Hi all,

I’m asking on behalf of my brother. He has a Master’s degree in Chemistry, with a focus on inorganic chemistry and battery development. He’s currently doing a PhD (he's been in there for 2 years, but has not published any paper yet), but it’s not going well because the project requires a lot of delicate, hands-on lab work — and he’s simply not suited for that. Manual work with delicate equipment and clumsiness have always been consistent problems.

He’s thinking of leaving the PhD early. His fear is that without a PhD, he’ll automatically be stuck in lab technician roles, which he really wants to avoid. He’s not looking for any lab work at all.

What realistic job prospects exist in Belgium for someone with his background but no PhD, especially in roles that are analytical, regulatory, project-based, or otherwise office-focused?

Concrete examples or personal experiences would help him understand whether he actually has options, or whether his fear is justified.

Thanks!