Career
DRA has a focus on career development for affiliated PhD students and is thus involved in several career activities.
In 2024, the Career Day is a 3-hour event on 30 January at BRIC. See programme.
In 2023, the Industrial Career Day is a 3-hour (physical) event in March, organised in collaboration with the graduate programmes MoMeD and IVP. The event begins with the companies briefly presenting themselves, followed by a fair, where young researchers and companies can meet and network, and several workshops for PhD students/Postdocs. See presentation video with Jukka Rantanen.
In 2020 and 2021, the event was organised as Virtual Career Days in November, three days with workshops and sessions on career in academia and industry; workshops in the mornings and company sessions in the afternoons. The online format made it possible to have companies from abroad participating as well.
In collaboration with the graduate programmes MoMeD and NeuroGrad, a Career Day has been organised in 2018 and 2019, providing an overview of non-academic career possibilities as well as introducing the companies to young talents. The Career Day was a 3-hour (physical) event that began with the companies briefly presenting themselves, followed by a fair, where young researchers (PhD students/Postdocs) and companies could meet and network.
- Alumni Association
The alumni association at University of Copenhagen offers social and professional networks and career activities for former students from University of Copenhagen. Both Danish and international students are welcome to join. - International staff mobility, ISM
ISM is a department within Human Resources in the Central Administration of the University of Copenhagen with the purpose of providing support and assistance to all international researchers, academia and PhD fellows on all issues related to moving to and settling in Denmark. - Social media: LinkedIn and Twitter
DRA has a LinkedIn group and a Twitter profile where we announce PhD defences, DRA lectures and symposia, PostDoc fellowships and other matters of interest. This is also a way to stay in touch when you get your PhD degree. - ULLA collaboration
DRA is member of the ULLA collaboration. An important networking possibility is participation in the ULLA summer school or ULLA workshop. - Young Pharma Forum
DRA supports the Young Pharma Forum in their scientific or career development activities and social or networking activities.
The Drug Research Academy has conducted an employment survey on PhDs in pharmaceutical sciences completed 2020-2022 after previous enrolment at Department of Pharmacy and Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology. 74% of the PhD graduates got their first employment within 3 months after the conferment of the PhD degree, 77% have research and development as main function, 56% are employed in pharmaceutical or life science company and 26% at universities. 69% work in Denmark. 86% work in a field related to their PhD project.
The results are compared with similar surveys conducted previously.
See the full employment survey 2020-2022.
The University of Copenhagen has also conducted an employment analysis of PhD graduates from the University 2008-2016.
PhD students employed at the University of Copenhagen must have a performance and development review once a year:
DRA recommends that all PhD students develop and discuss a career development plan with their principal supervisor once a year.
Career counselling, job search, mentor programmes and entrepreneurship
International Staff Mobility, ISM at UCPH, has a career counselling programme for people from other countries. They offer individual career counselling, job search support, feedback on cover letter and CV, job interview coaching and counselling on how to use LinkedIn as a strategic tool when you are job seeking. Read more.
The University of Copenhagen offers individual 1:1 career counselling with a career consultant to PhDs and postdocs tailored to individual needs.
Topics you might find inspiring to explore:
- Feedback on CV and LinkedIn profile
- Transferable skills
- Tools for career planning and career thinking
- How to build and extend your professional network
- How to approach and contact future employers
- What to expect at a job interview in Denmark
Please find more information in the career counselling flyer.
Several DRA PhD students have expressed a wish for a mentor programme. DRA does not have a mentor programme on its own but encourage the use of a mentor as part of career development. If you are interested in becoming a mentee you can contact the following relevant trade unions with mentor programmes which are also open for PhD students. Be aware that they require membership:
These unions also offer career help and tools in job hunting after the PhD.
Open Entrepreneurship at UCPH
Open Entrepreneurship (OE) is a national initiative aiming to develop a world-leading university commercialization community to benefit Danish Industry and Society. Open Entrepreneurship brings academic researchers and external entrepreneurs together to explore commercial and innovative opportunities, and to help bring academic research to a commercially viable format, such as a spin out.
The University of Copenhagen has established a unit for this initiative with two business developers anchored at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. The business developers can provide business support to all researchers at SUND at any stage, from early ideation to commercialization, to explore commercial and innovative opportunities. Read more about Open Entrepreneurship.