Career in theoretical chemistry

Hi, I'm a 16-year-old considering a career in theoretical chemistry, especially quantum chemistry. Just to clear things up: I've already made up my mind about studying theoretical chem at university; I just want to know what viable career options I have afterwards.

Work-from-home type and time-flexible jobs in particular would be most suitable for me, as I plan on pursuing creative writing. (I don't know yet how I'm going to 'divide' my time between writing novels and doing chemistry work. All I know is that I'm going to end up doing a combination of both).

Any feedback and advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Reply 1

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by istudie

Hiya,

I'm a third-year chemistry student at Lancaster University. It's great you've made a decision to study theoretical chemistry and are already considering your future career options. Studying chemistry can open up various opportunities for you.

Some potential career paths that theoretical chemists may pursue are:

Academia/ Research. Where chemists can conduct research at universities or research institutions.This could involve teaching students and publishing research papers. However, this may also involve getting an advanced degree like masters or PhD.

Industry. Chemical and pharmaceutical companies can hire chemists to work on various projects like drug discovery and materials science. The companies may specialise in pharmaceuticals, technology or research and development in various industries.

Data science. With the rise of technology, data science and computational methods, there are opportunities for theoretical chemists to apply their schools into roles involving data analysis and computational chemistry.

Considering you interest in work-from-home and time-flexible jobs, you may consider specific career paths such as:

Tutoring. You could join or set up a business offering online education, courses and tutoring courses. This means you could work from home and manage your own schedule.

Science communication. By combining your love of writing and specific scientific knowledge, you could pursue a career in science communication. It may involve writing articles, creating content for science blog or writing science books.

Grant writing. Use your expertise to assist researchers in securing funding for their research. It would involve crafting applications to earn funding for scientific research projects.

Science fiction writing. Combine both passions in one and write stories that incorporate accurate scientific concepts with excellent story telling.

For more ideas on what you can do with a chemistry degree, the prospects website might be useful (https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/chemistry).

Hope this helps and if you have any other questions let me know,
Beth (Lancaster Student Ambassador)