Careers

If you're thinking about your next career move, Physics World Careers is an annual guide that offers valuable careers advice, insightful case studies showcasing possible career options, plus a comprehensive employer directory. And jobseekers with a background in science, technology, engineering or mathematics can explore all the latest opportunities on Physics World Jobs, a recruitment website from the publishers of Physics World.

Latest articles

Ask me anything: Giulia Grancini – ‘I’m very lucky as a scientist, because my job is also my passion’

Studying physics to improve healthcare systems

Suman Shrestha, who is doing a PhD in medical physics in the US, on why he wants to return to Nepal with his new-found skills and expertise

Research fellowships target clean-energy innovation

Toyota has joined forces with The Electrochemical Society to support young scientists and engineers

How to prepare for a career in the emerging quantum-technology industry

Laura Hiscott talks to experts who have studied the quantum-tech jobs market about what’s on offer and what skills you’ll need to forge a successful career in this area

Quantum careers

Ask me anything: Farai Mazhandu – ‘I find it fulfilling to support and inspire others, and to make seemingly complicated subjects exciting’

Maria Violaris and fellow interns work on a group project

Summer internships: Maria Violaris – ‘I developed general research skills, which are useful in both industry and academia’

Building a quantum-powered future

Physics World Jobs

Whether you’re still working out your career pathway or have a specific role in mind, we’re here to help. Bringing a diverse range of opportunities for jobseekers at all career stages, we’ll help you take the next step in your career and find your perfect job.

Training for your future

CityU physics: undergraduate students prioritize connection and collaboration

Summer internships: Claire Houghton – ‘I got to see real scientific experiments, where no-one knows exactly what’s going to happen’

Laura Hiscott speaks to Claire Houghton, an early-career physicist who did summer internships at Kurt J Lesker and Adaptix

Summer internships: Marion Cromb – ‘I learnt good coding practice, and the code was actually sold to customers at the end’

Laura Hiscott speaks to Marion Cromb, a physics PhD student who did an internship every summer of their undergraduate degree

Spending your summer wisely: internships special

Laura Hiscott speaks to some early-career physicists who did summer internships in different places, from start-ups to university departments

CityU physics: investing in ‘rising stars’ to deliver sustained research excellence

City University of Hong Kong is seeking the ‘brightest and best’ early-career physicists with a breadth of international research experience

Picture of a pair of sneakers from above with arrows pointing in different directions drawn on the ground around the sneakers

Spoilt for choice: APS March meeting explores the wide range of careers available to physicists

Laura Hiscott hears from physicists working in a range of different careers at the March meeting of the American Physical Society

Education

Are you a physics educator? Visit this education collection today

Careers in medical physics

Summer internships: Constantine Pelesis – ‘I built up my network and got an understanding of how a whole company works together’

Changing research field from astrophysics to neuroscience

M S Zobaer describes his unexpected journey from dusty plasmas to neuroscience

Combining physics and biology: lasers and machine learning for personalized medicine

Nabiha Saklayen, co-founder of Cellino Biotech, on the importance of multidisciplinarity for tackling real-world problems

Video showcase: physics graduates share their stories

Faces of Physics: inspiring the next generation

HAWC near the peak of the extinct Sierra Negra volcano

Faces of Physics: a HAWC eye on the sky

Faces of Physics: working in green energy

Faces of Physics: a nuclear-powered PhD

Faces of Physics: human organs on a chip

Rising stars: Reggie Bain and Shannon Bayliss

Physics World Careers

The 2021 edition of Physics World Careers is packed full of advice for early-career scientists. Including a range of valuable advice, informative case studies and recruiter profiles, it demonstrates the variety of jobs that use a physics degree.

Explore more

Working working at home video conferencing colleagues

How to prepare for the post-pandemic jobs market

Andrew Hirst and Veronica Benson look at how physics students can prepare for careers in the post-pandemic world, and how universities and employers can help them

Ask me anything: Ciara Muldoon – ‘I love being part of a project that is making such a positive difference’

Ciara Muldoon is an Internet entrepreneur whose latest project is a charitable search engine that helps tackle climate change and climate injustice

Green jobs for physics graduates: finance and economics

Laura Hiscott speaks to three physicists who are doing their bit to build a more sustainable future in the field of finance

Green jobs for physics graduates: decarbonizing energy sources

Laura Hiscott speaks to three physicists who are doing their bit to build a more sustainable future in the field of energy

Green jobs for physics graduates: policy and behaviour change

Laura Hiscott speaks to three physicists who are doing their bit to build a more sustainable future in the field of policy

Green jobs for physics graduates: opportunities to help build a sustainable future

Laura Hiscott introduces three key areas of employment where physicists can tackle the world’s environmental challenges

Ask me anything: Joanne O’Meara – ‘there is nothing better than sharing your passion for science and seeing it ignite in someone else’

Joanne O’Meara is professor of physics at the University of Guelph in Canada and does outreach with children including segments on the TV show Daily Planet

From statistical physics to bioinformatics: using data science for biological discoveries

Wolfgang Huber on being a physicist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and his contribution to the life sciences

Ask me anything: Mariya Lyubenova – ‘I love the constant supply of food for thought that research offers’

Careers advice from the head of media relations at ESO, science adviser to ESO’s communication department, and editor of ESO’s journal The Messenger

Investment in defence R&D sparks recruitment drive

Extra funding for science and technology at the UK's Ministry of Defence has created an urgent need for physicists as well as scientists and engineers from all backgrounds

Ask me anything: Jim Al-Khalili – ‘I find quantum mechanics endlessly rewarding, fascinating and frustrating’

Careers advice from Jim Al-Khalili, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Surrey and award-winning science communicator

From a light bulb solar system to the cosmological constant: a journey to becoming a cosmologist

Luz Ángela García, a cosmology postdoc in Bogotá, Colombia, on her journey into physics and astronomy as a woman from South America

Ask me anything: Jony Hudson – ‘I love the incredibly fast pace of progress in machine learning’

Jony Hudson is a research engineer working on the development of artificial intelligence at DeepMind

Ask me anything: Tim Gershon

Careers tips from a professor of physics at the University of Warwick who studies flavour physics, CP violation and heavy-quark physics

Combining materials science and entrepreneurship to found a spin-off

Materials scientist Arnab Basu, head of radiation-detection technology developer Kromek, on spin-offs, COVID-19 and the future

Switching career from particle physics to nuclear power

Troels Schönfeldt talks about his career change from particle physics to co-founder and chief executive of Seaborg Technologies

Fostering a culture of inclusivity

The American Physical Society's National Mentoring Community helps students from under-represented minorities find the right support and mentorship

How working with physics societies can give students a voice

Sam Lavery describes how getting involved in the physics community helped him both academically and personally

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Quantum | Virtual event Openness as a resource: accessing new quantum states with dissipation 31 January — 4 February 2022
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Particle and nuclear | Workshop 5th FCC Physics workshop 7—11 February 2022 | Liverpool, UK

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