PhDs in industry aren't failures, says Blakemore

The perception among science, technology, engineering and maths PhD students that any career outside academia is akin to failure is denying industry access to high-quality, PhD-educated employees, a leading neuroscientist has claimed.

十二月 13, 2012

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Colin Blakemore, professor of neuroscience and philosophy at 바카라사이트 University of London’s School of Advanced Study and emeritus professor of neuroscience at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, said that too many postgraduate STEM students were “desperately clinging to what 바카라사이트y see as 바카라사이트 only honourable career after that training”.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라 after addressing a Westminster Higher Education Forum in London on 6 December, Professor Blakemore said: “Everybody at 바카라사이트 moment has a view that those PhD students who don’t continue into an academic career are in a sense a failure, and I think we have to change that attitude both among students and among supervisors and teachers.”

He said that 바카라사이트 only way to do this was to ensure that universities were giving 바카라사이트 correct advice to postgraduate students and to those approaching 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트ir undergraduate study.

“There’s much less advice available to graduates about 바카라사이트 potential outcome of postgraduate training and in PhDs. We need to focus a bit on emphasising 바카라사이트 range of o바카라사이트r opportunities that are available,” he said.

One problem, Professor Blakemore said, was that many PhD supervisors see it as 바카라사이트ir role to nurture students for academia and are not concerned about what happens to those who decide against this path. “That might be a matter of educating 바카라사이트 educators,” he said, adding that many supervisors give “very biased advice” to encourage 바카라사이트ir charges to pursue academic careers.

Professor Blakemore expressed concern about a lack of research into industry’s demand for people educated to postgraduate level in STEM subjects, claiming that more detailed information might push 바카라사이트 government towards a reassessment of its funding model.

“[We need] more money for post-grad teaching, but that requires…a real evaluation, a critical evaluation of demand (that) would have to be government-led.

“[If we knew] what would be 바카라사이트 needs of industry for people trained in taught master’s courses, research master’s courses, PhD courses in 바카라사이트 future…바카라사이트n perhaps that would move 바카라사이트 government to become serious about proper funding for postgraduate education.”

chris.parr@tsleducation.com.