Analyst & Scientist in Both the Technical + Business Sides

Name: Luke Savory (he/him)

PhD: Physical Chemistry, University of Hull, 2015

What was your main area of research?

My PhD involved measuring, modelling and visualising the process by which soap (surfactants) work to help extract oil from the rocks which make up oil reservoirs, so that the oil trapped in the rocks can be extracted. This was classic Physics-based/first-principles modelling, not modelling utilising Machine Learning.

What is your current job?

I am a Business Analyst and Data Scientist for Sauce Consultants in Hull, UK.

I work at a small (17 person) consultancy, and as such, my job can be very varied (hence the Business Analyst & Data Scientist title).

Generally, I work with potential new and existing clients, to ensure that the problems they want solved with software are clearly defined and understood by the software developers who will be working on the projects. I manage the projects and the client, to ensure that things progress smoothly and efficiently.

Outside of the project work, in the time I have remaining, I work on various self-initiated Data Science projects, which have included: classic data analysis and machine learning problems, and implementation of LLM based chatbots for users to ask questions about product documentation.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I love that I can get stuck in, and help to solve real world problems, and often quite quickly see the results of this work (sometimes in academia, the results can take a long time to see).

What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had during your PhD that now helps you in your current position?

First and foremost, the ability to analyse a situation and work out the fundamental issue that needs solving/understanding. There is a lot of noise in the business world, and being able to see the signal through the noise, and pinpoint what the actual problem is, is invaluable.

Second to that, the self-initiation of research and development. This is not always common within industry, but is again invaluable, even when you're not in an R&D position.

How did you build the skills necessary for your current role?

They were built mostly by jumping in at the deep end, asking a load of questions, and keeping a learning and research mindset.

My curiosity took me down a number of paths, including reading and a Udemy course on Python for machine learning. Over time, it all started to come together, but at first, it felt quite disjointed.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

I was working at a personal protective equipment (PPE) company in R&D and was trying to find a software company to develop some software for us. So I had some discussions with Sauce, and followed them on LinkedIn. Around 6 months later, I saw a position advertised, and applied for it.

PhD graduate ➡️ Quality Assurance (QA) Technician (2.5 months) ➡️ Chemist, Sr. Chemist, Principal Chemist (R&D at Ansell) ➡️ Product Owner/Business Analyst/Data Scientist

If someone is interested in a similar role, what would you recommend they start doing now to prepare?

Look for ways to learn about both the technical and the business aspects.

I learned most through connecting with people, and asking questions, and trying to get invited into situations where I would learn more about the business side (because I knew that my technical side was strong).

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

It was very difficult. During my PhD, I very much saw myself doing postdocs and becoming a Lecturer. When I completed my PhD, I already have a 9 month old daughter, and another on the way, and I need financial stability (which multiple postdocs wouldn't afford). It was tough, but ultimately, I'm very happy I did pursue a career in industry.

I spent 7 years within my subject area (Physical Chemistry R&D), which was tough at first to get into a more industrial mindset, but I ended up getting promoted quickly, and managing a whole lab. Then the transition out of Chemistry into software/AI/ML was also tough, but has ultimately been worth it. After 3 years, I feel a lot more confident within software.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

Focus on your transferable skills, and your core passions. There are many ways you can use these skills, and fulfill these desires, they don't all have to look like academia has you believe.