Careers in Industry vs. Academia vs. Government Labs: A comparison

Research in Industries

Balajee Kannan

Distributed Intelligence LaboratoryDepartment of Computer ScienceUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville

Scope of discussion

Characteristics of research in IndustrySmall vs Large companies

Case study – Google: Ideal blend

BenefitsTrendsOpen questions

Characteristics of Research in Industry

Limited scopeResearch not up to pace with the products for every company

Tight relation between research product and application

More for smaller newer companies

Limited Resources – Time, Money

Projects outside of “company” time, beneficial to the company, encouraged

Large vs Small Companies

Small Companies

Less specialized more opportunities for research

Advancement is easier

Close working relationship between the researchers and the decision makers

Have to wear a lot of hats

Large vs Small Companies(contd.)

Large Companies

More formal training programs, no thrashing around in the dark as is the case in most small companies

Better benefit packages

Job security, less pressure to deliver on the research idea

Less opportunity for growth and shine. Difficult to come up with a “great” research idea and to get it implemented

Case Study – Google

Large profit company with a small company mentality

Small teams of operation: Quick, efficient and productive

Google engineers all have “20 percent time” of company time in which they’re free to pursue research interests that they’re passionate about including: google earth, google maps etc

Benefits

Remuneration

Better opportunities for career advancement

Less pressure in terms of developing new and unique research ideas

Fixed Hours

Trends

1970’s – Start of Industrial funding of university research

Industry's share of academic R&D support 2.6 % in 1970

1995 – up to 7% industrial shareIncrease in interest of application than pure research

Current – No pure research, except maybe in physics and math, everything is application driven, hence more and more money being poured into companies than Universities

Open Questions

Has “pure research”, motivated exclusively by the search for knowledge for its own sake, suffered from the rise in technological or applied research?

Have scientists have strayed from the goal of "advancing knowledge" to "creating wealth".

Why do big companies not invest money on research

Is working in an industry a trade-off between benefits and research (or)

Would you consider working in an industry as selling out?

References

EMPLOYMENT SECTOR, SALARIES, PUBLISHING AND PATENTING ACTIVITIES OF S&E DOCTORATE HOLDERS - by Thomas B. Hoffer

Research Careers in Academia

Ben BirchDistributed Intelligence Laboratory

Department of Computer Science

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

September 27, 2005

Autonomous Work

Encouraged by the academic cultureSelf-initiated and self-directed workException is collaborative projects

Publish or Perish

An idea long ingrained in academiaWhat makes for a good publication record?

Number of refereed papers publishedQuality of refereed papers publishedFewer papers in respected journals > many papers in lesser publications

Other factors in success in academiaQuality of teachingFunding obtainedService to your academic department

Funding Not Included

You’ve got to forage for funds to support your research.This is another dimension to the autonomous nature of an academic career.See also the “Funding” presentation in this series.

Inquiry-Based Research

The goal is to contribute to the body of knowledge in your field.Research may or may not lead to any practical application.For some, the idea of knowledge for knowledge’s sake is very compelling.

Research Independence

You can decide which direction your research takes, which is exciting.On the other hand, you have the pressure of determining a research direction and developing a research plan.Academia places the most value on research that identifies basic principles in your field.

No Clock to Punch

Pro – You can pretty much set your own schedule.Con – The dual traps of not working enough and of working all the time are opened.

Multiple Roles

Partial Listing of RolesTeacherResearcherMentorEntrepreneurNegotiatorSpeakerWriterReviewer

To some these multiple roles would be stimulating, to others they would be chaotic.

Opportunities for Advancement

Promotions in academic rankObtaining tenureFaculty members are sometimes appointed to positions in university administration

Department headsDeansProvosts

People Skills Required

People skills that fit with teachingSocialization skills in order to build a networkWritten and verbal communication skills to attract attention to your research and to obtain funding

Travel and Public Contact

Encouraged by the university as being good public relationsSpeaking opportunities to varied audiences

ConferencesOther schoolsLay groups

ResourcesDelores Bartholomew, “Academia or Industry: Where Would I Fit In?”, Science Magazine – Next Wave. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/issue/articles/0490Delores Bartholomew, “Academia or Industry: Finding the Fit”, Science Magazine – Next Wave. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/issue/articles/0560Delores Bartholomew, “Academia or Industry: Considering the Fit”, Science Magazine – Next Wave. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/issue/articles/0560Sowmya Viswanathan, “On the Horns of a Dilemma”, Science Magazine – Next Wave. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/issue/articles/2100

Research Careers in Government Labs

Michael BaileyDistributed Intelligence Laboratory

Department of Computer Science

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Sept. 27, 2005

What are the government labs?

Who runs them?What kind of research do they do?

What is the research environment like?

How do researchers get funding?To what extent can they pursue their own research goals?Do excessive regulations get in the way of research?

Classified research

How much work is classified?How does this affect contact with the outside research community?

What are the job benefits?

SalaryJob securityOpportunities for advancement

What is the hiring process like?

InterviewsPost-docsForeign nationals

Resources

Mary Beckman, “Working in a Government Lab”, The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/jobs/2003/05/2003052001c.htmDianne P. O’Leary, “Chapter 11: Careers in Government and Industry”, Graduate Study in the Computer and Mathematical Sciences: A Survival Manual.http://www.cs.umd.edu/~oleary/gradstudy/node12.html

Comparison of Research Employment Sectors

Ben BirchDistributed Intelligence Laboratory

Department of Computer Science

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

September 27, 2005

Employment Distribution

Industry Academia Government1995 – 33%2001 – 42%

1995 – 63%2001 – 53%

1995 – 4%2001 – 5%

Distribution of employment of doctorate holders in the computer and mathematical sciences in the years 1995 and 2001

Salary

Industry Academia Government

1995 - $89,500

2001 - $99,000

1995 - $61,100

2001 - $65,000

1995 - $76,700

2001 - $90,000

Average salaries for doctorate holders in the computer and mathematical sciences for the years 1995 and 2001

Involved in Publication-Related Activities

Industry Academia Government

1995 – 64%2001 – 59%

1995 – 85%2001 – 82%

1995 – 71%2001 – 77%

Doctorate holders in the computer and mathematical sciences who presented a paper at a conference or published a journal article at least one time within the last five years

Involved in Patent-Related Activities

Industry Academia Government

1995 - 15%2001 – 25%

1995 – 2%2001 – 3%

1995 – 1%2001 – 9%

Doctorate holders in the computer and mathematical sciences who applied for or obtained a patent at least one time within the last five years

Success Metrics

Industry Academia Government

Your contributions to the company’s success

Publications

Funding obtained

Quality of teaching

Your contributions to the project’s success

Opportunities for Advancement

Industry Academia GovernmentGreatest opportunities due to the dynamic nature of the organization

Primarily through promotion in academic rank and obtaining tenure

Greatest opportunities for those remaining in research

Research Goals

Industry Academia GovernmentMarket-driven Inquiry-based Project-driven

•In industry, your research goals will be largely determined by the goals of the company.

•In academia, you have the freedom to set your own goals along with the pressure to develop a productive research direction.

•In government labs, your research goals will be largely determined by the goals of the project that you are assigned to.

Funding

Industry Academia Government

Provided by the organization

You must apply for competitively awarded funding

You must apply for competitively awarded funding

Teamwork vs. Autonomous Work

Industry Academia GovernmentTeamwork heavily emphasized

Autonomous except during collaborations

Intermediate, but closer to industry’s teamwork emphasis

Pace of Research

Industry Academia GovernmentFastest by comparison

Slowest by comparison

Intermediate, but closer to industry’s pace

•In industry, experiments are driven by the need to generate practical applications.

•In academia, research is more in depth, and negative results, as well as positive results, can be pursued.

Work Schedule

Industry Academia GovernmentSet by the organization

Primarily set by you

Set by the organization

Necessary People Skills

Industry Academia Government

Skills that allow you to work closely with other team members on a daily basis

Skills that fit with being a teacher and mentor

Communication skills necessary for networking, collaborating, and obtaining funding

Similar to those required in industry

Travel and Public Contact

Industry Academia GovernmentControlled Open and

EncouragedTightly controlled if working with classified information

Resources

Thomas B Hoffer, “Employment Sector, Salaries, Publishing and Patenting Activities of S&E Doctorate Holders”, National Science Foundation InfoBrief NSF04-328, June 2004.Also see the resources listed in the “Research Careers in Industry”, “Research Careers in Academia”, and “Research Careers in Government” presentations in this series.