Withering academic prospects and burgeoning alternative career paths are challenging the age-old notion of academia being the only tenable career path for biomedical scientists. However, students and post-docs find it increasingly uncomfortable to broach the topic of alternative career options with their advisors. In a recent Science article, author Elizabeth Pain talked to Dr. Lynn Kamerlin, an associate professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at Uppsala University, about this issue. Here is a summary of the conversation.
Quizzed on the biggest challenges of the modern job markets, Dr. Kamerlin acknowledges the dearth of academic jobs. She advises students to have back-up career plans even if one aspires for an academic career and strongly discourages lingering in post-doc positions for prolonged periods in the hopes of landing that academic job. She also stresses the need to change the existing belief in graduate school that becoming a professor is the only thing worth doing. Her advice to scientists aspiring for academic careers is to be flexible about where they apply. In addition to the much coveted top-tier positions, she urges candidates to apply to a broad spectrum of institutes to enhance their chances of getting an offer. She also recommends the wide variety of options that are available in industry and beyond for biomedical researchers. Aided with their “logical thinking, advanced problem-solving skills, and numerical skills,” scientists are often attractive candidates in many non-academic fields.
In her own lab, Dr. Kamerlin helps foster an environment where her trainees can pursue careers of their interest. She conducts discussions with her lab members that help her encourage certain, “research directions and advanced courses,” catered to meet individual needs. If the principal investigator sets a tone in the lab where everyone’s career choice is encouraged and appreciated, the environment becomes conducive for trainees to grow and excel. This creates a situation beneficial not only to the students, but also to the PI, because a student’s productivity translates to the PI’s productivity. I personally think that a student who feels nurtured and supported would be more secure and focused about their career choices and would be a better scientist that ultimately is beneficial for the lab. However, in absence of this ideal scenario, she advocates reaching out to resources like university career services [Here is the link to Rutgers Career services to propel one’s career. Luckily for us here at Rutgers, the iJOBS program does just that by providing a platform for exchanging ideas and getting a broader perspective as to “what is out there” in terms of post-graduate careers. Dr. Kamerlin stresses that talking to new professors in the department can be helpful: many of them might be aware of career paths other than academia having considered it themselves before becoming a professor. Career websites and social media outlets can also help in networking and career growth.
Dr. Kamerlin believes that the PI’s responsibility does not end at dishing out advice about a trainee’s project. They should be actively involved in helping their trainee’s make informed career choices providing wise counsel at every step. I think we need to strive for a culture in science where everyone can find their niche no matter what their calling is.
The original article by Elizabeth Pain, published in Science, can be found here.