Physical Science
Physical Science
About
There's an extensive range of careers in physical sciences, encompassing everything from astronomy and chemistry to maths and meteorology.
Careers advice
- Prospects: Science and Pharmaceuticals - includes a sector overview, careers advice and job profiles
- Prospects: What can I do with my degree? series includes career and further study options, advice on finding relevant work experience, typical employers and the skills gained from your degree. Includes:
- targetjobs: Science and research - includes careers advice, industry sectors, employer profiles, jobs and internships
- NHS Careers - for physical sciences roles within the NHS
- Science Careers
- New Scientist - science news and jobs
- Maths Careers: Science and Engineering
- Physics World: Careers - includes careers articles
- SpaceCareers.uk - includes careers advice on routes into the industry, interviews with space professionals, jobs and events
- Graduating with a degree in chemistry? Here are some career paths to consider - article from scientific recruitment company, CK Group
Industry news
Useful sources for news about the industry include:
Professional bodies
These represent people working in the sector, providing training and networking opportunities. They often provide careers support for students and graduates.
They also provide development for people already working in the sector. Follow them and sector skills bodies on LinkedIn, or visit their websites for news, contacts, work experience and vacancies.
Professional associations
Astronomy
Cast metal engineering
Chemistry
- The Royal Society of Chemistry includes careers information for students and postdocs. See also A Future in Chemistry for advice on the different sectors and roles open to chemistry graduates
- Society of Chemical Industry (SCI)
Colour development/technology
Geography
Geology
Maths
Marine and oceanography
Meteorology
Physics
- Institute of Physics
- Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
- Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine
- CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research)
- National Physical Laboratory
Research councils and research centres
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council
- Natural Environment Research Council
- National Oceanography Centre
- National Centre for Atmospheric Science
Sector skills councils/industry associations
- Cogent Skills - skills and talent partner for science industries.
Find professional bodies outside the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides.
Making contacts
Making contacts is essential for success in this sector. Many jobs in this field are gained through networking and speculative applications.
Why not start with:
- Newcastle alumni on LinkedIn – find out what our graduates are doing after graduation and contact them for advice
- ResearchGATE - professional online network for researchers across scientific disciplines
Social media, particularly LinkedIn and Twitter, is useful for making contacts, finding employers and opportunities. Find out more about how to use social media for your career and subscribe to our sciences Twitter list.
Events
Recruitment fairs, open-days, talks and events give insight and opportunities to make contacts. Regular events for this sector include Employer & Sector Insights and Recruitment Events.
Related sectors
You may also be interested in Civil Engineering, Geomatics and Construction, Environment, IT, Healthcare and Science careers outside the lab.
Or see our other occupational pages for more options.
Roles & Skills
There are lots of opportunities open to you with a degree in physical sciences.
You can find roles in areas from academic research and healthcare science, to research and development and product development.
A postgraduate qualification is not essential for some roles, though a Master’s can be useful. However, for other roles, such as in academic research, you may need either a research Master’s or PhD.
The following job profiles include descriptions of typical duties and entry requirements. See also NHS Careers for physical sciences roles within the NHS, eg nuclear medicine and radiation physics (under 'Healthcare science')
Analytical chemist
Astronomer/Astrophysicist
Clothing/textile technologist
Colour technologist
Data analyst
Data scientist
Geochemist
Geographical information systems officer
Geophysicist
Geoscientist
Healthcare scientist, medical physics
Materials specialist
Medicinal chemist
Metallurgist
Meteorologist
Nanotechnologist
Oceanographer
Product/process development scientist
Physicist
Radiation protection practitioner
Research scientist (maths)
Research scientist (physical sciences)
Scientific laboratory technician
Teaching laboratory technician
Skills employers look for
Employers in this sector look for skills including:
- a high level of technical knowledge and computing ability
- an analytical and investigative mind and the ability to organise and carry out research
- attention to detail and a logical and methodical approach to problem-solving
- the ability to prioritise tasks, meet deadlines and work with minimum supervision
- flexibility and the ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams
- strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to communicate scientific information to non-experts
You may also need good practical laboratory skills and an awareness of health and safety requirements.
Gaining Experience
Getting into a career in physical science can be very competitive. Work experience can be invaluable in developing relevant skills and demonstrating your interest and commitment to recruiters.
Finding work experience
Several graduate employers, such as the Civil Service, Met Office and Unilever, offer internships and industrial placements. Applications generally open around September, with closing dates as early as October and November. For advertised opportunities, see Internships, placements & shadowing. You can also search for vacancies on My Career.
Smaller companies often don’t advertise opportunities. You may need to contact them directly with a speculative approach. Do this early, as it can be very competitive.
Several academic institutions and research institutes offer summer research projects to students. See scholarships and awards for funded research opportunities.
Professional bodies and research institutes also advertise opportunities, including research, funding and studentships. The following organisations, for example, offer student internships and/or placements:
- CERN
- The Royal Astronomical Society - offers bursaries for summer research projects
- IMarEST
- National Physical Laboratory - offer summer internships and industrial placements
- Diamond Light Source (UK’s national synchrotron science facility) - offer summer internships and placement years, including in chemistry and physics-related projects
- Met Office - summer internships and industrial placements
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) - offers industrial placements
See About for further organisations.
Internships and placements
These websites are useful for finding advertised opportunities:
- Cogent Skills: industrial placements and internships
- Student Ladder: lists internships and industrial placements in science. They also advertise internships in scientific research
- Rate My Placement: Science and research placement and internship guide
- SpaceCareers.uk: Job Search - includes internships and year-long placements
- Space Placements in INdustry (SPIN) Scheme - internships in the space sector with a range of companies, managed by the UK Space Agency and Satellite Applications Catapult.
- IAESTE – global work placements, ranging from 8 to 52 weeks. Opportunities include science roles. The UK is not a member country of IAESTE, but there are still opportunities to participate for students from non-member countries
- RISE Germany – summer research internships at German universities for second year undergraduates
Specialist recruitment agencies
Recruitment agencies sometimes advertise placements and internships. They also have a wealth of industry knowledge.
CY Partners, CK Group and SRG are specialist recruitment consultancies based in the North East.
Finding companies
Find organisations that interest you and get in touch - always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for.
Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a polite phone call or email to show that you’re keen.
- North East Technology Park (NETPark) – list of science and technology companies in County Durham
- North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) has a members directory including chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) - lists pharmaceutical companies, can filter by those which offer work experience
You can also find lab-based work experience through contacting university departments. Check school noticeboards and contact science departments. They may be looking for support staff or assistants during vacations or term time.
Other ways to gain experience
All work experience is valuable so if you can't find lab-based experience, why not try some of these alternatives for gaining skills and experience:
- join the University’s Street Science Team helping to promote STEM subjects
- think about science communication/explaining at Life Science Centre in Newcastle
- BIG also lists science communication opportunities, including an article on how to get experience in science communication
- use STEM Directory to contact science outreach/education providers for possible voluntary/work experience opportunities
- volunteer at somewhere like Kielder Observatory. Go Volunteer in the Students' Union offers a range of student volunteering projects
- enter a science-related competition - see External competitions to find out more
For advice on gaining experience in a non-lab based environment, see Science careers outside the lab.
Scholarships & Awards
There are some scholarships and bursaries available to help science students gain research and lab-based experience in the summer. These are very competitive and have strict and often very early deadlines.
For summer research projects, you’ll need to first find a potential supervisor. This is usually someone in a university or research institute.
You could start by talking to your tutor or to a member of academic staff whose research you find interesting. In most cases, the application is made by your potential supervisor and not by you.
Newcastle University Research Scholarships provide opportunities for undergraduates to gain research experience.
You can also apply to external funded schemes, for example, the Geological Society also lists grants and awards. See below for more opportunities.
Deadlines listed here were accurate at time of writing but are subject to change. Check websites for specific details and for eligibility criteria.
December deadlines
Kupcinet-Getz Program is an eight-week international science summer school in Israel for outstanding students in mathematics, physics and chemistry. Students will become part of a research group, attached to a laboratory or theoretical research project under the supervision of an experienced scientist. Accommodation and a small weekly stipend is provided.
February deadlines
Amgen Scholars provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to engage in hands-on summer research experience at some of the world's leading institutions.
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory offers various summer placements.
London Mathematical Society Undergraduate Research Bursaries provide research experience to undergraduates with research potential, to encourage them to consider a career in scientific research.
Royal Astronomical Society Undergraduate Summer Bursaries provides motivated undergraduates with the opportunity to work in a research environment in any areas of astronomy and geophysics for part of the summer before their third or fourth year.
Royal Society of Chemistry Undergraduate Summer Research Bursaries provide funding for short (six to eight weeks) summer research projects for undergraduate chemistry students, working within a university department on a chemistry-related research project.
March deadlines
Royal Society of Edinburgh: Cormack Vacation Scholarship offers a limited number of six-week undergraduate vacation research scholarships in the field of astronomy.
Finding Jobs
Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and also research employers for speculative applications.
Professional bodies and research councils also advertise graduate positions. See About for a list of organisations.
For further sources of vacancies in universities and research institutions, see Research in Academia.
To find opportunities outside the UK, see GoinGlobal and International Jobs.
Specialist recruitment agencies
Recruitment agencies often advertise graduate and entry-level positions. They also have a wealth of industry knowledge.
- Entrust Resource Solutions
- Jobs in Science
- EuroScienceJobs - science jobs in Europe in and outside the lab
Agencies based in the North East, that advertise across the UK and overseas, include CY Partners, CK Group and SRG.
Finding companies
Find companies that interest you and get in touch directly – ideally with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for.
Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.
For more advice on approaching companies directly, see targetjobs: Making speculative applications for graduate jobs.
Talk to people in the sector, eg through an informational interview, to get insight into roles.
In the North East
- UK Science Park Association – includes Newcastle Helix, the Wilton Centre and NETPark in the North East
- The North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) has a members directory including chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
In the UK
- Maths Careers: Who employs mathematicians - list of companies based within science and engineering
- Royal Meteorological Society – list of employers
- ABPI - Pharmaceutical recruiters
For more ways to find and research companies, see Researching Employers. You can also find organisations on MyCareer - click on ‘search organisations’ under the Vacancies tab.
To find out what Newcastle graduates have gone on to do with their degree, use LinkedIn's Alumni tool. This lets you view details of more than 137,000 Newcastle alumni worldwide. You can see their current roles and which companies they work for, and explore their profiles to find out how they got there.