Media pervades our world so it’s no surprise that careers in media research are in high demand. Yet for the PhD community, what may be less known is the vast range of economic sectors, job types and skills requirements that utilize media research as well as the caliber of highly trained academics that are recruited.

As we note in this week’s job cull, from large companies such as Facebook and Citi to well established research consultancies, government and emerging start-ups, enterprises are all aggressively hiring in the marketplace for applied research and communication skills.

Think behavioral science, publishing, editing and communication, data science, gaming and artificial intelligence–and other new areas of research yet to be uncovered.  We provide a few postings below and many more on our SmartJobs page.

Dig in.

HSS

Mixed Methods UX Researcher, Facebook

Head of Media Sciences, Citi

Market Research VP, Strategic Partnerships, National Research Group

Executive Office, Media Sciences, Goldman Sachs

Manager, Media Strategy, Known

Global Communications Market Research Manager, Deloitte

STEM

Senior Data Scientist, Nielsen

Director, Marketing Science, Annalect

Data Analyst, Juba Plus

Data Scientist, Cap Gemini

Research Scientist, Artificial Intelligence, IBM

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.

Long-term spending at the government level (eg. President Biden’s Infrastructure Bill, and spending around the world post-Covid) and through a wide range of company initiatives (eg. ESG–Equity Social Governance– initiatives) are about to drive environmental job demand to record levels.

Take a survey of almost any organization today and there will be some research or active initiative dealing with its future environmental impact, or its various stakeholders.  Moreover, we have observed there is particularly high demand for PhDs and graduate-level students and post-docs with an interest in the sector.

According to the US Department of Labor, so-called “green occupations” (see figure below) include significant demand for environmental engineers, environmental and health scientists and conservation scientists through 2026 and beyond.  Yet these are only narrowly defined jobs for the environment and many are at an entry skill level.  There is another, and much larger subsection of environmental or green jobs that reach across almost every industry and occupational areas wit job specifications that  include public policy, business development, data science, health, project management, investment research, and partnerships work in the US and around the world.

To illustrate, this week we’ve collected a large cache of jobs that relate to the environment, climate and sustainability–again, broadly defined. Sift through the examples below and the hundreds of other jobs in our SmartJobs section ton find out more.  You might also look at environmental careers over at the PhD Career Finder to understand and process and challenges that other PhDs have successfully overcome to build careers in this area.  

Finally, be open to a multitude of new career directions.

HSS

Principal Environmental Intelligence Researcher, Mitre Corporation

ESG Ratings Sector Lead, Institutional Shareholder Services

Foreign Affairs Specialist, Marine Mammal Protection Act, NOAA

Water Power Technologies Strategy, US Department of Energy

Analyst, Research and Analytics, Environmental Defense Fund

STEM

Predoctoral Researcher, Argonne National Laboratory

Environmental Scientists/Engineers/Health Specialists (multiple), Eastern Research Group

Senior/Principal Air Quality and Climate Change Consultant, Stantec

Environmental Scientist, California Water Resources Control Board

Senior Associate Researcher, Environmental Medicine and Public 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.

While researching this week’s SmartJobs posting on mental health we also noticed a rising demand for graduate and PhD level skills within the health tech and outcomes segment.

This is not only about STEM skills per sea but a much broader scope that includes PhD-level skills related to business development, policy, data science, user experience, project management, economic outcomes research, and partnerships work within larger healthcare companies

We profile a few selected positions below:

HSS

Director, Early Innovation Partnering, Johnson & Johnson

Business Development Manager, iHealth Labs

Consumer Experience Researcher, Sanofi

Project Manager, Vibrent Health

Policy Lead, Ellison Institute

STEM

Vice President, Health Economics Outcomes Research

Researcher, Health Equity, Mathematica Policy Research

Global Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Lead Data Scientist, Novelis

OPEN INNOVATION

If you’re not looking for a full-time position it is never too early ton gain real-world experience outside of academia.

Of note: there are many opportunities to contribute to health innovation, such as our latest participation in the National Institutes of Health and NASA’s “Air You Wear Challenge,” (see flyer below).  You can register for this challenge, and others, over at our Experiences section.

If there are areas of work you would like us to explore in more depth, please contact at s ocial@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 Covid-19 stresses to Olympian Simone Biles, there has been a new embrace of mental health challenges.  This means more companies, jobs and potential career paths for PhDs and graduate students in the field.

One example is that investment into mental health start-ups and new technologies have rapidly expanded the number of private companies involved in supporting mental health challenges.  In 2020 alone, investors allocated a record $1.5 billion into mental health start-ups, which has also created a new area of hiring and career development that includes advocacy, clinical work, technology platforms, data science and policy work.

We provide below a few selected positions across Humanities Social Sciences and STEM fields below, with many more opportunities in our SmartJobs section.

Keep an open mind.

HSS

Therapist, (LMFT, LcSW, PhD, PsyD), Little Otter

Program Coordinator, Community Support for Families, Wellmore

Case Manager, Community Liaison, Street Smart Youth Project

Social Worker, Mental Health Clinician (Spanish Bilingual), Institute for Family Health

Psychologist – Adult, Kaiser Permanente

STEM

Research Scientist, Spring Health

Mental Health Data Analyst, NYC Health

Post-Doctoral Fellow, ADHD and Behavioral Disorders Center, Child Mind Institute

Early Mental Health Clinician (0-6), A Better Way

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

Photo: USA TODAY Network

Investment in lifelong learning, stacked credentials, remote mentoring, micro-lectures and skill platforms has been growing rapidly to keep pace with our modern world of work.  The pandemic has accelerated this trend and created even more careers in the emerging “Edtech” field.  In 2020, a total of $16.1 billion was invested in edtech companies around the world.  And hundreds of new ventures, as well as new initiatives among older enterprises, are created every month.

We have written about this career area previously. In fact, we recorded an entire webinar with Brian Johnsrud (Adobe, Khan Academy) who, through years of experience inside Edtech companies, provided insights into how he applied his PhD on the job.  You can listen to this event on our webinar page.

There are also number of job and information sites that cover the growing Edtech industry; the most widely read is EdSurge (they have job listings as well).

As usual on this blog, we have provided our own PhD appropriate career opportunities in Edtech and more links on our SmartJobs page.  EdTech career roles range from program management and user research to domain experts and engineers, and are well suited to many PhDs looking to make an impact in how the world learns.

HSS

Client Experience Manager, Blackboard

Director, Program Management, Edmentum

Customer Insights Researcher, Cengage

Public Health Program Analyst, Akeshka/CDC

Associate, User Researcher, BrainPOP

Research and Dissemination Summer Intern, Summer 2021, The Primary School

STEM

Senior Software Engineer, Great Minds

Data Coach, Multiverse

AI/NLP Engineer, Cogni

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.

We know that more than a few PhD students and grads are interested in working for the public good through philanthropic organizations.  Fortunately, PhDs can contribute mightily across a wide range of skill sets and research areas.

How to get started?

We have looked at various iterations of institutional research, grant writing and other areas that fit with philanthropic and foundation work on our PhD Career Finder.  But there are other sites, such as Foundation Center (a good sources of data on and lists of foundations) and Guidestar to help you with further research on specific causes, initiatives and contacts.

There are also jobs listings over at The Chronicle of Philanthropy; but, first, take a look at the Phd-appropriate examples on this week’s list, and many more on our SmartJobs page.

Note that we have thrown together HSS/STEM this week as most positions are open to a range of disciplines and do not often specify.  Dive in below.

HSS/STEM

Thematic Director, Civic Engagement, Ford Foundation

Senior Vice President, The Humane Society

Director of Health Care, Arnold Ventures

Interim Officer, Philanthropic Partnerships, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Regional Philanthropic Officer, American Red Cross

Director of Services, Self Help Services, Center for Responsible Lending

Researcher, Food and Water Watch

Entrepreneurial Leader, Research and Analysis, The Urban Institute

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.