By Joycelyn Radeny
For years, it has been assumed that the primary destination for Ph.D. graduates lies within academia. However, the landscape is evolving, and the current reality is that individuals are finding diverse avenues to keep their passion for research without venturing into academic roles. On July 25th, 2023, I had the opportunity to attend a career panel on research careers in industry hosted by iJOBS. Career panelists shared information about their current roles and offered guidance on overcoming challenges while transitioning from academia to industry, mastering the job application process, and preparing for industry roles. If you are a dedicated, passionate Ph.D. student or postdoctoral researcher but are interested in pursuing a career outside of academia, this career panel is where your journey starts! Keep reading to find the invaluable wisdom and inspiration from our panelists.
Panelist: Kai-Ti Chang, Ph.D.
Graduate School: University of Maryland at College Park
Career role: Senior Scientist at Regeneron
As a senior scientist at Regeneron, Dr. Chang primarily focuses on antibody characterization in late-stage development using analytical assays. To find industry roles, Dr. Chang used a four-step strategy. First, he carefully studied the job description and tailored his resume to include key points and words matching the description. Second, he contacted the hiring manager to demonstrate his interest in the job and the company. Third, he made sure to conduct background research on his interviewers. Lastly, he read scientific publications from the hiring company to demonstrate his knowledge about his potential future employer. Dr. Chang highly recommended using LinkedIn to learn about interviewers and network with industry professionals. One of the major challenges Dr. Chang had to overcome when applying for industry roles was demonstrating the applicability of academia acquired skills in industry positions. He studied multiple job descriptions to gain insight into the necessary transferrable skills, and that allowed him to market himself better to industry recruiters. Dr. Chang emphasized doing internships through the iJOBS program to prepare for industry roles while in graduate school.
Panelist: Stephania Guzman Diaz, Ph.D.
Graduate School: Rutgers School of Graduate Studies
Career role: Leadership Development Program at Eli Lilly
Dr. Diaz works at Eli Lily within the leadership development program, where she can complete three rotations in any area of interest over two years. Her first rotation was in business development, where she worked on building external collaborations with various start-up biotechnology companies. In her second and current rotation, she is a clinical trial project manager on a phase III diabetes study. Dr. Diaz followed three key strategies while searching and applying for industry jobs. First, she heavily used LinkedIn as a networking and job-searching tool, which ultimately helped her land her current role. Second, she joined a science mentoring diversity program, which connects trainees with an industry mentor for a year. Mentorship like this is important because it provides a myriad of networking opportunities that trainees can use to find jobs and internships. Lastly, Dr. Diaz was part of the iJOBS phase II program, allowing her to find and build connections that were pivotal in her job search. For Dr. Diaz, the career transition from academia to industry was smooth because she focused on acquiring career advancement skills during graduate school, including project management, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication. In her current role, Dr. Diaz can fully explore her research interests through a variety of collaborations or projects and still has time for hobbies and activities on the weekends, which was a rare occurrence when she was in academia.
Panelist: Nicole Torosin, Ph.D.
Graduate School: University of Utah
Career role: Bioinformatics Scientist at Tally Health
As a bioinformatician, Dr. Torosin analyzes data and develops bioinformatics pipelines for research and development in epigenetics and aging. When applying for industry jobs, Dr. Torosin also used a three-step approach. First, she transformed her academic CV into a resume, tailored to each role she applied for. Second, she was quick in applying to jobs outside her field of expertise. Dr. Torosin reminded students that even though the field of research may differ from one’s Ph.D. thesis work, the transferrable skills (project management, critical thinking, communication, data analysis) learned in academia are invaluable in industry. Third, she networked with individuals in the companies to which she was interested in applying. Because Dr. Torosin’s job was quite different from her field of expertise, Dr. Torosin worked long hours in her initial years, and taught herself to prioritize and work more diligently. When asked what she would have done differently to better prepare for industry, Dr. Torosin emphasized learning about different industry jobs and options as early as possible, especially for those unsure about staying in academia. She also recommended attending iJOBS events as a great way to explore industry options.
Panelist: Michelle Zeliph, Ph.D.
Graduate School: Rutgers School of Graduate Studies
Career role: Microbiologist in R&D Product Microbiology at Ethicon
As a microbiologist, Dr. Zeliph evaluates antimicrobial medical devices. She also conducts stability tests of products currently in the market for determining shelf-life. To transition from academia to industry, Dr. Zeliph utilized three strategies. First, she took a leap of faith and applied for roles she liked without worrying whether it was the right or wrong time to apply. Second, she ensured that her resume matched her LinkedIn profile for every job application, as hiring managers tend to research prospective candidates. Third, Dr. Zeliph used the industry network she built to transition into her current role. So far, the greatest difference Dr. Zeliph has noticed between research in academia and industry is the strict guidelines for documentation, such as accurate records of instrument and equipment calibrations, detailed information on reagents and laboratory products, and good laboratory practices. While this can be intimidating initially, Dr. Zeliph reassured the audience that adhering to these strict standards and guidelines gets easier with time. Like Dr. Torosin, Dr. Zeliph advised attendees to explore industry positions as early as possible. She recommended taking advantage of the iJOBS program by attending industry career panels to explore various career pathways, followed by applying to iJOBS Phase II program.
Panelist: Huseyin Erguven
Graduate School: McGill University
Career role: Medicinal Chemist at Paraza Pharma
As a medicinal chemist, Dr. Erguven focuses on drug development, i.e., synthesizing and analyzing drug-like molecules and proposing novel molecules. When applying for industry jobs, Dr. Erguven faced immigration challenges being an international student. Therefore, he urged international students to research visa-related restrictions and available visa alternatives at the earliest opportunity. He also recommended studying company policies about visa sponsorship and immigration. This enables international students to focus their application on companies equipped to handle visa restrictions. Dr. Erguven relied heavily on his networks during the job application process. One of the most significant changes Dr. Erguven noticed when transitioning to industry was the fast-paced environment. He attributed teamwork as essential to adapting to the fast-paced environment. Another change he saw was the unexpected change in the project’s priorities. If projects in the industry are not making progress, it is common to pivot to a new one. Therefore, Dr. Erguven emphasized the importance of being open and flexible to change.
Panelist: Agata Krzyzanowaska, Ph.D.
Graduate School: Rutgers School of Graduate Studies
Career role: Scientific Lead at Eli Lilly
As a scientific lead in the field of oncology, Dr. Krzyzanowaska’s responsibilities include designing and executing experiments, analyzing and presenting data, making crucial decisions about the project’s future, and attending training sessions. During the job application process, Dr. Krzyzanowaska used four main strategies. First, she attended iJOBS events, such as mock interviews, to help her understand the interview process and formulate her responses. Second, she was intentional about building her network, which included contacting alums who worked at or had networks in companies of interest. Third, she tailored a two-page resume to each position she applied to. Lastly, during the interview, she emphasized relevant skills to the positions of interest. When transitioning into industry, Dr. Krzyzanowaska noted various significant differences, including a fast-paced environment and rapid change in priorities, similar to Dr. Erguven’s experience.
After all panelists shared information about their roles, they were given the opportunity to reflect on unique actions that positively impacted their career search experience. They all agreed on the importance of networking at every stage of graduate school or postdoctoral research. Some networking methods include attending research conferences or connecting with employees/past graduate students in companies of interest on LinkedIn. Panelists provided further words of wisdom shared below:
- If you are having trouble finding a position at a large pharmaceutical company, the best place to start is at a Contract Research Organization (CRO). CROs are recruited by large pharmaceutical companies for various services, such as conducting research. From a CRO, one can transition into a small biotechnology company before moving to a large pharmaceutical company.
- Using staffing agencies to get contract positions in companies of interest is a great way to get your foot in the door.
- If you are an international student, contact an immigration attorney to understand your visa options before applying for jobs.
These shared experiences of the panelists can help graduate students and postdoctoral researchers take the necessary steps to venture into industry roles. Therefore, if you want to transition into industry from academia, take advantage of the precious information offered in this panel discussion!