How relevant is your PhD or graduate degree for the UX field?  What is UX, you may ask?

User Experience (UX) refers to the comprehensive and subjective experience a user has when interacting with a product, system, or service. It encompasses all aspects of the interaction, including perceptions, emotions, and physical and psychological responses, from the initial discovery to the ongoing use of the product or service. UX is not limited to digital interfaces; it also applies to physical products and services, covering how users feel about the ease of use, utility, and efficiency of a product.

How does that relate to a meaningful career?  As we have discussed for years here on the site, UX has many applications that require deep analysis and research skills.

Here are few current jobs, and prominent roles, in the field which might use your skills:

1. User Experience Researcher: This role often requires advanced research skills and methodologies that are developed during PhD studies45.

2. Senior UX Designer: While not always requiring a PhD, senior positions may value the advanced knowledge and research skills gained from doctoral studies1.

3. UX Research Lead: Leadership positions in UX research teams often benefit from the depth of knowledge and research expertise provided by a PhD.

4. Design Strategist: Some companies offer graduate positions for those with advanced degrees, including PhDs, in design-related fields5.

5. Principal UX Designer: High-level design positions may require the extensive research and analytical skills typically developed during PhD programs1.

6. UX Research Manager: Management roles in UX research departments often prefer candidates with advanced degrees and strong research backgrounds.

7. Design Researcher: Positions focusing on design research may value the rigorous research methods and analytical skills acquired during a PhD program7.

DOGE may be in town but the US capitol remains a heavy recruiter of PhDs.  Here is a tiny sampling of what exists today at some of the top companies hiring PhD graduates:

1. ENSCO, Inc.: They are seeking a Senior Geophysicist with a preferred PhD in Geophysics, Geological Sciences, or a related field1.

2. Google: They have positions for Student Researchers with PhDs in their Atlanta, GA office, which may be relevant for those in the Washington, DC area5.

3. Sandia National Laboratories: They are hiring for Postdoctoral Appointee positions, which typically require a PhD5.

4. Government agencies: Many PhD-level positions are available in various government departments and agencies in Washington, DC, given its status as the nation’s capital14.

5. Universities: Institutions like Howard University are hiring for faculty positions, which often require a PhD1.

6. Research institutions: Organizations like Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) are looking for experts with advanced degrees to work on complex national security issues1.

7. Private sector companies: Firms like ENSCO and others in the defense and technology sectors frequently hire PhD graduates for specialized roles14.

8. Consulting firms: Companies like Barrow Wise Consulting, LLC are hiring researchers with PhD qualifications5.

10. There are also many opportunities for multilateral jobs, particularly in international organizations and government agencies.

11. Here are a few:

    1. United Nations: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has openings in DC, including positions like Assistant Communications Officer5.

    2. United Nations Foundation: They are hiring for roles such as Associate, Talent Acquisition, People & Culture5.

    3. International Organizations: There are numerous job openings in international organizations based in DC, including positions like: Senior Institutional Giving Officer, International Operations Support Assistant, International Relations Officer, and Policy Specialist for International Programs4

    4. Government Agencies: The U.S. Department of State offers opportunities to work on foreign policies and international relations, both in the U.S. and abroad2.

    5. Research and Policy Institutions: Organizations like the Council on Foreign Relations are hiring for positions such as Research Associate in Digital and Cyberspace Policy3.

    6. International Development: There are opportunities in international development organizations, though specific examples were not provided in the search results.

    7. Think Tanks and NGOs: Positions like Research Analyst for South Asia are available, which often involve work related to multilateral issues34.

    9. We have written here (now in the archive) on a range of opportunities in the DC area, and those dealing with international policy. The links above offer a pathway into your own research and career development.

With the passage US Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the US Department of Energy is poised to spend over $62 billion and will hire 1,000 new employees for its new Clean Energy Corps.

Details are already up on the DOE’s website.

Specifically, positions in demand are listed across a variety of job types and skills levels, including up to PhDs and post-doctoral researchers.  Employment areas include:

• Business Administration (0080, 301, 343, 340, 1101, 1165)
• Communications (301, 343, 340)
• Engineering (801, 0810, 0830, 0840, 0850)
• Finance/Accounting (510, 560, 301, 343, 340)
• Grants/Contract Management (1109, 1102)
• Human Resources (201/203)
• Information Technology/Cybersecurity (2210)
• Legal (905)
• Legislative Affairs (301, 343, 340)
• Operations Research (1515)
• Physical Science (1301)
• Program and Portfolio Management (301, 343, 340)
• Project Management (301, 343, 340)
• Public Policy (301, 343, 340)
• Safety and Occupational Health (0018)

You can view ongoing job announcements on USAJOBS – DOE Infrastructure Announcements.

Importantly, these are only DOE’s immediate hires and do not reflect the massive shift in economic and climate priorities in the US that will lead to follow-on hiring across the private sector over the next decade, including the impact from the recent Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

For specific facts on the massive climate and energy initiatives underway in the US, read the fact sheet below at Climate Power.

Fact Sheet: The Senate Has Reached a Historic Climate Deal

We have explored environmental careers on multiple occasions within our SmartJobs page and will continue to do so across this exciting field.  Climate and sustainability are going to reshape parts of the employment market in ways that are only beginning to understand. And for our graduate community, there will be many ways, across a wide range of domain expertise, to make an impact.

We continue to cover the broad healthcare sector focusing on opportunities in clinical research and applied healthcare across commercial enterprises and beyond. As noted previously, healthcare and medical ventures have soared during the pandemic period from already significant levels in terms of investment and employee hiring.

This train is not slowing down.  According to Silicon Valley Bank, from 2019 to 2020 the U.S. healthcare venture capital fundraising for healthcare companies grew 57% to almost $7 billion and U.S. venture investments grew by 55%. Funds, both the number and size, grew substantially through 2021.

Below are a few interesting opportunities, both STEM and non-STEM related, with many more on our SmartJobs page.

For those with an interest and background to work in this sector, there are many new emerging career paths. Stay engaged.

HSS

Director of Clinical Strategy and Operations, Little Otter

Medical Writer, Syneos Health Commercial Solutions

Senior Associate, Advisory, Prescient Health Group

Associate Director, Competitive Intelligence, AbbVie

Manager, Market Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology

STEM

Psychiatry – Clinical and Translational Research (Post Doc), Mount Sinai

Clinical Operations Manager, Takeda Pharmaceutical  

Covid19 R&D and Therapeutics Development, Shabas Solutions 

2022 Preclinical Development Intern, Merck

Director of Clinical Content, Woebot Health

If there are areas of work you would like us to explore in more depth, please contact at social@versatilephd.com. 

We want to hear from you.

For access to more jobs as well as archived and searchable opportunities, visit our SmartJobs page. NOTE: SmartJobs access requires a university affiliation. User-generated jobs are open to all members and can be accessed here.

Gaming and related social media platforms are in need of highly-trained research talent.  The sector requires a constant stream of creative artists, editors, social scientists, quantitative analysts, neuroscientists and engineers, to name just a few in-demand job types.

Outside of the fun and potentially time wasting aspect of video games and gaming environments there are, of course,  important gaming applications to such fields as education, medicine, museums and the arts, and national security.  Our search this week uncovered a wide array of  opportunities at large companies such as Meta, Tik Tok, Disney, Nielsen Research and selected (and well funded) start-ups and market research firms.  Many are looking for deep research skills.

Peruse a few examples, and find more on our SmartJobs page.

HSS

Market Research Director, Platforms, National Research Group

Market Research Analyst, Jellysmack

Lead UK Researcher, Disney Streaming

Global Product Marketing Manager, Tik Tok

Vice President, Research, Spectrum Science

Senior Research Analyst, Nielsen

Research Director, Sensis

STEM

Global Vertical Researcher, Marketing Science, Meta (Facebook)

Research Intern – HCI (Human Computer Interaction), Microsoft

Research Scientist Intern, Neuromotor Interfaces, Oculus

Director, Neuroscience, Nielsen

If there are areas of work you would like us to explore in more depth, please contact at social@versatilephd.com. 

We want to hear from you.

For access to more jobs as well as archived and searchable opportunities, visit our SmartJobs page. NOTE: SmartJobs access requires a university affiliation. User-generated jobs are open to all members and can be accessed here.

From websites to intelligent transportation systems, the field of cybersecurity is rapidly becoming a critical part of every organization. We’ve profiled cybersecurity and related careers in the past but the momentum in the field–includes jobs, across a wide array of functions and domain knowledge–continues to build.

According the Cybersecurity Ventures, the total spending on cybersecurity worldwide will exceed $1.75 trillion between 2021 and 2025.  This translates into government and company budgets, and then hiring.

To get a sense of the potential careers available, we have profiled a few “live ones” below.  Take a look and read their job descriptions.  You can also reference hundreds more jobs on our SmartJobs page, and background success narratives over at our PhD Career Finder.

HSS

Senior Knowledge Analyst, Cybersecurity, Boston Consulting Group

Threat Researcher, Sophos

Senior Vulnerability Research, Lloyds Register Group

Sr Director, Government Affairs, SAP

Public Policy Manager, Cybersecurity, Facebook

STEM

Offensive Security Cyber Researcher/Developer, Draper

Senior Cybersecurity Analyst, Visa

Senior Staff Security Engineer, Palo Alto Networks

Intelligent Transport Systems Cybersecurity Researcher, Precision Solutions

Human Capital Cyber Workforce Manager, Deloitte

If there are areas of work you would like us to explore in more depth, please contact at social@versatilephd.com. 

We want to hear from you.

For access to more jobs as well as archived and searchable opportunities, visit our SmartJobs page. NOTE: SmartJobs access requires a university affiliation. User-generated jobs are open to all members and can be accessed here.

As many readers know, we have consistently showcased experiential opportunities on various parts of the VPhD site, whether they be PhD-Scale innovation challenges, micro-projects or part-time job opportunities. With the hiring season upon us, we wanted to emphasize PhD internships and the value they can bring to graduates across many fields.

In a recent article at Inside Higher Ed (“Engaging Employers Early in Grad Student Training”), Anne Meyer-Minor explores the value of finding experiential work opportunities, even and especially outside of your thesis area, and how to use such experiential opportunities to build a professional network. We couldn’t agree more.  Moreover our own experience and interaction with employers, from government to private sector growth companies, suggests that having some type of experiential work experience presents a distinct advantage when it comes to getting hired.

What can you do today?

This month there is a vast trove of PhD internship opportunities on job boards and aggregator sites (LinkedIn, Google, Glassdoor, Indeed), and within specific companies, government agencies and research institutes.   We’ll be showcasing specific internships in the weeks ahead but for now leave you with a number of options to explore on your own.

Note that even if you’re not looking for specific opportunities today, familiarizing yourself with what is available in the marketplace, and the specific types of internships and qualifications that reflect these opportunities, can’t hurt as you prepare to seek work outside of the academy.

And you can also check our Experiences and PhD Pathways sections, in addition to other content, which often discuss the importance of experience outside of your lab or thesis.

Here are a few ways to begin.

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Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash