Want to become a scientist?
Scientists are the people who help us to understand the world around us. They ask questions, generate theories, conduct experiments, make observations and discover things about life and the universe that no one has ever known before.
There’s more to science than dementia research of course. People with a scientific training can go into a range of industries and professions. Doctors, vets, engineers, economists, geologists, pilots, computer programmers and psychologists all usually have a background in science and maths.
Even if you’re not sure you want to become a scientist, having a background in science can show employers that you’re able to problem-solve and understand complex ideas, and it keeps your options open for a range of careers.

The journey to becoming a scientist starts at school. Taking science and maths at GCSE and A Level is often the best way to embark on a career in science.
At university there are lots of different degrees in scientific subjects to choose from and research scientists usually go on to do postgraduate qualifications such as a PhD. A PhD is a three or four-year programme of research, working as part of an established research team. As part of a PhD, you decide on an important scientific question you want to investigate and develop the techniques and expertise to answer the question during the course of your project.
The national careers service provides information about a career as a research scientist as well as other scientific careers and the futuremorph website also has career advice and case studies about a range of science careers. Take a look and find out more!