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Neurological and psychiatric disorders affect a growing number of individuals—nearly one in five Americans in a given year and more than two billion people worldwide. Furthermore, the scope of neuroscience is vast—ranging from the most basic cellular-level research to translational medicine—and many unanswered questions remain. Interesting niche areas have emerged in neuroscience research such as neuroeconomics, neuromarketing, and neural networks. Together, these factors make neuroscience one of the more exciting and opportunity-laden fields in which to pursue a scientific career.

To many on the outside, life as a tenured faculty member conjures up images of dreamy afternoons spent theorizing at one's desk, interspersed with occasional trips to the lab to hold up test tubes to the light. Of course, anyone who's been to grad school for more than a week knows there's more to scientific endeavor than that. In fact, a faculty member's requisite skill set is quite extensive.

Tremendous strides have been made in eradicating infectious disease scourges such as smallpox and polio that once killed and crippled millions; still, about 15 million deaths—or about one third of all deaths annually—result from infectious diseases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Of those, nearly half involve children under the age of 5 years, predominantly in poorer countries. The ongoing hefty death toll, the pharmaceutical industry’s increasing interest in the research and development of vaccines, and plentiful funding from multiple sources all combine to provide a range of opportunities for postdocs and graduate students in vaccine research. The field is high growth and, perhaps more important, the fruits of this work promise to have a real impact on the health of the world’s population.

Although academia and industry differ in many ways, the two environments are ultimately more similar than they are different.

As a “home away from home” for many scientists, labs are replete with interpersonal dynamics. But PI’s can help set a positive tone.

"It’s an exciting and lucrative area of opportunity for Ph.D.-level scientists."

“There are not only opportunities for scientists in R&D and operations, but also in areas such as marketing, sales, and business development. We are always looking for talent in all these sectors, and we have openings and candidates for these positions all throughout the year.”

Like it or not, each of us has only 168 hours a week to spend in whatever way we see fit, and most of us apply at least one-fourth of those hours—about half of our waking hours—engaged in some type of gainful employment.

The selection of a doctoral program: it's not quite marriage, but it's a long-term commitment that could turn into a lifetime relationship, perhaps impacting—positively or negatively—the rest of your research career.

Collectively, the US government is the largest single employer in America, filling approximately 1.6 million full-time, permanent positions; however, in reality, the US government consists of several hundred smaller employers, each of which has its own individual function and culture. As a result, the opportunities offered by government jobs are wide ranging, and the needs are diverse.

Bioprocessing is an expanding field encompassing any process that uses living cells or their components to obtain desired products, such as biofuels and therapeutics.

With the right planning and enough forethought, academics can enjoy financial stability and a comfortable, if not prosperous, retirement.

The need for new treatments and a better understanding of brain disorders offer researchers an abundance of career opportunities. By Emma Hitt