By Alcina A Rodrigues
Are you a PhD student who wants to transition to a non-academic career? Navigating your career in the non-research world can be a challenging process. Given academia’s emphasis on scientific research and bench work, you may often wonder how your doctoral skill set can be applied to your career.
Over the years, the number of PhDs. entering academia has declined. Only 20% of PhDs. who stay in academia are able to secure tenure-track positions. This trend may be due to increased competition for limited academic positions, pressure to publish in high-impact journals, and potential cuts in the funding budget. On the side, the factors attracting PhDs to nonacademic career paths include exposure to diverse career experiences, greater job security, and higher earning potential. Many career options are available outside academia, such as medical writing, consulting, working with government agencies, regulatory affairs, law firms, entrepreneurship, etc. The Rutgers iJOBS program is your go-to resource for more information. As a third-year PhD candidate wanting to explore different career paths, I attended a panel organized by iJOBs comprising Rutgers alums who have recently transitioned into non-research careers after their PhD.
1. Juan Manuel Valdez
Current position: Medical Director, BGB
During his PhD, Juan was a Rutgers Consulting Group (RCG) member and had the opportunity to shadow at Cello Health through the Rutgers iJOBS Phase 3 program. This experience paved the way for him to land his first job as an associate consultant at Cello Health after graduation. As a consultant, he focused on working with small biotech companies, advising them regarding their patient cohort and drug competitors. He later joined BGB as a senior medical writer and has since advanced to the position of medical director. At BGB, he works with pharmaceutical companies to plan strategies and weigh the benefits of drug safety concerns. In this role, he prepares documents to educate doctors and Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) about new drugs and compounds. He also works on the promotion side, reviewing content created by the digital team.
2. Melissa VonDran
Current position: Senior Vice President, Operations and Director, Biorepository National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI)
As a graduate student, Melissa particularly enjoyed the writing and storytelling aspects of her PhD at Robert Wood Medical School. After her PhD, she took up a postdoctoral position in the Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Later, she pursued her passion for teaching by taking on a role as an adjunct professor at local colleges. Currently, Melissa works at NDRI, a non-profit organization that provides research resources to investigators seeking grants from foundations. She oversees teams, manages relationships with partners, handles investigators’ requests, prepares budgets, and plans projects. On the ethical side, she manages communications from stakeholders, patients, donors, IRB protocol, and organ procurement organizations. All aspects of her role align with her interest in grant writing, science communication, and exploring different facets of science.
3. Krista Connelly
Current position: Health Information Authority, Healthcare Compliance Unit of the Department of Corrections
During her PhD at Rutgers University, Krista applied for the Eagleton Science and Politics Fellowship offered by the New Jersey State government. This program allows scientific graduates to use their training and knowledge toward developing and reforming state policies. She had the opportunity to work across various government sectors, including health, the legislature, and the Department of Corrections. As a fellow, she focused on audits, overseeing healthcare and healthcare checks contracts. After completing the fellowship, she was hired by the Department of Corrections, where her role became more focused on responding to open public records and legislative requests. Her department oversees the health care contract, sets medication policies, advises clinical staff, and communicates with the criminal justice unit. Several other opportunities are available through the Eagleton program, including roles as legislative aides and positions for bench scientists in the government's health department.
4. Danielle Kozlosky
Current position: Patent Scientist, Servilla Whitney LLC
Danielle first became interested in a career in patent law through attending iJOBS career panels and was intrigued by the role a PhD graduate could play in this field. This led her to apply for a fellowship at the Technology Transfer Office at Rutgers University, where she joined the patent law office as part of her iJOBS Phase 2 training. Now working as a patent scientist, she serves as a liaison between attorneys and clients. Her team decides if a particular product or research can be patented. Once a decision has been made, the next step is project planning, which involves drafting the patent application, collaborating with attorneys, reviewing relevant databases, and finally filing the case. Danielle is also part-time in law school to become a patent agent. She emphasized that networking and effectively communicating science are the most crucial aspects of her job.
5. Lauren Timmins
Current position: Assistant Vice President of Biotech Equity Research, Piper Sandler Investment Bank
Lauren pursued multiple technology transfer internships during the final semester of her PhD to explore potential career paths. Through this experience, she became interested in health equity research and eventually joined Piper Sandler Investment Bank as an Equity Research Associate. Equity research is an entity that helps companies that are raising money to conduct clinical trials and allows investors and hedge funds to make informed decisions for their clients. She is a Registered broker and had to take the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA ) exams to get a license. A part of her role includes selling securities to hedge funds, institutional investors, and small to mid-cap biotech companies. As an analyst specializing in biotech, she conducts due diligence research, which includes analyzing drug data, evaluating company statistics, assessing competitive molecules, and understanding the various platforms. This information is presented to the investors to guide their decision-making. Equity research teams value MDs and PhDs for their unique expertise.
Overall, the session was very informative and interactive. Learning about health equity research was very intriguing for me and I plan to explore this field by reaching out to people with similar job profiles. Some students were eager to know different ways to prepare for these careers. Some tips from the panelists that I found helpful were networking, tailoring resume to the job description, putting relevant experience, doing informational interviews, applying to many places, and being resilient. Also, an additional point was made that your thesis topic is not critical for obtaining a non-research role. However, the problem-solving skills, PowerPoint presentation creation, attention to detail, and effective scientific communication acquired during your PhD are essential.
This article was edited by Junior Editor Shreya Madhavarapu and Senior Editor Joycelyn Radeny.