Job opportunities after Ph.D. in India

Jobs after Ph.D. in India: No doubt, lots of patience is required to complete a Ph.D. Despite that, it is not easy to get a job in India after completing the Ph.D. In this blog post, we are describing various Ph.D. job opportunities that are available. This blog post (Job opportunities after Ph.D. in India) is not only limited to India but also applies to most countries.

Also, read the Best tools, and websites for Ph.D. students/ researchers/ graduates.

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Various Jobs after Ph.D. in India

There are many job opportunities after obtaining a Ph.D. degree in India. It mainly depends upon the subject, research topic, and publications of a researcher. The quality of research plays a very important role in getting the job. Generally, a Ph.D. student with more publications in high-impact journals will be preferred to researchers with fewer publications in low-impact journals. During the Ph.D., it is expected that the researchers should have at least 3-4 major contributions in their related area. Depending on this, a researcher may choose either academic or non-academic jobs for his/her career development.

Read: How to write and publish a research paper for journal publication?

1. Academic Jobs after PhD

The academic jobs mainly include teaching in government, deemed, or private universities or colleges. The Ph.D. students will be hired for the post of Assistant Professor depending on their qualifications and experience. The minimum requirement/ eligibility for applying for the post of Assistant Professor is the researcher must have obtained his/her Ph.D. degree from UGC-affiliated University. He/ She must have qualified UGC NET/ CSIR NET/SET in the concerned subjects. The researcher should have 2 publications in journals. The Ph.D. student also should have at least 55% marks obtained during MSc/M. A/M. Tech program. However, if the Ph.D. candidate has experience of 8 years in teaching, research, or industries, he/she is also eligible for the post of Associate Professor.

Most people in India prefer to pursue teaching jobs after Ph.D.

Generally, most of the private universities in India, provide teaching jobs for fresh Ph.D. students who have obtained degrees from their universities only. However, if the student has obtained his/her Ph.D. degree from central universities/IITS/NITS/CSIR research labs, he/ she will be selected for Assistant professor for a high package ranging between 12-18 lakhs per annum. While continuing teaching in the universities/colleges for post-graduate students, the assistant professors are encouraged to guide M.Phil./Ph.D. students. They are also encouraged for writing research proposals for obtaining funding for projects from DST, DBT, SERB, etc.

2. Post Doctoral Positions in India after PhD

Ph.D. students can also continue research by enrolling themselves as post-doctoral students in reputed institutes. The duration of the post-doc may range from 2-5 years depending upon the project. Most of the IITs/ NITs offer post-doctoral fellowships with a stipend from rupees 70,000-80,000. The students can also join as research associates in CSIR research laboratories. The Ph.D. candidates can improve their knowledge and gain experience in their interested areas. The Ph.D. students can also as Scientist B or Scientist C in CSIR labs if the notification arrives.

3. Industrial Jobs after PhD

Ph.D. students from Engineering and Science backgrounds have a lot of scope in Industries. They have separate research and development (R&D) sectors. These organizations recruit only Ph.D. students. The Ph.D. students help in bridging the gap between academic and industrial fields. They work with industrial people to identify the real challenges and research gaps. Generally, industries have fewer qualified people in manufacturing and production areas. So, the Ph.D. candidates give innovative research ideas and explain the procedures for improving the current technology. They also help in designing new products with fewer costs. Here, the researchers also benefitted from bonuses and incentives. In an Industrial environment, the researchers are encouraged to file patents, copyrights, and trademarks for their products.

4. Jobs after Ph.D. in Social Sciences

Ph.D. students from social science and public health backgrounds may get jobs in epidemiology and public health departments. Here, the researchers will get an opportunity to understand human behavior and assess the impacts on human health by closely working with them. The Ph.D. students from chemical sciences and chemistry backgrounds can find jobs in R&D labs, analytical and organic chemistry departments, lecturers in colleges, and manager jobs in chemical industries. The Ph.D. students from geology and earth sciences backgrounds can get jobs as geologists in government sectors such as ONGC, in mining industries, and in power plants in managerial positions on a high scale.

5. Coaching Institutes jobs

Apart from this, Ph.D. students are highly paid in coaching institutions for teaching intermediate and degree students. Here, the newly recruited Ph.D. students train students to clear competitive exams like NEET, IIT JEE, JAM, GATE, etc. The researchers prepare required study materials, give assignments, and conduct quizzes, and mock tests.

6. Scientific Editor’s jobs

Another good job opportunities for Ph.D. students are they can apply as scientific editors and content writers. Nowadays, these jobs are done by working from home. The scientific editors are required to peer-review the journals and recommend necessary changes. They also edit scientific research papers and help in proofreading. Scientific editors also help in the preparation of research proposals and research papers. Scientific editing can be done on any subject, in any research area.

7. Consultancy Jobs

Researchers can also work in big consulting firms as subject matter experts, consultants, and an advisor. There are different types of consulting services such as medical consulting, healthcare consulting, legal consulting, media, law consulting, etc. This type of job is very useful for those Ph.D. students who are not interested to work in the teaching field. The companies such as ZS associates, and Clear View hire Ph.D. students from Life sciences and Pharmacy backgrounds. The company selects Ph.D. candidates based on their capacity for logical and analytical thinking. After gaining experience, the researchers can start their own consulting firms. They should have good communication and organizational skills for providing services to their clients.

Besides these job opportunities, many companies and organizations take Ph.D. students for the role of copywriters and for designing the curriculum in educational institutions. The job of copywriters is to make clear and attractive content that can be used for the marketing of the products. It helps in raising the funds from the public. This kind of job requires good writing and presentation skills. It basically helps in promoting new products through advertising. On the other hand, curriculum designers develop educational content in different subjects. These curriculum-based materials are delivered online to different clients. This type of job is very useful for researchers who have a Ph.D. in Education or Humanities.

After gaining a few years of teaching and research experience, the Ph.D. candidates can directly hire as Assistant Directors for Learning Programs, or as the principal of any educational institution such as schools or colleges. Here, the job requires monitoring of all the activities. The researcher must have excellent leadership qualities. He /She should be very commanding and strict. He/she has the right to punish any student if they have violated the rules and regulations.

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