Author: Jiten Miglani

Most scientists spend years learning how to do the science. We design experiments, troubleshoot protocols, write papers, all of it centred around producing and publishing research. But here’s a career path that asks you to do something a little different: protect that science.

Patent law might not come up at your department’s career panel. It doesn’t sound like the obvious next step after a PhD. But for scientists who love the thinking behind research, without necessarily wanting to stay at the bench, it’s one of the most underrated pivots out there.

So let’s break it down.

What does a patent law clerk actually do?

A patent law clerk works alongside patent attorneys to help prepare, file, and prosecute patent applications. In plain terms, when a scientist or company invents something new, someone has to write it up in a way that legally protects it. That someone needs to understand the science well enough to explain it clearly and defend it if challenged.

That’s where you come in.

Your job is to dig into an invention, understand it thoroughly, document it precisely, and help build the legal case for why it’s new, useful, and worth protecting. You’re not just a helper. You’re the person in the room who actually understands what the invention does.

Patent clerks work in law firms, biotech and pharmaceutical companies, university technology transfer offices, or government bodies like the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office). The work is detailed, structured, and intellectually demanding, in a completely different way from research.

This might be for you if you:

💡 Love learning about science without being tied to a single project or lab
💡 Like seeing the finish line, the final product, the real-world application
💡 Enjoy writing and explaining complex ideas clearly
💡 Want to help scientists protect and communicate their work
💡 Thrive in a structured work environment with clear deliverables
💡 Are genuinely curious about how law and science overlap
💡 Want to build a career that keeps you close to cutting-edge research, just from a different angle

What does a typical day look like?

Depending on where you work, a day as a patent law clerk could involve reading a new invention disclosure and figuring out what makes it novel, drafting claims (the legal language that defines the boundaries of a patent), responding to office actions from patent examiners, sitting in on client meetings, or researching prior art to understand what already exists in a given field.

There’s a lot of reading. A lot of writing. And a lot of thinking, not like a scientist, but like a lawyer. That mental shift takes time, and it’s part of what makes this career genuinely interesting for people who like challenging themselves in new ways.

Why do patent law firms want scientists?

Here’s the short answer: it’s a lot easier to teach a scientist law than to teach a lawyer science.

Patent law requires you to understand an invention deeply, not just on the surface, but well enough to anticipate challenges and write airtight protections around it. If you’ve spent years running experiments, reading papers, and thinking critically about data, you already have the foundation most law graduates don’t.

Your PhD isn’t a detour here. It’s the reason you’re hireable.

Things to keep in mind:

📚 Most patent law clerk roles require you to eventually sit the patent bar exam, this is separate from law school and specifically tests your knowledge of USPTO rules and procedures. It’s very passable with focused preparation.

📚 If you want to move into patent attorney territory, you’re looking at law school (3–4 years), the LSAT, and the bar exam on top of that. That’s a significant commitment, and worth thinking through carefully before you start down that road.

📚 The writing style is very different from academic writing. Patent claims are precise, repetitive by design, and written for a legal audience. It takes getting used to, but most scientists pick it up faster than they expect.

📚 The field can feel slow-paced compared to research. There’s no experimental adrenaline here. If you need that energy, this might not be the right fit.

Job titles to look for:

💻 Patent Law Clerk / Technical Specialist
💻 Patent Agent (once you’ve passed the patent bar)
💻 Patent Examiner (government-facing role at the USPTO)
💻 IP Analyst or Technology Transfer Specialist

How to explore this career before committing:

🗣️ Start with networking, find patent agents or attorneys with science backgrounds on LinkedIn and ask for a 20-minute conversation. Most are genuinely happy to talk about how they got there.

🗣️ Volunteer or intern with your university’s technology transfer office. This is one of the best low-stakes ways to see the work up close.

🗣️ Take an introductory course on intellectual property, many universities offer these, and there are solid online options too.

🗣️ If your lab is in the process of patenting something, ask to sit in on the meetings. Even one conversation with the patent attorney involved will teach you more than a week of reading.

Patent law isn’t for everyone, but for scientists who love the thinking side of research and want to stay connected to innovation without staying in the lab, it’s a genuinely exciting option. And the fact that your science background makes you more valuable, not less? That’s a pretty good place to start.

Here’s a career that doesn’t get nearly enough airtime in PhD programs, and honestly, it should. Because for scientists who love the bench work but are ready to step away from the pressure of publishing, grants, and academic timelines, the Applications Scientist role is one of the most satisfying pivots you can make.

Most people haven’t heard of it. And the ones who have often think it’s basically a sales job with a lab coat. It’s not. Let’s actually break it down.

What does an Applications Scientist do?

An Applications Scientist, sometimes called a Field Application Scientist (FAS) or Technical Application Scientist (TAS), is the scientific bridge between a company and its customers . Think of the companies that make the instruments, reagents, and tools researchers use every day: Thermo Fisher, Illumina, Bio-Rad, 10x Genomics, Nikon. These companies need people who can go into a customer’s lab, understand exactly what they’re trying to do scientifically, and make sure the technology actually works for them .

That’s your job.

You’re not selling a product. You’re making sure the scientist using it succeeds with it. You troubleshoot experiments, run demonstrations and training sessions, help customers design their workflows, and translate complex technical information into practical guidance . Internally, you’re also the person feeding customer insights back to the product and R&D teams, which means your scientific perspective genuinely shapes how products evolve.

It’s a role where your bench experience isn’t something you’re moving away from. It’s the entire reason you’re valuable.

This might be for you if you:

💡 Love troubleshooting, genuinely enjoy figuring out why an experiment isn’t working
💡 Are comfortable talking to scientists at all career stages, from PhD students to PIs
💡 Enjoy teaching and explaining, not just doing
💡 Want variety in your day-to-day, no two customer problems are the same
💡 Are ready to leave the pressure of publishing cycles and grant deadlines behind
💡 Like the idea of travel and working across different labs and institutions
💡 Want to stay close to cutting-edge research without being responsible for generating it

What does a typical day actually look like?

Depending on whether your role is lab-based or field-based, a day might look very different. A Field Application Scientist is typically territory-based and spends a significant amount of time on the road, visiting customer labs, running on-site demonstrations, delivering training sessions, and supporting new product rollouts .

An in-house or lab-based Applications Scientist spends more time at a company facility, running experiments, developing protocols, testing products pre-launch, and supporting the technical sales process remotely .

Both versions require the same core skill set: deep scientific knowledge, clear communication, and the ability to stay calm when something isn’t working and a customer is waiting on answers. It’s high-responsibility work, but it’s also the kind of work that makes you feel genuinely useful every single day.

Why do companies want scientists in this role?

Because there is no substitute for actually having done the work.

When a customer is troubleshooting a flow cytometry panel at 9pm before a grant deadline, they need to talk to someone who has been in that exact situation. Not someone who read about it. The credibility of an Applications Scientist comes entirely from their scientific background, and companies like Thermo Fisher, Illumina, and Corning know this . They’re not looking for generic industry experience. They’re looking for people who understand the science well enough to earn the trust of the researchers they’re supporting.

Your PhD or Master’s degree isn’t a detour into this role. It’s the job requirement.

Things to keep in mind:

📚 Field-based roles involve real, consistent travel. For some people, this is one of the best parts of the job, seeing different labs, meeting researchers across institutions, building relationships across a region . For others, it’s unsustainable long-term. Be honest with yourself about this before you apply.

📚 This role sits at the intersection of science and sales. You are not a salesperson, but you do support the commercial process. Some scientists find this uncomfortable at first. It gets easier, and most Applications Scientists say the commercial side ends up being genuinely interesting once they’re in it .

📚 Strong interpersonal skills matter here as much as scientific knowledge. You’re working with customers who are often stressed, time-pressured, and frustrated. Being calm, patient, and solutions-focused is not optional, it’s the core of what makes someone good at this job .

📚 Career progression is real and varied. After a few years as a FAS, many scientists move into product management, marketing, technical sales leadership, or even R&D roles within the company . The breadth of exposure you get, customer insights, product knowledge, commercial strategy, makes you genuinely versatile.

📚 The role can feel less research-forward over time. You’re supporting science, not conducting it. If you think you might want to return to research later, that’s worth thinking about now.

Job titles to look for:

💻 Field Application Scientist (FAS)
💻 Applications Scientist / Technical Application Scientist
💻 Technical Support Scientist
💻 Field Application Specialist
💻 Product Specialist (Science-focused)

How to explore this career:

🗣️ Use LinkedIn to find scientists in FAS roles and reach out. This community is notably open and generous, most Field Application Scientists are happy to talk about how they got there and what the day-to-day actually looks like.

🗣️ Pay attention to company-specific platforms. Thermo Fisher, Bio-Rad, and Danaher all post FAS roles regularly and have structured onboarding programs for scientists coming from academia.

🗣️ UCSF’s InterSECT Job Simulations platform has specific simulations for Field Application Scientist tasks, including giving a pre-sales seminar and troubleshooting customer questions. Worth doing before your first interview .

🗣️ Look at job descriptions from companies in your specific scientific area, genomics, proteomics, cell biology, imaging, and map your bench experience directly to the products they support. The more specific your match, the stronger your application.

🗣️ Want to read more about this career? Science.org has a piece on the Applications Scientist career track worth bookmarking: The Applications Scientist Career Track, Science.org

The Applications Scientist role is one of those careers that makes a lot of scientists say “I didn’t know this existed, and it’s exactly what I was looking for.” If you love science, love problem-solving, and are ready to use your expertise in a way that directly helps other researchers do their best work, this one is worth taking seriously.