Can I reasonably move universities every few years for professional work?











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My real love is scientific computing, but I'm generally interested in nearly every academic field — through undergrad I've had research computing positions in social psychology, electrical engineering, volcanology, and pharmaceutical sciences. Now I've graduated, and I'm at a different university doing data analysis in cognitive science. I like it, but I have a long list of places I'd like to live and fields I'd like to learn more about, and my "career plan" is to move every 3–4 years and work at a different university in a different field, always doing scientific computing/data science though. I'm not too concerned about getting a huge list of academic accolades or getting a PhD right now; I'd rather just be doing interesting work.



I've mentioned this to several professors and graduate students who have asked about my plans, and they always react as if I've said I want to run off and join the circus. Is there some truth to how they react? Am I hurting my career this way?



I'd like to clarify that I just want to be doing data analysis. It seems like nearly every lab needs people to do this, so I don't see how I'm a funding leech.










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    up vote
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    down vote

    favorite
    1












    My real love is scientific computing, but I'm generally interested in nearly every academic field — through undergrad I've had research computing positions in social psychology, electrical engineering, volcanology, and pharmaceutical sciences. Now I've graduated, and I'm at a different university doing data analysis in cognitive science. I like it, but I have a long list of places I'd like to live and fields I'd like to learn more about, and my "career plan" is to move every 3–4 years and work at a different university in a different field, always doing scientific computing/data science though. I'm not too concerned about getting a huge list of academic accolades or getting a PhD right now; I'd rather just be doing interesting work.



    I've mentioned this to several professors and graduate students who have asked about my plans, and they always react as if I've said I want to run off and join the circus. Is there some truth to how they react? Am I hurting my career this way?



    I'd like to clarify that I just want to be doing data analysis. It seems like nearly every lab needs people to do this, so I don't see how I'm a funding leech.










    share|improve this question









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    PascLeRasc is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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      up vote
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      down vote

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      up vote
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      down vote

      favorite
      1






      1





      My real love is scientific computing, but I'm generally interested in nearly every academic field — through undergrad I've had research computing positions in social psychology, electrical engineering, volcanology, and pharmaceutical sciences. Now I've graduated, and I'm at a different university doing data analysis in cognitive science. I like it, but I have a long list of places I'd like to live and fields I'd like to learn more about, and my "career plan" is to move every 3–4 years and work at a different university in a different field, always doing scientific computing/data science though. I'm not too concerned about getting a huge list of academic accolades or getting a PhD right now; I'd rather just be doing interesting work.



      I've mentioned this to several professors and graduate students who have asked about my plans, and they always react as if I've said I want to run off and join the circus. Is there some truth to how they react? Am I hurting my career this way?



      I'd like to clarify that I just want to be doing data analysis. It seems like nearly every lab needs people to do this, so I don't see how I'm a funding leech.










      share|improve this question









      New contributor




      PascLeRasc is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.











      My real love is scientific computing, but I'm generally interested in nearly every academic field — through undergrad I've had research computing positions in social psychology, electrical engineering, volcanology, and pharmaceutical sciences. Now I've graduated, and I'm at a different university doing data analysis in cognitive science. I like it, but I have a long list of places I'd like to live and fields I'd like to learn more about, and my "career plan" is to move every 3–4 years and work at a different university in a different field, always doing scientific computing/data science though. I'm not too concerned about getting a huge list of academic accolades or getting a PhD right now; I'd rather just be doing interesting work.



      I've mentioned this to several professors and graduate students who have asked about my plans, and they always react as if I've said I want to run off and join the circus. Is there some truth to how they react? Am I hurting my career this way?



      I'd like to clarify that I just want to be doing data analysis. It seems like nearly every lab needs people to do this, so I don't see how I'm a funding leech.







      career-path






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      edited 3 hours ago









      Buzz

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      asked 14 hours ago









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          5 Answers
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          As a data scientist myself, I have found it rather difficult to be a journeyman data scientist in academia. Yes, people need their data analysed; no, they do not want to pay for your full salary, benefits, and office space. Nor are they necessarily going to hire an outsider to analyse their data. They can get their postdocs/grad students to do it.



          I have met repeated resistance to being taken onto projects as an outside data analyst. Certain STEM disciplines are especially bad with this. Because I have a PhD, I can find full time positions that allow me to be housed in a department, teach classes in that department, and then take on outside projects as I find them. These outside projects are never enough in and of themselves to provide enough work for me to retain my job. The fact that I can do independent research and teach classes is what allows me to do what I do.



          I just think being a journeyman data analyst in academia can be a rather tough life, and you may not have much freedom to actually decide what type of subjects you are exploring. In my experience, you may rank below even the master's students and will possibly be paid subsistence level pay.






          share|improve this answer



















          • 2




            Sorry, I guess I don't understand what you are saying.
            – Buffy
            14 hours ago






          • 2




            Nor do I. The OP maybe has an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, but no PhD. A PhD position will last several years, postdocs will be shorter, so the OP's plan seems reasonable. I don't understand @Vladhagen's post. (Although, it has just trebled in length... I'll re-read)
            – user2768
            14 hours ago








          • 2




            No, still don't get it: Every single university hires someone with a bachelor's degree (well, maybe a master's degree) to do "interesting work," that's a PhD.
            – user2768
            14 hours ago






          • 2




            @user2768 Unless the OP gets a PhD, I am rather hesitant to believe that many universities are going to let the OP just come in and do research that's interesting. The OP expressly says he/she is not looking to pursue a PhD. In essence the OP is saying "Please fund me, but I do not want to pursue a PhD."
            – Vladhagen
            14 hours ago








          • 1




            @Vladhagen I'm not saying that I want to do independent research. I'd like to help with other people's research by doing data analysis.
            – PascLeRasc
            14 hours ago




















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          I think the other answers have mis-understood the OP's goal. He explicitly says that he wants to be a scientific programmer assisting other folks' research programs, not pursuing his own. Such positions do exist at every major research university. How common they are varies by subfield. In my experience physics departments generally leave all the programming to their students and post-docs, while life sciences department will hire quite a few software developers and data analysts, just as they hire a lot of wet-lab technicians. There is a lot of computational work to be done these days that requires fairly mature engineering skills, but is not novel research. Having your chemistry Ph.D. student set up a secure and robust web application is probably not a good use of their time.



          To respond to the OPs question: what you want is not impossible, but you'll have to be lucky to pull it off. While there are scientific programmer positions at every major research university, there are not a lot of them compared to the non-academic world, and they generally don't pay nearly as well. I think PIs find hiring for these positions difficult and time-consuming, so they prefer folks looking for long term positions. Sometimes, one of the functions of these positions is to provide some overlap in institutional memory. Bit rot sets in rapidly each time a student graduates. If you aren't even going to stick around as long as your average Ph.D. student, your utility to the PI is diminished.



          On the other hand, many of the grants that fund these positions are time limited. Projects that only last two to three years seem to be pretty common. That would seem to match pretty well with your goals. Unfortunately, at least in large departments, there seems to be a small cadre of programmers that get shuffled around projects as funding comes and goes. You'll be competing with those folks, and as they have a known local track record, it puts you at a disadvantage. For the same reason, constantly switching fields, would also put you at a disadvantage. Software skills are highly portable, but there is always some domain knowledge that's crucial as well.



          I think your chances of success will be better if you stick to one field, say the life sciences. It will also help if, early on, you can find work on a high profile project, with a prominent PI.






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            I'm pretty sure that the funny looks are because people are making the assumption, probably warranted, that you will be fairly shallow in the work you do. Normally academic research is narrow and deep, so this plan seems too unlike what they expect. Some fields take a long time to learn and even more time to be able to deal effectively at the frontier of knowledge. Someone who wants to do a lot of relatively simple (in their view) things has less value, by far, then another who is a well known expert in a specialized field.



            Along with this worry is that you wouldn't be a lot of help in leading students to a research (narrow, deep) career as you are a sort of "dabbler" in things.



            I don't criticize your plan. Being a polymath (even a shallow one) can be a rewarding life. But deep and narrow is what is more valued in academia.



            At non-research institutions (primarily small undergraduate colleges) you might find a better reception. But even there, not having a doctorate is usually a deal-breaker.






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            • I plan for my work to be narrow and deep, though. It's simply data science/statistical analysis - it just happens to be in several different fields.
              – PascLeRasc
              14 hours ago






            • 4




              Until you demonstrate that you can do that, people will be skeptical. The best way is via a PhD (or similar degree). Your claim that you can do it (have done it) is not enough.
              – Buffy
              14 hours ago




















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            Core Facilities



            One opportunity you may consider is seeking employment in some kind of core facility. At least in the United States, research intensive universities often have centralized organizations available to assist research from any discipline needing their services.



            Often these are organized around specific equipment (such as specialized genomic sequencing) or other resources (such as animal care). However, I have definitely seen examples that are dedicated to providing computing services, including programming and statistical analysis.



            Being employed at a research core facility would likely offer you the opportunity to focus on the tasks that you love, without needing to develop your own research agenda or teaching. However, the pool for these jobs is significantly smaller.



            An example of such an organization is the University of Kansas's Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis.



            Non-Academic Positions



            A second opportunity could be leaving academia. I've made a career as a data analyst and I've switched industries reliably every 3-5 years. Currently I work in a university analyzing their research and grant performance data, but I've also worked in both private firms and other governmental agencies. Outside of academia it is far more common to see people leave for greener pastures on a regular basis.






            share|improve this answer




























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              0
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              Have you considered working on the supercomputing side? My university frequently makes hires in that area, and not only in engineering — some are for positions that assist faculty with supercomputing facilities, and the like. These facilities are usually funded centrally from the university, and/or with large external grants, and so can hire a lot more freely than departments or units with one-off data analysis needs.






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                up vote
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                As a data scientist myself, I have found it rather difficult to be a journeyman data scientist in academia. Yes, people need their data analysed; no, they do not want to pay for your full salary, benefits, and office space. Nor are they necessarily going to hire an outsider to analyse their data. They can get their postdocs/grad students to do it.



                I have met repeated resistance to being taken onto projects as an outside data analyst. Certain STEM disciplines are especially bad with this. Because I have a PhD, I can find full time positions that allow me to be housed in a department, teach classes in that department, and then take on outside projects as I find them. These outside projects are never enough in and of themselves to provide enough work for me to retain my job. The fact that I can do independent research and teach classes is what allows me to do what I do.



                I just think being a journeyman data analyst in academia can be a rather tough life, and you may not have much freedom to actually decide what type of subjects you are exploring. In my experience, you may rank below even the master's students and will possibly be paid subsistence level pay.






                share|improve this answer



















                • 2




                  Sorry, I guess I don't understand what you are saying.
                  – Buffy
                  14 hours ago






                • 2




                  Nor do I. The OP maybe has an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, but no PhD. A PhD position will last several years, postdocs will be shorter, so the OP's plan seems reasonable. I don't understand @Vladhagen's post. (Although, it has just trebled in length... I'll re-read)
                  – user2768
                  14 hours ago








                • 2




                  No, still don't get it: Every single university hires someone with a bachelor's degree (well, maybe a master's degree) to do "interesting work," that's a PhD.
                  – user2768
                  14 hours ago






                • 2




                  @user2768 Unless the OP gets a PhD, I am rather hesitant to believe that many universities are going to let the OP just come in and do research that's interesting. The OP expressly says he/she is not looking to pursue a PhD. In essence the OP is saying "Please fund me, but I do not want to pursue a PhD."
                  – Vladhagen
                  14 hours ago








                • 1




                  @Vladhagen I'm not saying that I want to do independent research. I'd like to help with other people's research by doing data analysis.
                  – PascLeRasc
                  14 hours ago

















                up vote
                19
                down vote













                As a data scientist myself, I have found it rather difficult to be a journeyman data scientist in academia. Yes, people need their data analysed; no, they do not want to pay for your full salary, benefits, and office space. Nor are they necessarily going to hire an outsider to analyse their data. They can get their postdocs/grad students to do it.



                I have met repeated resistance to being taken onto projects as an outside data analyst. Certain STEM disciplines are especially bad with this. Because I have a PhD, I can find full time positions that allow me to be housed in a department, teach classes in that department, and then take on outside projects as I find them. These outside projects are never enough in and of themselves to provide enough work for me to retain my job. The fact that I can do independent research and teach classes is what allows me to do what I do.



                I just think being a journeyman data analyst in academia can be a rather tough life, and you may not have much freedom to actually decide what type of subjects you are exploring. In my experience, you may rank below even the master's students and will possibly be paid subsistence level pay.






                share|improve this answer



















                • 2




                  Sorry, I guess I don't understand what you are saying.
                  – Buffy
                  14 hours ago






                • 2




                  Nor do I. The OP maybe has an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, but no PhD. A PhD position will last several years, postdocs will be shorter, so the OP's plan seems reasonable. I don't understand @Vladhagen's post. (Although, it has just trebled in length... I'll re-read)
                  – user2768
                  14 hours ago








                • 2




                  No, still don't get it: Every single university hires someone with a bachelor's degree (well, maybe a master's degree) to do "interesting work," that's a PhD.
                  – user2768
                  14 hours ago






                • 2




                  @user2768 Unless the OP gets a PhD, I am rather hesitant to believe that many universities are going to let the OP just come in and do research that's interesting. The OP expressly says he/she is not looking to pursue a PhD. In essence the OP is saying "Please fund me, but I do not want to pursue a PhD."
                  – Vladhagen
                  14 hours ago








                • 1




                  @Vladhagen I'm not saying that I want to do independent research. I'd like to help with other people's research by doing data analysis.
                  – PascLeRasc
                  14 hours ago















                up vote
                19
                down vote










                up vote
                19
                down vote









                As a data scientist myself, I have found it rather difficult to be a journeyman data scientist in academia. Yes, people need their data analysed; no, they do not want to pay for your full salary, benefits, and office space. Nor are they necessarily going to hire an outsider to analyse their data. They can get their postdocs/grad students to do it.



                I have met repeated resistance to being taken onto projects as an outside data analyst. Certain STEM disciplines are especially bad with this. Because I have a PhD, I can find full time positions that allow me to be housed in a department, teach classes in that department, and then take on outside projects as I find them. These outside projects are never enough in and of themselves to provide enough work for me to retain my job. The fact that I can do independent research and teach classes is what allows me to do what I do.



                I just think being a journeyman data analyst in academia can be a rather tough life, and you may not have much freedom to actually decide what type of subjects you are exploring. In my experience, you may rank below even the master's students and will possibly be paid subsistence level pay.






                share|improve this answer














                As a data scientist myself, I have found it rather difficult to be a journeyman data scientist in academia. Yes, people need their data analysed; no, they do not want to pay for your full salary, benefits, and office space. Nor are they necessarily going to hire an outsider to analyse their data. They can get their postdocs/grad students to do it.



                I have met repeated resistance to being taken onto projects as an outside data analyst. Certain STEM disciplines are especially bad with this. Because I have a PhD, I can find full time positions that allow me to be housed in a department, teach classes in that department, and then take on outside projects as I find them. These outside projects are never enough in and of themselves to provide enough work for me to retain my job. The fact that I can do independent research and teach classes is what allows me to do what I do.



                I just think being a journeyman data analyst in academia can be a rather tough life, and you may not have much freedom to actually decide what type of subjects you are exploring. In my experience, you may rank below even the master's students and will possibly be paid subsistence level pay.







                share|improve this answer














                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer








                edited 13 hours ago

























                answered 14 hours ago









                Vladhagen

                9,59953561




                9,59953561








                • 2




                  Sorry, I guess I don't understand what you are saying.
                  – Buffy
                  14 hours ago






                • 2




                  Nor do I. The OP maybe has an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, but no PhD. A PhD position will last several years, postdocs will be shorter, so the OP's plan seems reasonable. I don't understand @Vladhagen's post. (Although, it has just trebled in length... I'll re-read)
                  – user2768
                  14 hours ago








                • 2




                  No, still don't get it: Every single university hires someone with a bachelor's degree (well, maybe a master's degree) to do "interesting work," that's a PhD.
                  – user2768
                  14 hours ago






                • 2




                  @user2768 Unless the OP gets a PhD, I am rather hesitant to believe that many universities are going to let the OP just come in and do research that's interesting. The OP expressly says he/she is not looking to pursue a PhD. In essence the OP is saying "Please fund me, but I do not want to pursue a PhD."
                  – Vladhagen
                  14 hours ago








                • 1




                  @Vladhagen I'm not saying that I want to do independent research. I'd like to help with other people's research by doing data analysis.
                  – PascLeRasc
                  14 hours ago
















                • 2




                  Sorry, I guess I don't understand what you are saying.
                  – Buffy
                  14 hours ago






                • 2




                  Nor do I. The OP maybe has an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, but no PhD. A PhD position will last several years, postdocs will be shorter, so the OP's plan seems reasonable. I don't understand @Vladhagen's post. (Although, it has just trebled in length... I'll re-read)
                  – user2768
                  14 hours ago








                • 2




                  No, still don't get it: Every single university hires someone with a bachelor's degree (well, maybe a master's degree) to do "interesting work," that's a PhD.
                  – user2768
                  14 hours ago






                • 2




                  @user2768 Unless the OP gets a PhD, I am rather hesitant to believe that many universities are going to let the OP just come in and do research that's interesting. The OP expressly says he/she is not looking to pursue a PhD. In essence the OP is saying "Please fund me, but I do not want to pursue a PhD."
                  – Vladhagen
                  14 hours ago








                • 1




                  @Vladhagen I'm not saying that I want to do independent research. I'd like to help with other people's research by doing data analysis.
                  – PascLeRasc
                  14 hours ago










                2




                2




                Sorry, I guess I don't understand what you are saying.
                – Buffy
                14 hours ago




                Sorry, I guess I don't understand what you are saying.
                – Buffy
                14 hours ago




                2




                2




                Nor do I. The OP maybe has an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, but no PhD. A PhD position will last several years, postdocs will be shorter, so the OP's plan seems reasonable. I don't understand @Vladhagen's post. (Although, it has just trebled in length... I'll re-read)
                – user2768
                14 hours ago






                Nor do I. The OP maybe has an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, but no PhD. A PhD position will last several years, postdocs will be shorter, so the OP's plan seems reasonable. I don't understand @Vladhagen's post. (Although, it has just trebled in length... I'll re-read)
                – user2768
                14 hours ago






                2




                2




                No, still don't get it: Every single university hires someone with a bachelor's degree (well, maybe a master's degree) to do "interesting work," that's a PhD.
                – user2768
                14 hours ago




                No, still don't get it: Every single university hires someone with a bachelor's degree (well, maybe a master's degree) to do "interesting work," that's a PhD.
                – user2768
                14 hours ago




                2




                2




                @user2768 Unless the OP gets a PhD, I am rather hesitant to believe that many universities are going to let the OP just come in and do research that's interesting. The OP expressly says he/she is not looking to pursue a PhD. In essence the OP is saying "Please fund me, but I do not want to pursue a PhD."
                – Vladhagen
                14 hours ago






                @user2768 Unless the OP gets a PhD, I am rather hesitant to believe that many universities are going to let the OP just come in and do research that's interesting. The OP expressly says he/she is not looking to pursue a PhD. In essence the OP is saying "Please fund me, but I do not want to pursue a PhD."
                – Vladhagen
                14 hours ago






                1




                1




                @Vladhagen I'm not saying that I want to do independent research. I'd like to help with other people's research by doing data analysis.
                – PascLeRasc
                14 hours ago






                @Vladhagen I'm not saying that I want to do independent research. I'd like to help with other people's research by doing data analysis.
                – PascLeRasc
                14 hours ago












                up vote
                10
                down vote













                I think the other answers have mis-understood the OP's goal. He explicitly says that he wants to be a scientific programmer assisting other folks' research programs, not pursuing his own. Such positions do exist at every major research university. How common they are varies by subfield. In my experience physics departments generally leave all the programming to their students and post-docs, while life sciences department will hire quite a few software developers and data analysts, just as they hire a lot of wet-lab technicians. There is a lot of computational work to be done these days that requires fairly mature engineering skills, but is not novel research. Having your chemistry Ph.D. student set up a secure and robust web application is probably not a good use of their time.



                To respond to the OPs question: what you want is not impossible, but you'll have to be lucky to pull it off. While there are scientific programmer positions at every major research university, there are not a lot of them compared to the non-academic world, and they generally don't pay nearly as well. I think PIs find hiring for these positions difficult and time-consuming, so they prefer folks looking for long term positions. Sometimes, one of the functions of these positions is to provide some overlap in institutional memory. Bit rot sets in rapidly each time a student graduates. If you aren't even going to stick around as long as your average Ph.D. student, your utility to the PI is diminished.



                On the other hand, many of the grants that fund these positions are time limited. Projects that only last two to three years seem to be pretty common. That would seem to match pretty well with your goals. Unfortunately, at least in large departments, there seems to be a small cadre of programmers that get shuffled around projects as funding comes and goes. You'll be competing with those folks, and as they have a known local track record, it puts you at a disadvantage. For the same reason, constantly switching fields, would also put you at a disadvantage. Software skills are highly portable, but there is always some domain knowledge that's crucial as well.



                I think your chances of success will be better if you stick to one field, say the life sciences. It will also help if, early on, you can find work on a high profile project, with a prominent PI.






                share|improve this answer

























                  up vote
                  10
                  down vote













                  I think the other answers have mis-understood the OP's goal. He explicitly says that he wants to be a scientific programmer assisting other folks' research programs, not pursuing his own. Such positions do exist at every major research university. How common they are varies by subfield. In my experience physics departments generally leave all the programming to their students and post-docs, while life sciences department will hire quite a few software developers and data analysts, just as they hire a lot of wet-lab technicians. There is a lot of computational work to be done these days that requires fairly mature engineering skills, but is not novel research. Having your chemistry Ph.D. student set up a secure and robust web application is probably not a good use of their time.



                  To respond to the OPs question: what you want is not impossible, but you'll have to be lucky to pull it off. While there are scientific programmer positions at every major research university, there are not a lot of them compared to the non-academic world, and they generally don't pay nearly as well. I think PIs find hiring for these positions difficult and time-consuming, so they prefer folks looking for long term positions. Sometimes, one of the functions of these positions is to provide some overlap in institutional memory. Bit rot sets in rapidly each time a student graduates. If you aren't even going to stick around as long as your average Ph.D. student, your utility to the PI is diminished.



                  On the other hand, many of the grants that fund these positions are time limited. Projects that only last two to three years seem to be pretty common. That would seem to match pretty well with your goals. Unfortunately, at least in large departments, there seems to be a small cadre of programmers that get shuffled around projects as funding comes and goes. You'll be competing with those folks, and as they have a known local track record, it puts you at a disadvantage. For the same reason, constantly switching fields, would also put you at a disadvantage. Software skills are highly portable, but there is always some domain knowledge that's crucial as well.



                  I think your chances of success will be better if you stick to one field, say the life sciences. It will also help if, early on, you can find work on a high profile project, with a prominent PI.






                  share|improve this answer























                    up vote
                    10
                    down vote










                    up vote
                    10
                    down vote









                    I think the other answers have mis-understood the OP's goal. He explicitly says that he wants to be a scientific programmer assisting other folks' research programs, not pursuing his own. Such positions do exist at every major research university. How common they are varies by subfield. In my experience physics departments generally leave all the programming to their students and post-docs, while life sciences department will hire quite a few software developers and data analysts, just as they hire a lot of wet-lab technicians. There is a lot of computational work to be done these days that requires fairly mature engineering skills, but is not novel research. Having your chemistry Ph.D. student set up a secure and robust web application is probably not a good use of their time.



                    To respond to the OPs question: what you want is not impossible, but you'll have to be lucky to pull it off. While there are scientific programmer positions at every major research university, there are not a lot of them compared to the non-academic world, and they generally don't pay nearly as well. I think PIs find hiring for these positions difficult and time-consuming, so they prefer folks looking for long term positions. Sometimes, one of the functions of these positions is to provide some overlap in institutional memory. Bit rot sets in rapidly each time a student graduates. If you aren't even going to stick around as long as your average Ph.D. student, your utility to the PI is diminished.



                    On the other hand, many of the grants that fund these positions are time limited. Projects that only last two to three years seem to be pretty common. That would seem to match pretty well with your goals. Unfortunately, at least in large departments, there seems to be a small cadre of programmers that get shuffled around projects as funding comes and goes. You'll be competing with those folks, and as they have a known local track record, it puts you at a disadvantage. For the same reason, constantly switching fields, would also put you at a disadvantage. Software skills are highly portable, but there is always some domain knowledge that's crucial as well.



                    I think your chances of success will be better if you stick to one field, say the life sciences. It will also help if, early on, you can find work on a high profile project, with a prominent PI.






                    share|improve this answer












                    I think the other answers have mis-understood the OP's goal. He explicitly says that he wants to be a scientific programmer assisting other folks' research programs, not pursuing his own. Such positions do exist at every major research university. How common they are varies by subfield. In my experience physics departments generally leave all the programming to their students and post-docs, while life sciences department will hire quite a few software developers and data analysts, just as they hire a lot of wet-lab technicians. There is a lot of computational work to be done these days that requires fairly mature engineering skills, but is not novel research. Having your chemistry Ph.D. student set up a secure and robust web application is probably not a good use of their time.



                    To respond to the OPs question: what you want is not impossible, but you'll have to be lucky to pull it off. While there are scientific programmer positions at every major research university, there are not a lot of them compared to the non-academic world, and they generally don't pay nearly as well. I think PIs find hiring for these positions difficult and time-consuming, so they prefer folks looking for long term positions. Sometimes, one of the functions of these positions is to provide some overlap in institutional memory. Bit rot sets in rapidly each time a student graduates. If you aren't even going to stick around as long as your average Ph.D. student, your utility to the PI is diminished.



                    On the other hand, many of the grants that fund these positions are time limited. Projects that only last two to three years seem to be pretty common. That would seem to match pretty well with your goals. Unfortunately, at least in large departments, there seems to be a small cadre of programmers that get shuffled around projects as funding comes and goes. You'll be competing with those folks, and as they have a known local track record, it puts you at a disadvantage. For the same reason, constantly switching fields, would also put you at a disadvantage. Software skills are highly portable, but there is always some domain knowledge that's crucial as well.



                    I think your chances of success will be better if you stick to one field, say the life sciences. It will also help if, early on, you can find work on a high profile project, with a prominent PI.







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered 11 hours ago









                    Charles E. Grant

                    80379




                    80379






















                        up vote
                        5
                        down vote













                        I'm pretty sure that the funny looks are because people are making the assumption, probably warranted, that you will be fairly shallow in the work you do. Normally academic research is narrow and deep, so this plan seems too unlike what they expect. Some fields take a long time to learn and even more time to be able to deal effectively at the frontier of knowledge. Someone who wants to do a lot of relatively simple (in their view) things has less value, by far, then another who is a well known expert in a specialized field.



                        Along with this worry is that you wouldn't be a lot of help in leading students to a research (narrow, deep) career as you are a sort of "dabbler" in things.



                        I don't criticize your plan. Being a polymath (even a shallow one) can be a rewarding life. But deep and narrow is what is more valued in academia.



                        At non-research institutions (primarily small undergraduate colleges) you might find a better reception. But even there, not having a doctorate is usually a deal-breaker.






                        share|improve this answer























                        • I plan for my work to be narrow and deep, though. It's simply data science/statistical analysis - it just happens to be in several different fields.
                          – PascLeRasc
                          14 hours ago






                        • 4




                          Until you demonstrate that you can do that, people will be skeptical. The best way is via a PhD (or similar degree). Your claim that you can do it (have done it) is not enough.
                          – Buffy
                          14 hours ago

















                        up vote
                        5
                        down vote













                        I'm pretty sure that the funny looks are because people are making the assumption, probably warranted, that you will be fairly shallow in the work you do. Normally academic research is narrow and deep, so this plan seems too unlike what they expect. Some fields take a long time to learn and even more time to be able to deal effectively at the frontier of knowledge. Someone who wants to do a lot of relatively simple (in their view) things has less value, by far, then another who is a well known expert in a specialized field.



                        Along with this worry is that you wouldn't be a lot of help in leading students to a research (narrow, deep) career as you are a sort of "dabbler" in things.



                        I don't criticize your plan. Being a polymath (even a shallow one) can be a rewarding life. But deep and narrow is what is more valued in academia.



                        At non-research institutions (primarily small undergraduate colleges) you might find a better reception. But even there, not having a doctorate is usually a deal-breaker.






                        share|improve this answer























                        • I plan for my work to be narrow and deep, though. It's simply data science/statistical analysis - it just happens to be in several different fields.
                          – PascLeRasc
                          14 hours ago






                        • 4




                          Until you demonstrate that you can do that, people will be skeptical. The best way is via a PhD (or similar degree). Your claim that you can do it (have done it) is not enough.
                          – Buffy
                          14 hours ago















                        up vote
                        5
                        down vote










                        up vote
                        5
                        down vote









                        I'm pretty sure that the funny looks are because people are making the assumption, probably warranted, that you will be fairly shallow in the work you do. Normally academic research is narrow and deep, so this plan seems too unlike what they expect. Some fields take a long time to learn and even more time to be able to deal effectively at the frontier of knowledge. Someone who wants to do a lot of relatively simple (in their view) things has less value, by far, then another who is a well known expert in a specialized field.



                        Along with this worry is that you wouldn't be a lot of help in leading students to a research (narrow, deep) career as you are a sort of "dabbler" in things.



                        I don't criticize your plan. Being a polymath (even a shallow one) can be a rewarding life. But deep and narrow is what is more valued in academia.



                        At non-research institutions (primarily small undergraduate colleges) you might find a better reception. But even there, not having a doctorate is usually a deal-breaker.






                        share|improve this answer














                        I'm pretty sure that the funny looks are because people are making the assumption, probably warranted, that you will be fairly shallow in the work you do. Normally academic research is narrow and deep, so this plan seems too unlike what they expect. Some fields take a long time to learn and even more time to be able to deal effectively at the frontier of knowledge. Someone who wants to do a lot of relatively simple (in their view) things has less value, by far, then another who is a well known expert in a specialized field.



                        Along with this worry is that you wouldn't be a lot of help in leading students to a research (narrow, deep) career as you are a sort of "dabbler" in things.



                        I don't criticize your plan. Being a polymath (even a shallow one) can be a rewarding life. But deep and narrow is what is more valued in academia.



                        At non-research institutions (primarily small undergraduate colleges) you might find a better reception. But even there, not having a doctorate is usually a deal-breaker.







                        share|improve this answer














                        share|improve this answer



                        share|improve this answer








                        edited 14 hours ago

























                        answered 14 hours ago









                        Buffy

                        33.8k7105174




                        33.8k7105174












                        • I plan for my work to be narrow and deep, though. It's simply data science/statistical analysis - it just happens to be in several different fields.
                          – PascLeRasc
                          14 hours ago






                        • 4




                          Until you demonstrate that you can do that, people will be skeptical. The best way is via a PhD (or similar degree). Your claim that you can do it (have done it) is not enough.
                          – Buffy
                          14 hours ago




















                        • I plan for my work to be narrow and deep, though. It's simply data science/statistical analysis - it just happens to be in several different fields.
                          – PascLeRasc
                          14 hours ago






                        • 4




                          Until you demonstrate that you can do that, people will be skeptical. The best way is via a PhD (or similar degree). Your claim that you can do it (have done it) is not enough.
                          – Buffy
                          14 hours ago


















                        I plan for my work to be narrow and deep, though. It's simply data science/statistical analysis - it just happens to be in several different fields.
                        – PascLeRasc
                        14 hours ago




                        I plan for my work to be narrow and deep, though. It's simply data science/statistical analysis - it just happens to be in several different fields.
                        – PascLeRasc
                        14 hours ago




                        4




                        4




                        Until you demonstrate that you can do that, people will be skeptical. The best way is via a PhD (or similar degree). Your claim that you can do it (have done it) is not enough.
                        – Buffy
                        14 hours ago






                        Until you demonstrate that you can do that, people will be skeptical. The best way is via a PhD (or similar degree). Your claim that you can do it (have done it) is not enough.
                        – Buffy
                        14 hours ago












                        up vote
                        2
                        down vote













                        Core Facilities



                        One opportunity you may consider is seeking employment in some kind of core facility. At least in the United States, research intensive universities often have centralized organizations available to assist research from any discipline needing their services.



                        Often these are organized around specific equipment (such as specialized genomic sequencing) or other resources (such as animal care). However, I have definitely seen examples that are dedicated to providing computing services, including programming and statistical analysis.



                        Being employed at a research core facility would likely offer you the opportunity to focus on the tasks that you love, without needing to develop your own research agenda or teaching. However, the pool for these jobs is significantly smaller.



                        An example of such an organization is the University of Kansas's Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis.



                        Non-Academic Positions



                        A second opportunity could be leaving academia. I've made a career as a data analyst and I've switched industries reliably every 3-5 years. Currently I work in a university analyzing their research and grant performance data, but I've also worked in both private firms and other governmental agencies. Outside of academia it is far more common to see people leave for greener pastures on a regular basis.






                        share|improve this answer

























                          up vote
                          2
                          down vote













                          Core Facilities



                          One opportunity you may consider is seeking employment in some kind of core facility. At least in the United States, research intensive universities often have centralized organizations available to assist research from any discipline needing their services.



                          Often these are organized around specific equipment (such as specialized genomic sequencing) or other resources (such as animal care). However, I have definitely seen examples that are dedicated to providing computing services, including programming and statistical analysis.



                          Being employed at a research core facility would likely offer you the opportunity to focus on the tasks that you love, without needing to develop your own research agenda or teaching. However, the pool for these jobs is significantly smaller.



                          An example of such an organization is the University of Kansas's Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis.



                          Non-Academic Positions



                          A second opportunity could be leaving academia. I've made a career as a data analyst and I've switched industries reliably every 3-5 years. Currently I work in a university analyzing their research and grant performance data, but I've also worked in both private firms and other governmental agencies. Outside of academia it is far more common to see people leave for greener pastures on a regular basis.






                          share|improve this answer























                            up vote
                            2
                            down vote










                            up vote
                            2
                            down vote









                            Core Facilities



                            One opportunity you may consider is seeking employment in some kind of core facility. At least in the United States, research intensive universities often have centralized organizations available to assist research from any discipline needing their services.



                            Often these are organized around specific equipment (such as specialized genomic sequencing) or other resources (such as animal care). However, I have definitely seen examples that are dedicated to providing computing services, including programming and statistical analysis.



                            Being employed at a research core facility would likely offer you the opportunity to focus on the tasks that you love, without needing to develop your own research agenda or teaching. However, the pool for these jobs is significantly smaller.



                            An example of such an organization is the University of Kansas's Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis.



                            Non-Academic Positions



                            A second opportunity could be leaving academia. I've made a career as a data analyst and I've switched industries reliably every 3-5 years. Currently I work in a university analyzing their research and grant performance data, but I've also worked in both private firms and other governmental agencies. Outside of academia it is far more common to see people leave for greener pastures on a regular basis.






                            share|improve this answer












                            Core Facilities



                            One opportunity you may consider is seeking employment in some kind of core facility. At least in the United States, research intensive universities often have centralized organizations available to assist research from any discipline needing their services.



                            Often these are organized around specific equipment (such as specialized genomic sequencing) or other resources (such as animal care). However, I have definitely seen examples that are dedicated to providing computing services, including programming and statistical analysis.



                            Being employed at a research core facility would likely offer you the opportunity to focus on the tasks that you love, without needing to develop your own research agenda or teaching. However, the pool for these jobs is significantly smaller.



                            An example of such an organization is the University of Kansas's Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis.



                            Non-Academic Positions



                            A second opportunity could be leaving academia. I've made a career as a data analyst and I've switched industries reliably every 3-5 years. Currently I work in a university analyzing their research and grant performance data, but I've also worked in both private firms and other governmental agencies. Outside of academia it is far more common to see people leave for greener pastures on a regular basis.







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered 7 hours ago









                            indigochild

                            1,001613




                            1,001613






















                                up vote
                                0
                                down vote













                                Have you considered working on the supercomputing side? My university frequently makes hires in that area, and not only in engineering — some are for positions that assist faculty with supercomputing facilities, and the like. These facilities are usually funded centrally from the university, and/or with large external grants, and so can hire a lot more freely than departments or units with one-off data analysis needs.






                                share|improve this answer



























                                  up vote
                                  0
                                  down vote













                                  Have you considered working on the supercomputing side? My university frequently makes hires in that area, and not only in engineering — some are for positions that assist faculty with supercomputing facilities, and the like. These facilities are usually funded centrally from the university, and/or with large external grants, and so can hire a lot more freely than departments or units with one-off data analysis needs.






                                  share|improve this answer

























                                    up vote
                                    0
                                    down vote










                                    up vote
                                    0
                                    down vote









                                    Have you considered working on the supercomputing side? My university frequently makes hires in that area, and not only in engineering — some are for positions that assist faculty with supercomputing facilities, and the like. These facilities are usually funded centrally from the university, and/or with large external grants, and so can hire a lot more freely than departments or units with one-off data analysis needs.






                                    share|improve this answer














                                    Have you considered working on the supercomputing side? My university frequently makes hires in that area, and not only in engineering — some are for positions that assist faculty with supercomputing facilities, and the like. These facilities are usually funded centrally from the university, and/or with large external grants, and so can hire a lot more freely than departments or units with one-off data analysis needs.







                                    share|improve this answer














                                    share|improve this answer



                                    share|improve this answer








                                    edited 3 hours ago









                                    Buzz

                                    14.3k94574




                                    14.3k94574










                                    answered 5 hours ago









                                    zoned post meridiem

                                    18613




                                    18613






















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