Career Opportunities (Undergraduate)
All of our undergraduate degree programmes are recognised by the Institute of Physics, the professional body for physicists in Ireland and the UK. From international companies to being successful entrepreneurs, our alumni rely on the problem-solving and interdisciplinary research skills that they gain in our undergraduate degree programmes. Graduates from the School of Physics have successfully developed careers in the following areas:
- Academic Research
- Industrial Research & Development
- Medicine/Medical Physics
- Science Communication & Education
- Data Analytics/Market Analysis
- Environmental Protection
- Space Weather and Climate Science
- Education
- Business Development & Administration
- Actuary
- Finance and Investment Management
- Scientific Consultancy
Careers Advisory Service (CAS)
The CAS provides a range of services to Trinity students including drop-in C.V./LinkedIn profile clinics, workshops and interview preparation. The CAS is located directly next to Trinity’s campus. The School of Physics also has a dedicated Career Adviser who supports our undergraduate students through one-to-one appointments. You can find out more about the CAS and the Physics Career Advisor here.
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I completed my degree in nanoscience in 2008. During my final year, I got the opportunity to undertake a short research project at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Developing this contact is probably the most life-defining outcome of the course for me, as it led to my PhD position in Australia. I found that the nanoscience degree provided a very solid fundamental understanding of both physics and chemistry. This has allowed me to transition between fields and between projects, and to publish in both chemistry and physics journals.
Research Fellow, University of Wollongong, Australia
After finishing my Nanoscience degree in 2012, I began a taught masters in the University of Sheffield studying Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine. This sparked my interest in the pharmaceutical/medical device industry. I got my first job in a cosmetics company, Oriflame, as a Graduate Development Scientist, specialising in packaging testing. Here I gained the industrial lab based experience I needed to break into the pharmaceutical/medical device industry. After 8 months in Oriflame I moved to Cork city to work with the Eurofins Lancaster Labs team as a contractor in Janssen Biologics. Currently I am working in a Bioassay lab as a Scientific Analyst.
Scientific Analyst, Eurofins Lancaster Labs
After four great years studying Physics at Trinity, I headed to Oxford for an MSc in Applied Mathematics before completing a PhD in climate science at MIT. I spent most of my time during my PhD running climate simulations under the supervision of another Trinity Physics graduate Prof Paul O’Gorman! My PhD research involved extensive use of the coding skills I honed in the computer lab in the SNIAM during my degree!
Research Fellow, ETH Zurich
I graduated with a degree in Theoretical Physics in 2014. During the summer before my final year, I undertook an internship at NASA Goddard working on a solar physics project and this really sparked my interest in solar physics research. After I graduated, I joined the Astrophysics Research Group here in Trinity and started my PhD in solar physics. I'm now working on a collaborative project between Trinity and NASA, with opportunities to visit and work there throughout my PhD. My undergraduate degree in Theoretical Physics provided a fundamental basis in both mathematics and physics, and this enabled me to make an easy transition into different fields. The course gave me the opportunity to study a broad range of topics which has really prepared me for my current research.
PhD Researcher at Trinity College Dublin
If you want to know more about where recent Trinity physics graduates have gone, check out the Trinity Career’s Advisory Service “First Destination Survey”.