Research without teaching?

[BioBeaver]

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If someone were to get a PhD in an area of science, could they get a job doing ONLY research? Or is being faculty at a school expected along with doing research?

I'd be interested in getting a PhD, but I really don't see being a professor or teaching as something I'd be interested in. What are the odds of a decent research job without the teaching?

 

[gutonc]

If someone were to get a PhD in an area of science, could they get a job doing ONLY research? Or is being faculty at a school expected along with doing research?

I'd be interested in getting a PhD, but I really don't see being a professor or teaching as something I'd be interested in. What are the odds of a decent research job without the teaching?

You need to pay for yourself somehow. If you have enough grant funding, you won't have to teach. 2 or 3 R01s should do the trick for the average Assistant Professor.

 

[Guyton Killah]

It depends on the type of PhD. You can just work for private companies as an alternative.

 

[BioBeaver]

It depends on the type of PhD. You can just work for private companies as an alternative.

How competitive are these private company positions, say for someone with a PhD in Micro or Molecular Biology? Would I be looking at pharmaceutical companies, food companies, or what?

 

[gutonc]

How competitive are these private company positions, say for someone with a PhD in Micro or Molecular Biology? Would I be looking at pharmaceutical companies, food companies, or what?

A post-doc isn't competitive. A Senior Scientist position would be. And the answer to your last question is "Yes."

 

[zippyziggy]

you could also work at the NIH, if you're looking at more academic positions.

 

[Lil Mick]

There are some great jobs in other parts of the government, too. The armed services and DOD have several research facilities for civilian scientists who just do research. Worth checking out if you'd prefer to spend your time doing research 🙂