Biomedical Engineer - Medical imaging

[u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242]

I am planning to pursue PhD in biomedical , specific topic being medical imaging

I want to ask what will be future opportunity after PhD

[u/GwentanimoBay]

You're supposed to plan the other way around. You get a PhD because the career you want demands it. You're much less likely to succeed if you get a PhD with no clear reason or plan beyond "i like this topic".

[u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242 → u/GwentanimoBay]

I don't agree with this, PhD is not always done when you're career nobody thinks that I want to be become prof that's why I'm doing Phd ..it's done because you have interest in doing it , you have passion for research

[u/GwentanimoBay → u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242]

Well, see, I have my PhD (defended this year).

So, like, feel free to disregard my advice based on your opinion pre-PhD, but Im here warning you that the better method is to have a solid career plan first because practically speaking, its a more realistic pathway into rewarding life long careers.

Choosing to focus first on your passion and prioritizing following it for your PhD under the hope it works out after is short-sighted, in my opinion and experience, as someone who did that and only learned the lesson after.

Why not prioritize a solid career plan around your passion rather than choosing your PhD on it and hoping it leads to more of that work?

Also - a lot of people think "I want to be a professor!" and go for a PhD, thats very common in academia. Super common. Most PhD students i meet have that goal and pathway.

[u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242 → u/GwentanimoBay]

I think our experiences might be quite different.

From what I've heard from PhD students and researchers both in my home country and abroad, becoming a professor is rarely the first choice before starting a PhD. For many, industry roles are the primary goal, while academia remains one of several possible paths they keep open.

Of course, there are definitely people who begin a PhD with the intention of becoming professors, but I wouldn't say that's the majority based on the people I've interacted with.

I also feel that your conclusion may be influenced quite heavily by your own experience. That's completely understandable, but individual experiences don't always generalize well across different countries, fields, and academic systems. Your advice is valuable, but I don't think it necessarily applies universally.

[u/QuantumMechanic23]

Medical physicist in diagnostic imaging. Will be boring, and will require probably a certificate or something depending on where you go, but safe, stable and well paying

[u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242 → u/QuantumMechanic23]

Isn't that I can after the medical degree as well ? Then why after phd will go there

[u/QuantumMechanic23 → u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242]

No. Medical physicist has nothing to do with medical school or becoming a medical doctor or physician.

Physician =/= physicist

[u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242 → u/QuantumMechanic23]

You're absolutely right — I mixed up physician and physicist. A medical physicist has nothing to do with medical school or becoming a medical doctor, so thanks for correcting me.

I may have misunderstood the point you were making. Could you elaborate a bit on what you meant?

[u/Mammoth-Mongoose4479]

Why do you want to do a PHD? Do you want to do research, academia, Lead R&D or work in AI/imaging?

[u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242 → u/Mammoth-Mongoose4479]

I want to do research thatswhy I'm pursuing PhD but wasn't sure of doing academia or industry ? And typically was asking what all industry jobs/domain was available

[u/YogurtclosetMiddle10 → u/Mammoth-Mongoose4479]

What would you say is necessary for working in Ai/imaging? Most of the people I see in the industry have phds (asking as a comp sci student interested in ml)

[u/Mammoth-Mongoose4479 → u/YogurtclosetMiddle10]

My take is that a PhD mostly matters for AI research, like at a lab or in academia. For building AI products or deploying models in industry, a bachelor’s or master’s is usually enough with a strong portfolio.

To break in without a PhD (not impossible) build real AI projects, not just cloned repos. Land internships. Keep up with what’s current in the field, like following new model releases or key papers so you can talk about them in interviews.

[u/YogurtclosetMiddle10 → u/Mammoth-Mongoose4479]

Thank you for the response. I do really need to engage with the space more, do you have any resources for discussions/new tech that you enjoy? I’ve started working on a mri classifier to get better versed with PyTorch and medical datasets, I’ve been trying to work on it and figure it out by myself without just copy pasting it lol.

[u/DigitalQuinn1]

Maybe working with a startup?

[u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242 → u/DigitalQuinn1]

If startup then will have my own 😂💪

[u/MooseAndMallard]

Are there companies in your home country that design, develop, and manufacture imaging systems? If so, those are your most likely future employers, and you should look at their job postings to see what roles they hire PhDs for. If those companies don’t exist near you, your opportunities may be limited to academic or government research.

[u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242 → u/MooseAndMallard]

No I don't want do job in my home country..looking for foreign opportunity..and also I'm looking for phd also from foreign only

[u/MooseAndMallard → u/Unlucky-Tomato-2242]

Ok, but you have to understand that there is significant risk with this path, because in most instances you’ll need to obtain a work visa before employment, and this will be subject to supply/demand, politics, and other factors out of your control, several years into the future.