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mbisCool
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I am aware of the job description for an academic professor: research, lectures, grants etc. but i am curious about the full job description of someone doing R&D in industry, and how the two compare. any insight?
GCT said:Someone who is not impassioned about a topic , isn't the most talented at research and thus is not able to make a good living in academia due to it - that is if he wants a nice house , great car , and a boat - may be more attracted to more trivial research with greater pay in the industry.
GCT said:Someone who is not impassioned about a topic , isn't the most talented at research and thus is not able to make a good living in academia due to it - that is if he wants a nice house , great car , and a boat - may be more attracted to more trivial research with greater pay in the industry.
GCT said:My apologies to all who are in the industry that were offended by my original post , " trivial " was a poor choice of a word. If I had a choice I would edit some of the original post. I am actually a chemist in the industry.
My experience in the industry is that there is more filling in of positions with people of relatively modest talent ; the awards are for work that is smaller in theoretical importance and thus the application of such work is not as wide ranging then that of a person distinguished in the academia but more relevant to one company.
quantumlaser said:Don't be such a condescending a--hole. There are many smart people in industry, I would say that most (close to all, actually) are impassioned by their work, otherwise they wouldn't have gone through 5-7 years of graduate school to become qualified for their positions. And their research is far from "trivial."
Topher925 said:I concur. If you look at all the major technological achievements in the past 10 years you will see that the majority of them were created from industry or at least industry/academic partnership. Academic's do a lot of senseless research for tenure, boredom or what ever their motives may be. But industrial research projects are always for some good use, because if it wasn't, then they would be doing that project now would they?
The main difference between industrial R&D and academic research is their purpose. Industrial R&D is primarily focused on developing new products or processes that can be commercialized and generate profits for a company. On the other hand, academic research is more focused on expanding knowledge and understanding in a particular field without the intention of commercialization.
The funding sources for industrial R&D are typically private companies, while academic research is mostly funded by government grants and academic institutions. Private companies may also provide funding for academic research, but the focus is usually on projects that align with their business goals.
Collaboration is common in both industrial R&D and academic research, but the nature of collaboration may differ. In industrial R&D, collaboration often occurs between employees within a company or with external partners, such as suppliers or customers. In academic research, collaboration is often between researchers from different universities or institutions working together on a project.
Industrial R&D projects typically have shorter timelines and more specific goals compared to academic research. This is because industrial R&D needs to produce tangible results that can be implemented in a timely manner to stay competitive in the market. Academic research, on the other hand, may have longer timelines and more open-ended goals as the focus is on advancing knowledge and understanding rather than meeting immediate business needs.
Researchers in industrial R&D can work in a variety of roles, such as research and development scientists, project managers, and product development specialists. In academic research, career opportunities include becoming a professor, postdoctoral researcher, or research assistant. Both paths offer opportunities for career advancement and growth, but the work environments and responsibilities may differ.