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Research Outline

Prepared for Jon R. | Delivered December 10, 2019

Life Sciences in Canada

Goals

To determine the current and future number of Masters and PhD graduates that secure employment in Canada in the life sciences sector.

Early Findings

  • Life Sciences can be defined as the field of study that encompasses "the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, biomedical technologies, life systems technologies, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, food processing, environmental, biomedical devices, and organizations and institutions that devote the majority of their efforts in the various stages of research, development, technology transfer and commercialization."
  • An overarching definition of life sciences would link it with anything that pertains to 'organisms', i.e. human beings, plants, and animals.
  • The Corporate Planning and Policy Division of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada published a report on women education, specifically in the natural sciences domain [we have assumed natural sciences to be the same as life sciences], in October 2017. This report can be used to calculate the number of male and female students that acquired bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in 2014. The report also provides trends over the past 20 years, which may be used to extrapolate the numbers to the current year and even beyond that.
  • The same report also published career outcomes for women in natural sciences and related occupations as well as breakdowns for R&D careers (including university faculty, government scientists, and industry researchers). These statistics can be used to calculate the male and female occupancy numbers in 2015 and the trends can be used to extrapolate the numbers to the current year and beyond.
  • Life Science graduates represented 6.4% of Canada's total graduates in 2010.
  • We may also be able to leverage region-wise reports, e.g. Ontario, Mississauga, etc. in determining the requested statistics.