The Career Field Resource pages describe the more common fields that employ scientists with advanced training, with a short list of websites which will help you understand the field. Each section has:
- at least one or two articles to provide an overview of the field or career paths;
- resources specific to Berkeley (access to opportunities you can pursue while a student or postdoc);
- more general sources of information including professional associations, sites with industry news and career advice, and fellowship/job listings.
Science Communication
Science communications is a broad field, and has overlap with fields such as science education or science advocacy. The resources below focus on medical or technical writing, editing, publishing and journalism.
Berkeley Resources
- Berkeley Science Review – Graduate student magazine and website about Berkeley research, also advice/guides to science writing
- Graduate Writing Center
- Berkeley School of Journalism – occasional job postings for science writers
- Interview with Rachel Bernstein, PhD – Editor, Science Careers, AAAS and Berkeley alum, about her journey from science writing to writing about the scientific community.
General Resources
- ASCB article, “Science communication: a career where PhDs can make a difference”
- Easternblot.net article, “Finding science communication jobs (with transferable skills worksheet!)”
- Inside Higher Ed opinion, “Why I left academe to become a science communicator”
- The Company of Biologists article, “My journey to scientific editing”
- Cell’s Crosstalk article, “A day in my life as a scientific journal editor”
- AMWA – American Medical Writers Association has an excellent “New Medical Writer Toolkit”
- CASW – Council for the Advancement of Science Writing’s Guide to Careers in Science Writing
- Council of Science Editors
- National Association of Science Writers
- Society for Technical Communication
- University Research Magazine Association
- International Scientific Institute (ISI) – list of top publishers
- Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers
- The Journal of Science Policy and Governance (JSPG)
- AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship
- WFSJ – World Federation of Science Journalists offers a free online course in science journalism and a collection of other helpful resources
- Guide to Science and Medical Communication and Graduate Certificate Programs in Science Writing, Communication and Journalism together provide overviews regarding science communication careers, including information on Master’s programs and certificates.
- Association of Medical Illustrators
- HPN’s “A Day in the Life of a Medical Illustrator“