Biochemistry

Biochemists are not confined to a single industry. Instead, they find themselves at the crossroads of various disciplines. Whether you're tackling infectious diseases, developing new drugs and health treatments, or enhancing data-driven solutions, you will be working in a multi – disciplinary environment and with colleagues and clients in and outside of science.

While many graduates will undoubtedly begin scientific careers, the evidence from previous graduate destinations is that your biochemistry degree opens a world of possibilities beyond the confines of a laboratory. Biochemistry graduates enter a diverse array of roles spanning law, finance, public relations, teaching, science communication, regulatory affairs, patent and intellectual property.

To find out more about your options

As you embark on your career journey, you may discover the need for further study and specialised skills. Continuing Professional development will ensure you remain skilled and expert in your chosen field.

As well as the skills developed on your course, participation in extracurricular and work experience, organisations large and small are also looking for students to have developed a range of attributes such as the following while at university. What employers seek from candidates is evolving all the time and it is important that you keep up to date with recruitment trends in the career areas that interest you.

• Collaboration
• Relationship building
• Initiative
• Resilience
• Adaptability
• Influencing online and in person
• Business appropriate communication
• Self-motivation
• Career management
• Digital literacy

Postgraduate study

41% of graduates went onto further study after graduating from Nottingham university. Here is an illustrative list of courses undertaken by previous students:

• Graduate Entry to Medicine (GEM)
• Physicians Associate
• MRes Biochemistry
• Molecular Cell Biology
• Doctoral Training Programmes
• Nano Technology
• Chemistry
• Oncology
• Regenerative Medicine
• Drug Discovery
• Pharmacology
• Human Computer Interaction
• PGCE
• Virology

Find out more on our further study page

According to the Association of Clinical Scientists, there are two branches of science in hospitals – Clinical Science and Biomedical Science. Both careers result in state registration with the HCPC (Health Care Professions Council).  The Clinical Scientist has a clinical interpretative role while the Biomedical Scientist is more laboratory based.

Becoming a clinical scientist

 The most direct route to become a clinical scientist is to participate in the STP (Scientific Training programme) The STP is open for applications in the January of your graduating year and placements commence in September. For further information on how to become a clinical scientist, please look at the NHS careers website for more information and the National School for Healthcare Science website.

The Association of Clinical Scientists lists professional bodies related to specific modality.

You have many options available to you and it is in your interest to investigate the employment sectors (e.g., healthcare, pharmaceutical, finance), employers, roles offered and apply to those opportunities that appeal to you. The areas highlighted below are some of the career paths you might want to investigate further as they are most closely linked to your area of study. However, this list is not exhaustive.

The pharmaceutical sector

We tend to think of pharmaceutical companies as huge global corporate organisations, but a growing number of Contract Research Organisations are involved in drug development and clinical research. Biopharmaguy lists Contract Research Organisations throughout the UK.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has developed a comprehensive list of larger pharmaceutical companies, their contact details and some of the areas they regularly recruit into. It is searchable by location, category, employment area and type of role, for example, internship, graduate training programme.

Public health

According to NHS Health Careers, there are three main areas of public health:

• Health protection - working to prevent the outbreak of epidemics, plan responses to emergencies, or in food safety.
• Improving people’s health - you might be involved in campaigns to encourage healthier eating, physical exercise, or to persuade people to quit smoking and drugs.
• Healthcare services - making sure that everyone has access to high quality health services and medicines that they need when they need them.

Health communication

Health communication is communicating promotional health information, such as in public health campaigns, health education, and between doctor and patient. The purpose of disseminating health information is to influence personal health choices by improving health literacy. You could find yourself working in medical communications, healthcare advertising, healthcare public relations, medical writing.

Healthcare data science

Healthcare data analysts help improve healthcare outcomes using data from a variety of sources. Most commonly, healthcare analysts work on the business side of medicine, improving patient care, or streamlining the way things are run.

They look at clinical data, claims and cost data, pharmaceutical data, behavioural data and health outcomes.

Health Data Research UK

Clinical research (clinical trials)

Clinical trials are medical research studies involving people. All new treatments must be thoroughly tested. Researchers test possible new drugs in the laboratory to begin with. If they look promising, they are carefully tested in people.

Clinical trials look at:

• Risks and causes – how genetics, lifestyle and other factors can increase people's risk of cancer.
• Preventing disease – using drugs or lifestyle changes to reduce risk.
• Screening – tests for people with higher-than-average risk of disease or for the general population
• Diagnosing – new tests, scans or procedures
• Treatments – new drugs or combinations of drugs. Trials also look at new doses of drugs or new ways of giving treatment and new types of treatment.
• Controlling symptoms or side effects – new drugs or complementary therapies
• Support and information - for people with a particular disease and their carers, families or friends