My progression in academia seems permanently blocked — should I give up?

This week’s problem

I spent my entire life wanting to be a research scientist. I never went to high school but as an adult I have obtained undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in sciences and management, and I am now finishing a PhD.

However, I have been strongly discouraged from applying for top fellowships. I have published a couple of good papers on my PhD, I work part-time for a consortium at my university and have set up multidisciplinary collaborations. Yet it still seems doors are closed to me. Should I just give up? Female, 30s

Jonathan’s answer

It is remarkable that, despite not going to high school, you are on course for a PhD, and already with some published papers as well. Your resilience, creativity and determination to realise your dream of being a research scientist have surely been developed and tested over the past few years.

You are operating in a man’s world: in the UK, just under 40 per cent of researchers in Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) are women; above the world average of 29 per cent, and in the midpoint of European countries — where some eastern countries are more than 50 per cent and the Netherlands 26 per cent.

In the UK, progression for women in academia becomes progressively less easy; while 45 per cent of “other (ie, junior) academic staff” are female, only 22 per cent of professors are female. Is the discouragement you are hearing an example of one of the causes of this unequal career progression or is it a realistic assessment of the world as it is, rather than as it could be?

There is always the chance that the advice you are receiving has some validity; you could seek others’ opinions to confirm the hypothesis that you would not get a top fellowship, and you could probe to see what specifically would be weak about your application.

While there is a large hole in the road down which you planned to walk — to paraphrase singer/songwriter Portia Nelson — rather than continuing and simply falling into it, what other roads exist to your objective? You could move to another institution, or another country where women in Stem research are more prevalent. You could modify your research subject to one that is now more important and would attract more interest. And you could consider leaving academia to work in research in business; however, in the UK, only 21 per cent of Stem researchers in business are women, compared with 46 per cent of researchers in higher education.

At this stage, you would benefit from collecting more information, both about your performance and about other options you could pursue. Assess the obstacles, and what you can actually do to get around them: you may have to go in a different direction in your next job to reach your goal.

Readers’ advice

Are there any female mentors in your field with whom you could discuss the “strong discouragement” you have experienced and why? Peter Jenkins

I suggest you apply for the top fellowships provided that your publications and collaborators are supportive. I [am] a recently retired academic who was awarded tenure and promotion years ago over the fierce objections of my department’s chair, who had not published anything in years. Kevin F Forbes

Look for a post in industry as soon as you have your PhD, the rewards will be greater and you might even be collaborating with the universities that you once worked in. Ex scientist

Jonathan Black is director of the Careers Service at the University of Oxford. Every fortnight he answers your questions on personal and career development, and working life. Do you have a question for him? Email [email protected]