If your students are wondering where training in pharmacology could take them, there are many potential careers you could signpost them to. Pharmacologists have roles in a variety of research and non-research sectors and settings, including:
- In academic research, pharmacologists can conduct their own original research about how drugs work. This is a chance to directly influence the field of pharmacology and to publish research so that others can benefit from it. It is also an opportunity to be part of a global research community making advancements in medicine. Academic pharmacologists may also combine their research with teaching the next generation of pharmacology students at university. Both clinical and non-clinical pharmacology graduates can be found working in academic institutions including, but not limited to, universities.
- In industry, pharmacologists play crucial roles in evaluating new and better drugs as research scientists in large pharmaceutical companies and smaller biotech organisations and enterprises. But there are many other roles for pharmacologists in industry, too, including medical writing, regulatory compliance, pharmacovigilance, or as consultants on specific medicines or diseases.
- Outside of research, pharmacology training provides a wide range of transferable skills that can lead to a huge variety of career options. From roles in science policy or communications, to those in business or management and beyond.
To support your conversations with students, there is much more detail on a variety of potential pharmacology careers on our Where can pharmacology take me? pages, including profiles of pharmacologists who have taken these career paths.