The Pirbright Institute recently welcomed students and early-career researchers to Careers Day, an event designed to help attendees explore career paths beyond traditional academic routes.
The programme brought together speakers who have successfully transitioned into a wide range of roles across research management, publishing, consultancy and industry.
Across two chaired sessions, speakers shared reflections on their career journeys, their reasons for moving away from academia, and how they navigated that change. The day also highlighted the transferable skills developed through academic training, alongside the challenges, opportunities and rewards of working in different sectors.
The morning opened with a welcome from Natacha Ogando, followed by the first presentation session chaired by Taissa Ricciardi-Jorge. Speakers included Petra Fay, Senior Research Manager at Wellcome; Tom Peacock, Fellow at The Pirbright Institute; and Jessica Thompson, Senior Editor at Springer Nature.
The second session, chaired by Amina Yasmin, featured Nicola Shepherd, Director at Bellows Consulting; Sungwon Kim, Head of R&D at Bio Chek UK; and Lucy Elphick, Programme Manager at the Circular Economy Group, University of Surrey.
Feedback from the event showed a strong impact on confidence and clarity. Attendees reported feeling clearer about their future career options, better informed about the skills required across sectors, and “more confident in pursuing both academic and non-academic paths.”
A recurring theme throughout the day was reassurance that career journeys are rarely linear.
As one attendee reflected, “The journey will be unexpected, and non-traditional roles and paths are common. My next job doesn’t have to be my forever job - and it’s okay not to know exactly what I want to do yet.”
Another attendee shared that the day reinforced that “it’s okay not to have everything figured out,” and that trying different roles can be an important part of finding the right fit.
Attendees also valued the practical advice around skills and communication. Speakers encouraged participants to think more carefully about how their academic experience - from problem-solving to leadership and project management - can be communicated clearly in non-academic settings.
Networking, asking questions and seeking mentorship were also highlighted as essential tools for opening up opportunities. As one participant put it, the day was a reminder to “make more effort to talk to people, build relationships, and ask questions early.”
By creating space for open conversation and practical advice, Careers Day offered attendees clarity, confidence and encouragement to approach career planning with flexibility - reinforcing that there is more than one way to build a fulfilling career in science.