How to change research area

Changing academic research areas can be a career risk, but it can also spark a new enthusiasm for chemistry. Valery Kozhevnikov at Northumbria University, UK, knows this well. He has switched fields several times over the last 20 years; from a PhD in medicinal chemistry to postdoctoral fellowships in supramolecular materials and liquid crystals, and his current focus on phosphorescent metal complexes. He admits it wasn’t always easy, but says he has ‘no regrets whatsoever’.

Switching research area is still rare in chemistry according to Kozhevnikov, who says academic culture expects researchers to stick with the areas in which they have trained. But a recent analysis of publications by physicist Shlomo Halvin from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and colleagues suggested that switching between topics is becoming more common, perhaps due to an increased emphasis on interdisciplinary research. 

If you’re considering a jump to another research area, it’s good to look before you leap. Here’s some advice on how to tackle the hurdles ahead of you.