thinking outside the box (and how this helps with applications). There is also a fascinating glimpse into the future in the form of shape shifting meta materials. For King's researchers applying to fellowships you can also find recordings from fellowship funders on the CRSD webpages and get support and advice from the King's funding teams in addition to speaking to careers consultants about CVs and applications.