iJOBS Event Summary

Written by: Paulina Krzyszczyk Edited by: Huri Mücahit and Tomas Kasza On February 1^st, I attended the iJOBS-sponsored consulting workshop led by Sidnee Pinho, the U.S. Chief Operating Officer of Prescient Healthcare Group. The workshop opened up my eyes to a field that I had previously poorly understood, and therefore not seriously considered as a potential career path. I am very glad that I attended, as I learned a lot about this exciting field.

By Tomas Kasza You might have heard that the first rule of contract research organizations (CROs) is you don’t talk about contract research organizations (CROs). THAT’S A LIE! It turns out that employees of CROs are excited to discuss their career knowledge with PhD and post-doctoral level academic researchers. CROs represent a great opportunity for PhD level scientists to transition from academia to industry. CROs provide essential support, generate fantastic science, and create quality products for the large biotechnology and corporate agencies that they contract with.

by Helena Mello On November 30, the Eagleton Institute of Politics, along with iJOBS, hosted the Eagleton Science and Politics Workshop: Scientists in Politics. As introduced by Eagleton’s Director Ruth B. Mandel, PhD, this workshop is part of a series of events that aim to (1) encourage political engagement in the scientific community, and (2) explore how science, technology, and politics intersect. I had the opportunity to attend the workshop and will share some highlights of it with you.

Written by Vinam Puri Are you studying for (or already are) a Ph.D. in Life Science/Pharma/Biotech? Are you of a creative mind interested in the communication space but not sure if there is a career for you in it? Are you interested in going on an adventure and exploring an area you may not have known? Read right ahead and be just as amazed as I was when I learned about this. The help of a workshop introduced me to a world of opportunities that immediately felt like my niche. Let me introduce this world to you.

By Vicky Kanta On October 4^th, I attended an iJOBS workshop on the topic of emotional intelligence. The presenter was Juliet Hart, the founder of Hart & Chin Associates, LLC., a start-up offering workshops for science professionals. Juliet started out as a bench scientist working for biotech and pharma companies such as Johnson & Johnson. However, she soon realized that she particularly enjoyed the human collaborative aspect of science.

It is the dream of every young scientist; after many agonizing years filled with hard work and perseverance, you are at the finish line. Everything falls into place and you receive the most satisfying email you may ever receive: “We are pleased to announce that your manuscript has been accepted for publication in Nature”. This is the ultimate reward for all the long hours spent in the lab and undoubtedly a sign that your work matters.

The annual iJOBS/BioNJ career fair is the epitome of what you can do with a Ph.D. The iJOBS program stresses that Ph.D.’s can do much more than practice science in the traditional sense. The opportunities are essentially boundless.

This past Thursday, March 22, 2018, I attended a seminar about Medical Affairs held at the Medical Science Building in Newark, NJ.

By: Tomas Kasza On March 16^th iJOBS hosted a career panel of four Rutgers PhD alumni, all of whom have secured impressive positions following completion of their graduate school education. If you have not had a chance to attend one of these Alumni career panels I would highly recommend it because these alumni may be able to direct you toward opportunities available at Rutgers for your desired post-graduate career. One of the panel members was Dr. Abigail Harris, an Assistant Professor at Bloomsburg University located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and graduated in 2013.

By Huri Mücahit Edited by: Tomas Kazsa, Maryam Alapa, and Eileen Oni   The following blog post was written after attending the iJOBS Seminar: How to Prepare for the Industry Job Market For many Ph.D. students, a career in the pharmaceutical industry is considered to be the ultimate goal. However, the job search and application process can be more daunting and lengthy than we would like.