Case studies
Four former University of Nottingham postgraduate researchers talk about their move into careers beyond academia.
Ruby Hawley-Sibbett, Learning and Development Adviser
What is your current role and what does it involve?
As a learning and development adviser, I work as part of a team within human resources at the University of Nottingham.
I manage and deliver individual and group development opportunities for members of staff. I currently specialise in leadership and management, mentoring, and psychometrics. This involves a mix of in-person and online course facilitation, one-to-one appointments, developing training, and project work.
How did you become a learning and development adviser?
During my PhD English Literature, I considered my skills and preferences and realised I was more suited to a career in higher education (HE) professional services, than in academia.
The skills which I developed during my PhD (from my thesis, extracurricular activities, and paid work) are useful in my current role. I still use my research, writing, and teaching skills, as well as organisation and project management.
In my final year, I successfully applied for the Graduate Management Trainee programme, which trains professional services staff. I completed two six-month placements: first in Education and Student Experience and EDI in Medicine and Health Sciences, then in Learning and Development (where I secured my current role).
What advice would you give to a researcher getting into your field?
I would advise researchers to consider which areas of HE professional services appeal to you. Think of all the non-academic staff who have supported your PhD journey. For example, I enjoy teaching as part of my role.
Make sure you do work experience as soon as possible: my work as a Researcher Academy demonstrator and my placement with the PGR Careers team were key to my securing my first role. I also recommend speaking to the Careers team about interview preparation!
Milo Miller, Researcher Training and Development Manager
What is your current role and what does it involve?
I am part of the team of researcher training and development managers (RTDMs) based in the University of Nottingham’s Researcher Academy. As the RTDM for research-focused staff, my role focuses on initiatives and activities that support our postdoctoral and research-focused colleagues – including research fellows, research assistants, research associates and more.
My responsibilities include, among other things, contributing to the Researchers14 Networking and Profile-Building programme, the Resilient Leadership in Action programme and the Researcher Academy’s Early-Career Research Leadership Programme.
I deliver inductions to support new research-focused colleagues; I run writing retreats exclusively for research-focused staff. I also lead on reporting around the university’s implementation of its Researcher Development Concordat action plan.
How did you become a researcher training and development manager for research-focused staff?
Before joining the Researcher Academy, I spent the last few years as a Fellow in Gender, Media, and Culture at the London School of Economics. I loved my research, teaching and my department, but I struggled with the precarity that an academic career often entails. I realised that my experience as an early-career researcher – which encompassed teaching, publishing and public engagement – put me in a solid position to support other researchers, which is something I find valuable and I am very invested in.
What advice would you give to a researcher getting into your field?
There usually are a great many non-academic roles in universities in which first-hand experience of doing a PhD, of being a researcher, of teaching, of navigating a university is really valuable – research development roles, researcher training roles, research librarian roles, governance roles, and many more. Have a look around, and speak to people in such roles.I find that, more often than not, people are very happy to share their experiences.
Allow me to give slightly more general advice: Even though I had worked a variety of jobs before embarking on an academic career, I still found it quite hard to imagine what else I might do if I were to leave formal academic work.
I felt very unskilled for anything else, which I gather can be quite a common feeling. Doing a PhD and working in research and/or teaching, however, involves a huge amount of transferable skills. If you are struggling to see what yours are (even though, I assure you, you have them) talk to people – book an appointment with the Careers and Employability Service, talk to colleagues about their experience working in industry, ask your friends about what their jobs entail. You’ll soon start seeing very good options opening up.
Farheen Akhtar, Institute Policy and Engagement Manager
What is your current role and what does it involve?
I work as a policy and engagement manager at the UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy (UK ITSS).
My job entails with the technical sector and government stakeholders to further technical skills and careers in the UK higher education, research and innovation sector.
This involves engaging with regional and national policies pertaining to technical and vocational education, emerging technologies, apprenticeships and REF 2029.
How did you become a policy and engagement manager?
During my PhD, I studied localised collaborative governance in a UK city, exploring how government and non-government actors navigated decision-making processes around planning, public services, and place-making. From the very start of the PhD, I was unclear whether I wanted to stay in academia and therefore I sought out opportunities beyond my research to build relevant skills.
Before starting my PhD, I had experience of working in the third (non-profit) sector and therefore knew that my passion lied in the ‘impact’ aspect of research. Of course, this is a niche sector and therefore I was open to working on several different projects at the University of Nottingham and through creating networks in Pakistan and the UK.
My focus was to not settle on a niche yet and take on opportunities that I was genuinely interested in, and that provided me with opportunities to upskill myself with it came to public engagement, and influencing and developing public policy. Therefore, I gained research experience working with diverse stakeholders in climate change, youth empowerment, net-zero, food systems, and local governance.
This flexible, impact-driven approach allowed me to build a unique blend of academic expertise and practical insights, ultimately preparing me for a career bridging research and policy.
What advice would you give to a researcher getting into your field?
If you’re a researcher entering the field of public policy, my advice is to embrace the complexity. Policy engagement is inherently interdisciplinary, so reading widely across disciplines - from political science to sociology and beyond - will help you understand the diverse perspectives shaping decision-making processes. Don’t limit yourself to academic journals; grey literature, government reports, and community-led research all capture essential insights.
Ensure that you seek out and amplify vulnerable or marginalised stakeholders that might be at risk of being overlooked. Their lived experiences offer insights that can lead to more equitable and sustainable policy outcomes.
Public policy engagement is still evolving, and much of its potential remains untapped. Be patient and persistent - your work may contribute to shaping new methodologies and practices. Collaborate with policymakers, government stakeholders, and community organisations to bridge the gap between research and practice. Recognise that policy is often deeply local, so what works in one place might not translate directly elsewhere. Understanding these place-based nuances is essential.
Finally, stay curious and adaptable. The dynamic nature of public policy means that learning is continuous, and your ability to navigate uncertainty and complexity will be one of your greatest strengths.
Annie Buckley, Business Development Lead
What is your current role, and what does it involve?
My role is a business development lead for BASF’s UK & Ireland carbon farming projects. I work with companies within the value chain for food & drinks, to help them reach their climate goals (for example, reducing CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030).
This includes engaging with the appropriate companies, supporting them with collecting and inputting on-farm data into a tool, handling and updating the background data that the tool uses, and analysing and communicating results back to stakeholders.
How do you apply your PhD?
The role is very different to my PhD, and the topic is only loosely related to the one I studied, but there are so many transferable skills that I gained during the PhD.
One of these skills which feels particularly relevant is the ability to take on a large amount of new information and do a complete deep-dive of a topic, even if it is new. Something else that I’ve noticed is that the analytical skills built throughout the PhD have been relevant across many applications; such as noticing a small error within a large data set, knowing how to present data in the clearest way for stakeholders, and interpreting model outputs.
How and why did you become a business development lead?
My PhD research was in crop physiology, with one of the aims being to identify fungicides which allowed for more sustainable on-farm practices (including reduced fertiliser requirements). I had a real interest in the science of sustainable agriculture, but didn’t have much experience in how this affects the food value chain and overall climate goals. The role required this foundation of understanding of the topic, but the rest of the role is something that BASF were happy to support me in my development and ability.
Why did you pursue a career outside of academia?
After going straight from my A levels to my undergrad, then straight to my master’s degree, then straight to my PhD, I was definitely in need of a change of scenery. I had done a couple of placements during my PhD and I found the nature of the work more suited to my personal working style compared to academia. I still really enjoy research, but I get to use it in a different way now and feel more comfortable and motivated overall.
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
Something that I really enjoy about my current role is that whatever you’re working on, there are ways to collaborate with other members of the team, even if the roles seem to have no link between them. I personally found that PhD research can feel isolating at times, so it has been refreshing to feel like part of a collaborative and encouraging group.
What advice would you offer a PGR?
My biggest piece of advice to any PGR would be to do a placement at some point in their studies. Early in my PhD I felt very lost in terms of what career I wanted, and unsure about what type of job I would even be capable of doing. I did three placements during my PhD and each one gave me a huge range of transferable skills, confidence, and guidance. Doing a placement had a massive positive impact on my career development and confidence.