Reflections on my industry placement at Cambridge Cognition
PhD student Rachel Lees joined Cambridge Cognition on an industry placement in May 2022. Here she reflects on her experience.
Rachel Lees, University of Bath
I am currently a 3rd year PhD student, studying Psychology at the University of Bath. In May 2022, I took a 2-week break from my PhD to complete an industry placement in the Science team at Cambridge Cognition. I was keen to build on my previous experience of researching cognition, and to learn more about how Cambridge Cognition are optimising cognitive testing for use in clinical trials. I was also looking forward to understanding more about what it was like to do research as part of a company and how this differs from my experience of academia.
During the placement, I analysed some data from a visual memory and learning task. This was very enjoyable, and I was able to learn about some types of statistical analysis that I haven’t come across before. I also got the chance to meet with several Cambridge Cognition employees to discuss their current role, their previous experience, and to hear their thoughts on transitioning from academia to industry.
My time at Cambridge Cognition helped me to think about what a career in industry might look like, and to evaluate what the differences are between conducting research in an academic setting when compared to industry.
“My time at Cambridge Cognition helped me to think about what a career in industry might look like, and to evaluate what the differences are between conducting research in an academic setting when compared to industry.”
Firstly, a key difference between my experience of academic research and industry research is pace. Generally, my PhD analyses have taken months to plan, after which there can be a couple of months’ administration time to gain access to datasets, and then finally the analysis can begin. During my placement, I noticed that the turnarounds were much quicker. It was essential to move quickly because team members, bosses and clients could all be waiting on your findings to be able to progress their work.
This relates to another difference: how your work has an impact. In an industry setting, the output of research might be used immediately within the company to drive decision making, for example changing the focus of a research team, or generating ideas for how to develop a current product. In academia, much of the way impact is created is through publications. This is a much slower process as publishing can take months if not years. However, the impact will be broader as publications will reach the wider scientific community and they have the potential to drive change within the field. It is worth noting that it is still possible to publish scientific papers in an industry setting and having this impact and influence the wider scientific field is important in both academia and industry.
Exploring options?
I was pleased to see that there is a lot of overlap between academia and industry research, more so than is often suggested. One of the most important things I discussed at Cambridge Cognition was transferable skills. Skills related to project management, facilitation of research (e.g., time and expectation management, agenda setting), creativity, communication, and specific ‘hard skills’ like laboratory techniques, can all be very useful to an industry employer even if the company’s work is not directly related to the specific topic of a PhD.
“For current or aspiring academic researchers, I would encourage exploring whether industry could also be an option for you.”
All in all, I think the idea that academia and industry are not compatible may create a false sense of ‘difference’ between these two settings. Not all industry research is the same just as not all academic research is the same. For current or aspiring academic researchers, I would encourage exploring whether industry could also be an option for you. I found that people were very generous with their time and advice, so do reach out to companies if you would like to learn more and see if any roles might work for you. “Industry” is an abstract term, so think specifically about skills you want to use or learn, what you want the output of your work to be, and whether the company goals align with your own.
As I return to my PhD, I have a clearer idea of the pros and cons in the choices around my future career. I also have a better understanding of how my skills could be put to use in different career settings in the future.
I’d like to thank Cambridge Cognition for hosting, and my funders MRC GW4 DTP for encouraging and supporting this placement.