STEM careers https://grad.rutgers.edu/ en iJOBS Career Panel: Patent Specialists and Attorneys https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/ijobs-career-panel-patent-specialists-and-attorneys <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--news.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>iJOBS Career Panel: Patent Specialists and Attorneys</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--news.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><span>By Shreya Madhavarapu </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'filter_caption' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/filter/templates/filter-caption.html.twig' --> <figure role="group" class="align-center"> <img alt="gavel and book with the title &quot;patent law&quot;" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b222be88-5198-4533-9413-f35e21e0cd06" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/iJOBS%20Career%20Panel-%20Patent%20Specialists%20and%20Attorneys_SM_teaser.jpg" /> <figcaption>Source of photo: <a href="https://pix4free.org/">https://pix4free.org/</a>. CC BY-SA 3.0</figcaption> </figure> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/filter/templates/filter-caption.html.twig' --> </p> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><span><span>In the dynamic landscape of post-PhD and post-doctoral career choices, the traditional trajectory of academia is no longer the sole path for those STEM disciplines. The rich skill set cultivated during a PhD training can be a key asset in diverse and intellectually stimulating fields. For those seeking a career path that combines their technical expertise with legal acumen, intellectual property (IP) and patent law are compelling options. Intellectual property encompasses legal protections for innovations, inventions, and creative works, with patent law specifically focusing on the safeguarding of novel and non-obvious inventions.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><span><span>On October 9<sup>th</sup>, 2023, iJOBS hosted a career panel featuring individuals working in IP and patent law. The panelists were </span></span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/haowubiomed/"><span><span><span>Hao Wu</span></span></span></a><span><span>, an in-house patent agent at Exelixis, Inc.; </span></span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayitaguhaniyogi/"><span><span><span>Jayita Guhaniyogi</span></span></span></a><span><span>, an IP Litigation Attorney at McDermott Will &amp; Emery; and </span></span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-p-ghidu-ph-d-1227691/"><span><span><span>Victor P. Ghidu</span></span></span></a><span><span>, a Partner at Morgan, Lewis &amp; Bockius LLP. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><span><span>Hao Wu holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Rowan University. During her doctoral studies, she participated in the iJOBS SciPhD workshop and explored potential career transitions. One notable path she pursued was a </span></span><a href="https://research.rutgers.edu/researcher-support/commercialize-your-innovation/internships-and-career-opportunities"><span><span>technology transfer internship</span></span></a><span><span>, providing her with valuable insights into the patent system, business development, and document drafting. It also illuminated ways for her to leverage her background and training in other avenues and played a pivotal role in showcasing her interest in patent law to future employers, Howson &amp; Howson, LLP. Serving as a technical specialist, she focused on patent prosecution in the field of cell and gene therapy technologies. Patent prosecution is focused on helping clients obtain patents for their inventions. Technical specialists work with clients to determine if something is patentable and assist with drafting patent applications and navigating the patent filing process. After 3 years in this role, seeking a change, Hao relocated to the west coast and joined Foley &amp; Lardner, LLP, transitioning towards patent litigation. While patent prosecution deals with helping secure patents, patent litigation is focused on resolving conflicts, enforcing patents, and defending patent rights via the legal system. Despite passing the patent bar and working as a patent agent, her immigration status limited the recognition in this role. Approximately a year and a half ago, she took on her current position at Exelixis, Inc as an in-house patent scientist using her scientific expertise to contribute to internal research and development and the patenting process.  </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><span><span>Rutgers University Alumna, Jayita Guhaniyogi initially encountered patent law during her doctoral studies in biochemistry but went on to pursue two postdoctoral degrees before making the transition to patent law. During her second postdoctoral training, a colleague approached her with an enticing offer - matching her postdoc salary and handling in-house and outside counsel responsibilities. This prompted her to take the risk and make the switch to patent law. In 2008, she started as an IP manager at a small biotech spin-off from Princeton, transitioning from the bench to drafting examples for patent applications. Collaborating with outside counsel, Jayita found mentors who fueled her passion for patent law, fostering lasting friendships. Support from the company CEO and involvement with the technology transfer office at Princeton University further enriched her experience. Motivated to deepen her legal knowledge, she pursued law school part-time over four years while working full-time. Through on-campus interviews, Jayita joined an IP boutique firm as a summer associate, specializing in pharmaceutical patent litigation. Her role allowed her to leverage her scientific background and assist experts in navigating the litigation process, embracing the multifaceted nature of litigation—an aspect she values. Jayita switched firms a few times before landing in her current position.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><span><span>Victor Ghidu began his journey in Romania as a product manager before moving to the United States to pursue a PhD in Chemistry at Case Western Reserve University. This was followed by postdoctoral trainings at Vanderbilt University and Temple University. It was during his time at Temple that he discovered an interest in patent law and decided to pursue law school part-time. Upon graduation, he started at a boutique law firm, becoming a <a>patent agent</a></span></span><span><span> </span></span><span><span>after about two years. Eventually, he transitioned to his present company starting as an associate and recently earning a promotion to partner. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><span><span>To help the audience understand some of the positions individuals venturing into patent law can explore, the panelists provided detailed information. Victor delved into the differences between technical specialists, patent agents, and patent attorneys. Despite their shared focus on patent law intricacies, the roles differ significantly. Technical specialists, often holding PhDs, play a vital role in drafting and submitting patent documentation, utilizing their technical expertise. In order to become</span></span><span lang="FR" xml:lang="FR" xml:lang="FR"><span> a patent agent</span></span><span><span>, they must pass the </span></span><a href="https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/patent-and-trademark-practitioners/becoming-patent-practitioner"><span><span>USPTO patent bar</span></span></a><span><span>. Patent attorneys are those who have completed law school and offer a broader perspective, handling disputes, providing legal advice, and guiding clients through the entire patent process, from application to enforcement. The distinctions underscore the complementary nature of these roles in the multifaceted field of intellectual property. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><span><span>Jayita provided a comprehensive overview of the patent litigation process, which is one of the tasks of a patent attorney. The patent litigation process has four distinct phases:</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Phase 1 involves scrutinizing patent file histories and formulating case theories, with restricted communication between litigators and prosecution attorneys. In phase 1, the case is initiated, complaints are filed, and patent attorneys manage the case</span></span><span lang="SV" xml:lang="SV" xml:lang="SV"><span> docket</span></span><span><span>, deadlines, and overall </span></span><span lang="NL" xml:lang="NL" xml:lang="NL"><span>coordination </span></span><span><span>within the team. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Phase 2 encompasses evidence collection through written discovery, fact depositions, claim construction, and collaboration with experts for trial preparation. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Phase 3 involves collaboration between patent attorneys and experts on report drafting, expert depositions, and simplified court presentations. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Phase 4 focuses on trial preparation, pre-trial submissions, motion practice, and post-trial submissions, including findings of facts and conclusions of law.</span></span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><span><span>Following the detailed description of various roles, panelists were given the opportunity to reflect on and provide valuable insights into various aspects of pursuing a career in IP and patent law. They stressed the importance of passing the USPTO bar and shared some practical advice about preparing for it, emphasizing the importance of strategy, practice, and resources like the </span></span><a href="https://www.pli.edu/poec/home"><span><span><span>PLI course</span></span></span></a><span><span>. Hao stressed that her internship experience with the technology transfer office was pivotal to her journey and encouraged anyone interested in transitioning to a career in IP in pursuing it. As someone who has done this internship, I can attest to it being an excellent starting point for exploring alternate careers in research commercialization, business development, marketing as well as IP and patent law. During my internship, I was exposed to different facets of identifying, protecting, and commercializing innovations generated by Rutgers University researchers. I had the opportunity to engage with patent attorneys and learn about the process of patenting innovations. I also had the opportunity to learn about licensing agreements and understand the intricacies of transforming research into marketable products. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><span><span>These invaluable words of wisdom offered by the panelists serve a critical role in helping graduate students and postdoctoral researchers take steps towards a career in patent law. If you are interested in a career in patent law, now is the time to be proactive! </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"> </p> <p class="Body"><span><span><span><span><em><span><span>This article was edited by Junior Editor Joycelyn Radeny and Senior Editor Natalie Losada.</span></span></em></span></span></span></span></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--news.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/352" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">nml95</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--news.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Wed, 01/24/2024 - 15:03</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-tags--news.html.twig * field--node--field-tags.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Topic Areas</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/251" hreflang="en">Biomedical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/282" hreflang="en">career development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">iJOBS Event Summary</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/342" hreflang="en">careers after graduate school</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/357" hreflang="en">professional development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/317" hreflang="en">STEM careers</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/291" hreflang="en">patent law</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/285" hreflang="en">career panel</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/379" hreflang="en">patent attorneys</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/380" hreflang="en">patent litigation</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-academic-cluster--news.html.twig * field--node--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-cluster field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Academic Cluster</div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">Biological, Biomedical, and Health Sciences</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-authored-on-year--news.html.twig * field--node--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--computed-integer.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-authored-on-year field--type-computed-integer field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Authored On Year</div> <div class="field--item">2024</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> Wed, 24 Jan 2024 15:03:58 +0000 nml95 2874 at https://grad.rutgers.edu 2023 Rutgers iJOBS Symposium https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/2023-rutgers-ijobs-symposium <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--news.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>2023 Rutgers iJOBS Symposium</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--news.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"> <p><span><span><span>By Natalie Losada</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span>An ode to all academic researchers.  </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span>All graduate students and postdocs conducting research, whether in STEM, social sciences, or humanities, spend much of their time coming up with the best possible story for their dissertation or research project.  For most academic researchers, it is easier to focus entirely on their thesis, grinding away at their desk or lab bench, than think of life after graduate school or the postdoc.  I used to be one of these people until the iJOBS program allowed me to easily explore a plethora of career options available after graduate school.  That’s why I’m here to convince you to participate in the iJOBS program.  And the first place to start is the annual iJOBS symposium. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span>On October 25<sup>th</sup>, 2023, graduate students, postdocs, alumni, industry professionals, and faculty gathered at the Rutgers University Busch Student Center for a day of celebration and professional development.  The Rutgers iJOBS symposium is an annual event to facilitate networking, provide updates on program events and the progress of the iJOBS trainees, host a keynote address, and hold a professional development workshop to teach trainees.  </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span>Every year at the start of the symposium the iJOBS director, Janet Alder, PhD, gives an inspirational speech about the purpose of and progress made by the iJOBS program over the years.  Rutgers was one of 17 schools to receive the NIH BEST grant to broaden training for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in 2014.  This grant was intended to introduce research trainees to the wide variety of career options available to them, as well as allow the trainees to network with and learn directly from industry professionals.  In fact, the breadth of options offered by the program isn’t even covered by “industry professionals” – there are professionals in government positions, non-profit organizations, academic faculty jobs, and so much more.  The overwhelming success of the iJOBS program at Rutgers led to its expansion to graduate students and postdocs at Princeton, Rowan, NJIT, and Stevens Institute of Technology.  The iJOBS program has four phases: 1) <strong>inquire</strong>, where you attend career panels and skill-developing workshops, 2) <strong>initiate</strong>, where you officially apply to the iJOBS program and are assigned a general mentor and a shadow host in a job field of interest, 3) <strong>implement</strong>, where you receive one-on-one sessions with resume and LinkedIn experts, and 4) <strong>instruct</strong>, where you are in your desired career and you help guide the next generation of iJOBS trainees. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span>If your first thought after reading this is “I don’t have time for this, I need to finish my research”, then you’re not alone.  Dr. Alder addresses this misconception every year with concrete evidence proving the power of this program. A publication by the directors of different programs across 10 of the 17 universities that received funding found that doctoral students across all academic institutions who participated in the program had the same time to degree or manuscript output as students who did not. This finding clearly indicates that joining the iJOBS program does not take away from your research progress, and the speakers at this year’s annual symposium proved that there is much to gain from joining.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span>After Janet’s introduction, we heard from the keynote speaker, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonhiggs/">Brandon Higgs</a>, PhD, the VP and Head of Translational and Clinical Data Sciences at <a href="https://www.genmab.com/">Genmab</a>. Genmab is an international biotech company that is using data science to facilitate “data-driven decision making” to advance pre-clinical product development. I’ve been to multiple symposia, including three from iJOBS, and in general, the keynote speakers speak in a way that commands the room.  However, Higgs, with a subtler tone, spoke about something more powerful than anyone thought could be true. His talk was about the impact of artificial intelligence on the future drug development workforce.  AI is one of the buzzwords of 2023, yet many people don’t understand what it is and how it works.  They just know it works — kind of like that herbal remedy your parents hand you when you’re not feeling well while saying “just take it, it works.”  Brandon Higgs began his speech trying to demystify AI and identify its differences from Machine Learning and other advanced computer terms that are often conflated.  Then, he provided numerous examples of language learning models and their current uses, which in my opinion are the easiest to comprehend as a non-AI developer because everyone speaks a language.  I was shocked by how fascinating the presentation was, and how it illuminated the ubiquity of AI across all fields.  Right now, ChatGPT (a language model) may be most familiar, but you can find similar technology in every field for almost every task. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span>The next part of the symposium was led by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/supreetbainssharma/">Supreet Bains-Sharma</a><span>, </span><a href="https://www.pmi.org/certifications/project-management-pmp">PMP</a><span>, </span><a href="https://www.shrm.org/credentials/certification/shrm-scp">SCP(SHRM</a><span>), a management consultant and professional speaker who conducted a professional development workshop on “Effective Teamworking”.  To facilitate networking, Janet Alder divided the room into different career options/jobs, where, at almost every table, sat a professional in the career assigned to that table.  The wonderful thing about this teamworking workshop is that it applied to everyone.  Supreet spoke metaphorically of the Argentinian soccer team (to highlight the importance of teamwork).  We all likely have heard of Lionel Messi, one of the most famous Argentinian soccer players, but not every fan or sports broadcaster discusses the other members of his team.  Though an entertaining topic of conversation, the critical point was that Messi only succeeds when his team acts cohesively.  The goalkeeper must prevent the other team from scoring, the defenders must prevent their opponents from shooting and pass the ball to their team members to get it out of their half of the field, and Messi and his fellow forwards and mid-fielders must take the ball up the field and get a shot on their opponent’s net.  Every member of the team has their purpose.  Similarly, Bains-Sharma outlined the stages teams go through as they actively or passively decide a leader, learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and decide each team member’s role in order to function in the most efficient manner.  She also highlighted an adjustment and learning period which is often the cause of the awkwardness some people feel when working with a new team.  But being aware of it, allows you to help navigate through these stages and prevent initial standstills. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span>Besides the art of teambuilding (and the awareness and patience required for it) Supreet also focused on giving and receiving feedback.  This may seem unrelated to team building, but knowing how to give and receive feedback is an essential part of working as a team.  It is best to receive feedback in a calm manner and ask questions when necessary.  Sometimes we focus too much on the negatives and don’t stop to think how this feedback is going to help us grow and improve?  When you approach conversations with this perspective, you can reap the benefits of constructive feedback and avoid any frustration.  Giving constructive feedback is just as, if not more, important than receiving feedback from your team.  The most important lesson I took from the talk was “praise in public, criticize in private”, which Supreet repeated multiple times during her talk.  If you want to help others improve, and help the team improve their work output as a whole, you need to give constructive feedback.  This means no vague or confusing complaints; you should be clear about what was wrong and point out what was done correctly.  And most importantly, to enable true and calm listening, do not attack your teammate, hence “criticize in private”.  Teammates should give each other a chance to understand the problem, fix it, and further discuss the issue in case there are external problems that arise.  I know as the reader, this seems obvious, but when we don’t consciously think of these things it’s easy to forget to implement them.  Keeping your mind on the bigger picture – what the feedback is meant to accomplish and what your team goals are – will help keep you and your team on a path of improvement.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span>The iJOBS symposium is always an enlightening experience.  Learning about the growth of the program and where trainees are in their careers is inspiring.  The keynote speaker Brandon Higgs’ discussion on the power, versatility, and benefits of AI kept our sight set on the future while Supreet Bains-Sharma grounded us in the present by reminding us of the importance of feedback and teamwork in our everyday lives.  The symposium has endless opportunities for networking and learning about potential careers, and hopefully reading this has convinced you to sign up for next year’s symposium or at least learn more about the</span> iJOBS program and past <a href="https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/ijobs-2021-annual-symposium-aiding-graduate-students-non-academic-careers-and-beyond">iJOBS symposia</a><em>. </em></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><em>This article was edited by Junior Editor Antonia Kaz and Junior Editor Kylie Ryan Kaler.</em></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--news.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/352" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">nml95</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--news.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Fri, 01/12/2024 - 15:07</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-tags--news.html.twig * field--node--field-tags.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Topic Areas</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/251" hreflang="en">Biomedical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/282" hreflang="en">career development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">iJOBS Event Summary</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/342" hreflang="en">careers after graduate school</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/357" hreflang="en">professional development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/317" hreflang="en">STEM careers</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/375" hreflang="en">iJOBS symposium</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/376" hreflang="en">iJOBS program</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/287" hreflang="en">networking</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/377" hreflang="en">teamwork</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/327" hreflang="en">Biotechnology Industry</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/378" hreflang="en">team building</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-academic-cluster--news.html.twig * field--node--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-cluster field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Academic Cluster</div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">Biological, Biomedical, and Health Sciences</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-authored-on-year--news.html.twig * field--node--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--computed-integer.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-authored-on-year field--type-computed-integer field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Authored On Year</div> <div class="field--item">2024</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> Fri, 12 Jan 2024 15:07:54 +0000 nml95 2872 at https://grad.rutgers.edu iJOBS Career Panel: Internships and Jobs at the NIH, FDA, CDC https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/ijobs-career-panel-internships-and-jobs-nih-fda-cdc-0 <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--news.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>iJOBS Career Panel: Internships and Jobs at the NIH, FDA, CDC</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--news.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"> <p><span><span><span><span>By Sonal Gahlawat</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>For many individuals, securing a position at a Federal Agency or a National Laboratory is an ambitious dream. Prestigious institutions such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), and many more, represent the high point of one’s professional achievement (Figure 1). While the prospect of finding employment at these renowned institutes may initially appear daunting, the </span></span><a href="https://orise.orau.gov/index.html"><span><span>Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)</span></span></a><span><span> serves as a comprehensive solution, simplifying the process of discovering the ideal research opportunity within the DoE and other federal agencies. If you are currently in pursuit of the next significant step in your career, continue reading to explore the countless possibilities that ORISE has to offer.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><img alt="Image of ORISE partner institute logos arranged in a circle" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9ab7b410-0b4b-4b19-b964-be5f86987d94" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/ORISE.png" /></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p>Figure 1: Select partner institutes of ORISE</p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>On November 8, 2023, iJOBS hosted a session focused on uncovering internships and career pathways within leading institutions such as the NIH, FDA, CDC, and other research organizations. During this informative event, Veronica Harris and Ryan Cross, both Communications and Marketing Specialists from ORISE, shared valuable insights with an engaged audience comprising graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Their presentation shed light on ORISE, a Department of Energy (DoE) asset sponsored by over 20 federal agencies and departments, offering unparalleled opportunities for professional career development. In short, ORISE is a program that “ provides practical scientific training experiences” for both domestic and international scientists through contractual fellowship positions available at various government and national agencies.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>In essence, being an ORISE STEM researcher entails immersive hands-on learning, exposure to real-world scenarios, access to cutting-edge equipment and resources, and collaboration with exceptional scientists and researchers, all contributing to one's growth as a scientist. Becoming part of the global ORISE community also provides the chance to expand one's professional network. ORISE prides itself on fostering a community that embraces diversity, respects differences, and encourages innovation and collaboration. To explore the various fellowships and internships managed by ORISE, interested individuals can </span></span><a href="https://orise.orau.gov/internships-fellowships/research-programs.html"><span><span>click on this link</span></span></a><span><span>. These opportunities are categorized into four sections based on their respective U.S. departments and federal agencies, ensuring a structured and accessible overview for potential applicants (Figure 2).</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><img alt="List of ORISE fellowship programs" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="95e9a149-c3df-42c9-a50e-60afbe936035" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/ORISE2.png" /></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Figure 2: Snapshot of internships and fellowship programs managed by ORISE based on their respective US department and federal agency</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Navigating and individually exploring the many career openings within each department and agency on the ORISE website can be a daunting task. The solution to streamline this process is </span></span><a href="https://www.zintellect.com/Catalog"><span><span>Zintellect</span></span></a><span><span>, a searchable database of both research and non-research internships and fellowships administered by the ORISE. Zintellect not only facilitates the search for opportunities but also provides guidance on the application process. Read on to discover tips and tricks from Veronica on successfully navigating the application process, including:</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><strong><span><span><span><span><span>Creating a free account:</span></span></span></span></span></strong></p> <ul> <li><span><span><span><span><span>Subscribe to digests at preferred intervals (daily, weekly, monthly).</span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><span><span>Upload your resume to enhance Zintellect's ability to match you with the right opportunities, minimizing your effort in the future.</span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><strong><span><span><span><span><span>Effortless identification of openings based on keywords, academic level, and fields of study.</span></span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span><span><span><span><span>Carefully reviewing eligibility criteria for specific roles:</span></span></span></span></span></strong></p> <ul> <li><span><span><span><span><span>Eligibility may vary based on the position.</span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><span><span>Click on the "eye" symbol under "Eligibility Requirements" to ascertain the eligible disciplines.</span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><strong><span><span><span><span><span>If you're passionate about an opportunity but not yet eligible, consider reaching out to the mentor and networking.</span></span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span><span><span><span><span>Simplified search based on preferred organizations and programs; recommended to leave both fields blank for broader results.</span></span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span><span><span><span><span>Mindful consideration of application deadlines:</span></span></span></span></span></strong></p> <ul> <li><span><span><span><span><span>Check if the application process is "rolling."</span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><strong><span><span><span><span><span>Applying early and frequently.</span></span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span><span><span><span><span>Highlighting qualifications to showcase passion and interests.</span></span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span><span><span><span><span>Emphasizing soft skills such as volunteerism, leadership, teamwork, and initiative, as they all play a crucial role in the application process.</span></span></span></span></span></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Following an abundance of valuable insights, Veronica and Ryan delved into addressing questions from the audience. Here's a concise overview of the Q&amp;A session:</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Q: What are potential career paths after working as an ORISE STEM researcher?</span></span></span></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span><span><span><span><span>Staff scientists within the federal government, biomedical field, pharmaceutical industry, academia, etc.</span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Q: Are opportunities open to international students?</span></span></span></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span><span><span><span><span>Yes, though the position title may vary depending on the organization.</span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Q: Is a CV better than a resume for applying for ORISE postdoctoral positions?</span></span></span></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span><span><span><span><span>CV. </span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Q: Can you apply for roles outside your field?</span></span></span></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span><span><span><span><span>Yes, it's possible. Contact the mentor, express your reasons for the change, showcase your passion, and ensure your basic discipline aligns with eligibility requirements.</span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Q: Are there positions available for mid-career level positions?</span></span></span></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span><span><span><span><span>Yes, but they are rare.</span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>The iJOBS panel session served as a guiding light, offering an exploration of the abundant opportunities within various federal agencies and national laboratories. For fellow aspiring professionals, like me, exploring numerous possibilities that ORISE and its associated programs offer can pave the way for advancing scientific careers and making meaningful contributions in the diverse and impactful realm of scientific research.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><em><span><span>This article was edited by Junior Editor Kylie Ryan Kaler and Senior Editor Shawn Rumrill.</span></span></em></span></span></span></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--news.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/412" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">srr131</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--news.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Tue, 01/02/2024 - 14:03</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-tags--news.html.twig * field--node--field-tags.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Topic Areas</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/251" hreflang="en">Biomedical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/282" hreflang="en">career development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">iJOBS Event Summary</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/342" hreflang="en">careers after graduate school</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/357" hreflang="en">professional development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/317" hreflang="en">STEM careers</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/370" hreflang="en">CDC</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/322" hreflang="en">NIH</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/369" hreflang="en">FDA </a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/372" hreflang="en">Government</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/327" hreflang="en">Biotechnology Industry</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/368" hreflang="en">peer review</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/371" hreflang="en">ORISE</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-academic-cluster--news.html.twig * field--node--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-cluster field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Academic Cluster</div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">Biological, Biomedical, and Health Sciences</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-authored-on-year--news.html.twig * field--node--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--computed-integer.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-authored-on-year field--type-computed-integer field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Authored On Year</div> <div class="field--item">2024</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> Tue, 02 Jan 2024 14:03:20 +0000 srr131 2848 at https://grad.rutgers.edu iJOBS Career Panel: Publishing and Editing Jobs at Scientific Journals https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/ijobs-career-panel-publishing-and-editing-jobs-scientific-journals <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--news.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>iJOBS Career Panel: Publishing and Editing Jobs at Scientific Journals</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--news.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"> <p><span><span><span><span>By Kiranmayi Vemuri</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span>In the ever-evolving landscape of scientific research, professional roles beyond the laboratory bench have gained prominence, offering diverse career paths for individuals with scientific expertise. One such avenue that has been increasingly sought after by Ph.D. graduates and postdocs is the world of scientific editing and publishing. To provide insights into this fascinating realm, <span><span>iJOBS hosted a career panel </span></span>where four accomplished panelists shared their unique perspectives and experiences regarding publishing and editing at scientific journals.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><strong><span>Meet the Panelists</span></strong></span></span></h6> <ol> <li><span><span><span><strong>Ying Jia</strong> - With a Ph.D. in nanomaterial synthesis and applications, Ying serves as a Senior Publisher at the Springer Nature Group, overseeing multiple oncology journals. Her previous roles include Editor-in-Chief at the Journal of Polymer Science at Wiley (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ying-jia/">Linkedin</a>).</span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><strong>Iman Jalilian</strong> - Holding a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology, Iman currently serves as a Senior Editor at Wiley, managing submissions to various scientific disciplines of the journal <em>Current Protocols</em> (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/iman-jalilian-phd-94b573210/">Linkedin</a>).</span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><strong>Nidhi Bansal</strong> - A cancer biologist by training, Nidhi's journey spans from a Ph.D. at the University of Delhi to postdoctoral stints at Wake Forest School of Medicine and Icahn School of Medicine. She transitioned to an editorial role at Wiley and now contributes to Partner Publishing, focusing on journal development (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidhib2282/">Linkedin</a>).</span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><strong>Emma Van Burns</strong> - Emma's expertise lies in chemistry, particularly in spectroscopy, solar cells, and materials science. After completing her Ph.D., she entered the realm of editorial work, managing journals in the Materials Science &amp; Physics division at Wiley (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/envb1/">Linkedin</a>).</span></span></span></li> </ol> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><strong><span>The Transition from Research to Editing</span></strong></span></span></h6> <p><span><span>The transition from a research-centric career to scientific editing signifies a notable change. Many researchers find themselves drawn to this shift when they realize that the traditional trajectory of academic research might not match their long-term career visions. Some seek roles offering a wider impact beyond the laboratory setting.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span>Transitioning into scientific editing isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. Some individuals naturally gravitate towards editing after discovering their passion for effectively communicating scientific concepts. Others actively pursue editorial positions after exploring various career avenues beyond academic research, such as medical writing, consulting, or industry roles. Regardless of their journey, <strong>the shift to scientific editing showcases a desire to contribute to scientific advancement in a fresh and influential manner</strong>. Nidhi and Emma found during their training, either as a Ph.D. or post-doc, that academia wasn't aligned with their career aspirations, leading them to explore different paths. In contrast, Iman actively sought opportunities beyond traditional research, exploring roles in medical writing and consulting before transitioning into editorial positions.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><strong><span>Editorial vs. Publishing Responsibilities</span></strong></span></span></h6> <p><span><span>A crucial insight gleaned from discussion with the panelists highlighted the distinction between scientific editing and scientific publishing – two separate career pathways. <strong>Scientific editing involves the meticulous review and refinement of research manuscripts, with a focus on improving clarity, coherence, and quality before publication</strong>. Editors work closely with authors, guiding them through the publication process, managing peer review, and ensuring adherence to ethical guidelines. Their role revolves around enhancing individual manuscripts to effectively communicate research findings while maintaining the standards of the respective journals. Emma shared insightful aspects of an editor's job, involving tasks such as evaluating papers post peer review, ensuring alignment with journal scopes, and selecting reviewers. She emphasized the need for crucial skills like reviewer selection, utilizing online manuscript submission portals, and making informed editorial decisions.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span>On the other hand, <strong>scientific publishing encompasses a broader operational and strategic scope</strong>, involving the management and direction of academic journals or publications. Professionals in publishing roles oversee the functions of the journal at large, including strategic planning, journal growth, recruitment of editorial board members, and ensuring the seamless dissemination of scientific content. They navigate the landscape of journal management, focusing on the broader performance and impact of journals within their portfolio, aiming to optimize reach and influence while upholding the integrity and quality of published research. Publishing roles involve broader responsibilities such as managing editorial teams, strategizing journal portfolios, and recruiting new editors for special issues.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span>A crucial point emphasized in the career panel, was that <strong>recent Ph.D. graduates might not be eligible for a publishing role</strong> due to the industry's preference for more extensive experience. However, <strong>they can step into editor positions first</strong>, gather valuable experience, and subsequently leverage that expertise to transition into publishing roles at a later stage in their careers.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><strong><span>Required Skills and Qualifications for Editorial Positions</span></strong></span></span></h6> <p><span><span>For students interested in editing as a career option, certain skills can be cultivated throughout a Ph.D. program to enhance the prospects of securing an editor job. Some essential skills include writing, editing, leadership, and strategic planning. Engaging in tasks like peer reviewing articles, composing manuscripts and grants, and contributing to blogs significantly fortifies these skill sets. Although postdoctoral experience can offer advantages, it isn't a strict requirement for securing an editorial position. Yet, showcasing participation in groups or initiatives refining these proficiencies, like engaging in freelance writing, can be advantageous.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><strong><span>Building a Resume and Preparing for Interviews</span></strong></span></span></h6> <p><span><span>Crafting a resume that will stand out and enhance the prospects of being hired as an editor was a major topic of discussion during the career panel. <strong>Some essential resume requirements for aspiring editors are strong organizational skills, reliability in meeting deadlines, and adaptability</strong>. Underlining the capacity to deliver quality work within stipulated timeframes significantly strengthens one's candidacy. Opting for a concise one-page resume over a comprehensive scientific CV is advisable. Further, highlighting writing and editorial proficiencies serves as a substantial advantage. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span>Interviews typically test candidates on their understanding of publishing concepts, peer reviewer selection, and their capacity to communicate complex scientific ideas to broader audiences. <strong>During interviews, displaying curiosity, industry knowledge, and an understanding of publishing concepts can be distinguishing factors.</strong> The panelists highlighted potential interview scenarios wherein candidates might be prompted to elucidate the distinctions between special issues, regular issues, and supplements. Another common evaluation test revolves around selecting peer reviewers for a sample manuscript. Candidates are expected to navigate through references, identifying experts in similar fields but from different institutions, while ensuring the absence of any ethical conflicts. Moreover, aspiring candidates might be asked to draft a feature or news piece adeptly conveying an article's essence in simple, understandable terms for the general audience. It's crucial to showcase an understanding of the specific publishing house and its principles, so thorough research beforehand is essential!</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><strong><span>Work-Life Balance and Flexibility</span></strong></span></span></h6> <p><span><span>The editorial world offers a blend of remote and hybrid work options, promoting a healthy work-life balance. The flexibility allows for managing personal commitments while contributing effectively to the industry. Most of the panelists spoke about 8-hour workdays and the ability to work from home a few days of the week. They also emphasized how flexibility was a part of their job – they could pick up kids from school if needed. However, sometimes the role might demand longer hours during peak periods and occasional conference travel. Additionally, discussions on salary dynamics revealed differences between starting salaries and benefits across different companies. The starting salary might not be as much as research job in industry, but the flexibility makes up for it.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><strong><span>Final Thoughts</span></strong></span></span></h6> <p><span><span>Transitioning from a research-focused career to the realms of editing and publishing opens a myriad of opportunities for individuals seeking diverse career trajectories within the scientific domain. It's a domain that requires a blend of scientific expertise, communication skills, and a passion for advancing the frontiers of knowledge through meticulous editorial work. Additionally, the move to <strong>scientific editing allows individuals to remain deeply connected to the scientific community while embracing a role that influences the trajectory of research in a broader sense</strong>. Editors act as gatekeepers of scientific integrity, facilitating the dissemination of groundbreaking discoveries and ensuring that scholarly work meets the highest standards of excellence. As the scientific landscape continues to evolve, the role of editors and publishers remains pivotal in shaping the dissemination and impact of scientific discoveries.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><em><span><span>This article was edited by Junior Editor Kylie Ryan Kaler and Senior Editor Natalie Losada.</span></span></em></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--news.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/352" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">nml95</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--news.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Fri, 12/22/2023 - 13:50</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-tags--news.html.twig * field--node--field-tags.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Topic Areas</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/251" hreflang="en">Biomedical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/282" hreflang="en">career development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">iJOBS Event Summary</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/342" hreflang="en">careers after graduate school</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/357" hreflang="en">professional development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/317" hreflang="en">STEM careers</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/365" hreflang="en">editing</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/366" hreflang="en">writing</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/367" hreflang="en">publishing</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/348" hreflang="en">research publication</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/327" hreflang="en">Biotechnology Industry</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/368" hreflang="en">peer review</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-academic-cluster--news.html.twig * field--node--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-cluster field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Academic Cluster</div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">Biological, Biomedical, and Health Sciences</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-authored-on-year--news.html.twig * field--node--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--computed-integer.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-authored-on-year field--type-computed-integer field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Authored On Year</div> <div class="field--item">2023</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> Fri, 22 Dec 2023 13:50:18 +0000 nml95 2846 at https://grad.rutgers.edu iJOBS Industry Insights: Data Science and AI at BMS https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/ijobs-industry-insights-data-science-and-ai-bms <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--news.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>iJOBS Industry Insights: Data Science and AI at BMS</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--news.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>By <em>Jiawen Chen</em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>In recent years, the popularity of data science and artificial intelligence (AI) has steadily increased within the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, many bench scientists are trying to venture into computational science. On September 7<sup>th</sup>, iJOBS invited Dr. Gregory Barker</span></span></span> <span><span><span>to share his insights on approaching drug discovery from a bench scientist to a data scientist. If you are interested in the transition, keep reading to find invaluable advice from Dr. Barker.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><strong><span><span><span>Who is Dr. Gregory Barker?</span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Dr. Gregory Barker is a Scientific Associate Director at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS). He has been with BMS for around 12 years. Before joining BMS, he spent almost 3.5 years at Merck as a process engineer focusing mainly on optimizing and scaling up lipid nanoparticle formulations for RNA therapeutics. He is trained as a chemical and biomolecular engineer, having obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><strong><span><span><span>How did he find avenues to his current role?</span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Dr. Barker's career path is a testament to his evolving role in the pharmaceutical industry, driven by an unwavering quest for knowledge, adaptability, and personal preference. His early engineering education during his undergraduate and graduate education laid the foundation for an eventual transition to data science. Dr. Barker obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware. At that time, he worked in Dr. A. M. Lenhoff’s lab, which focused on chromatography and other lab-based techniques with minimal coding usage. During his Ph.D., he transitioned to chemical and biomolecular engineering, where he extensively used MATLAB for data analyses, visualizations, and basic statistics, as well as more focus on drug discovery, RNA interference, and gene therapy. This transition during his Ph.D. set the stage for his deep dive into data science. Around 2008, Dr. Barker was hired by Merck due to his background and expertise in chromatography, process development, industrial statistics, and experimental design. Although he wasn’t a pure data scientist in the early stage of his career, his role at Merck gave him an excellent opportunity to evolve as a data scientist while learning the inner workings of large pharmaceutical companies, especially large-scale manufacturing. After a few years at Merck, he made a leap to BMS to work on high-throughput process development and chromatography. In this role, he used computational simulations and process optimization tools to develop a bridge between wet lab experiments and in silico modeling. From his experience, he emphasizes the importance of the interplay of in silico modeling and real-world experiments to speed up the drug discovery process. About four or five years ago, he made another shift to the drug discovery field due to his growing interest in exploring new opportunities in the drug development process. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><strong><span><span><span>What are his suggestions about the transition?</span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Dr. Barker's journey offers valuable insights into career transitions. His career shift from a traditional chemical engineering background to data-driven roles within the pharmaceutical industry exemplifies the importance of adaptability and a thirst for diverse experiences and new knowledge. At the end of the seminar, Dr. Barker's emphasis on exploring one's interests in career choices serves as a key takeaway - knowing what genuinely excites and motivates you can guide successful transitions and open doors to exciting and uncharted territories within the data-driven fields of today's pharmaceutical industry. He also mentioned that expertise from wet lab experiments is valuable to the pharmaceutical industry, although the demand for data scientists is rapidly increasing. He suggested applicants carefully read job descriptions when looking for jobs and highlight the significance of their background to companies and their strong interest in the jobs to attract recruiters’ attention. He also noted it would be valuable for everyone to gain experience in wet lab and data science roles.  To end the seminar, Dr. Barker pointed out the significance of enjoying jobs, collaborating with others, and being authentic.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>These shared experiences of Dr. Barker are perfect for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers trying to transition from bench scientists to data scientists. Therefore, if you want to embark on a journey in computer science, don’t miss out on the chance to gain valuable information for your transition!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><em><span><span><span>This article was edited by Senior Editor Shawn Rumrill and Senior Editor Sonal Gahlawat</span></span></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--news.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/412" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">srr131</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--news.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Mon, 11/13/2023 - 12:47</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-tags--news.html.twig * field--node--field-tags.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Topic Areas</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/251" hreflang="en">Biomedical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/282" hreflang="en">career development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">iJOBS Event Summary</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/342" hreflang="en">careers after graduate school</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/356" hreflang="en">data science</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/268" hreflang="en">Industry Perspective</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/285" hreflang="en">career panel</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/317" hreflang="en">STEM careers</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-academic-cluster--news.html.twig * field--node--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-cluster field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Academic Cluster</div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">Biological, Biomedical, and Health Sciences</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-authored-on-year--news.html.twig * field--node--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--computed-integer.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-authored-on-year field--type-computed-integer field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Authored On Year</div> <div class="field--item">2023</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> Mon, 13 Nov 2023 12:47:03 +0000 srr131 2817 at https://grad.rutgers.edu iJOBS Virtual Career Panel: Jobs for PhDs in Environmental Health and Safety at Universities https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/ijobs-virtual-career-panel-jobs-phds-environmental-health-and-safety-universities <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--news.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>iJOBS Virtual Career Panel: Jobs for PhDs in Environmental Health and Safety at Universities</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--news.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"> <p><span><span><span><span>By Alcina A. Rodrigues</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span>Rutgers is a research university with many laboratories focused on different areas of healthcare. These labs require lots of chemicals and reagents that are hazardous to human health and the environment. The one organization that is responsible for overseeing the use of these chemicals is the Rutgers Office of Environmental Health and Safety (REHS). REHS develops, establishes, and administers protocols for environmental management and occupational health and safety. They also ensure the University's compliance with all federal and state regulations andprovides comprehensive research support, including radiation and biological training.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>As a second-year graduate student in the Biomedical Sciences PhD program trying to explore career options, I attended an iJOBS virtual career panel on September 27<sup>th</sup>. The event featured panelists Alex Ruiz, </span></span><span><span>Ryan McAlister,</span></span><span><span> and </span></span><span><span>Ian Pracher</span></span><span><span> from Environmental Health and Safety at Rutgers. To be honest, this event really changed my perspective about potential roles in REHS and related career opportunities. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>The field offers plenty of career opportunities with several jobs at universities other than faculty research positions. And luckily, these jobs require skillsets and experience that can be developed during your time at graduate school!</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <h5><span><span><strong><span><span>Alex Ruiz</span></span></strong><span>, </span><strong><span><span>Executive Director of EHS and University Safety Officer at Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety (REHS)</span></span></strong></span></span></h5> <p><span><span><span><span>Alex described his career path as convoluted, starting with transitioning from a faculty position to the Office of Emergency Management at Rutgers. He attributed his new position and the experience he acquired during his career to his diverse background, subject matter expertise, and multiple certifications in the field. In his current position as a University Safety Officer, it is essential to oversee the safety of the students and staff as they do their research. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Thinking from the perspective of graduate students trying to land a role in Biosafety, Alex said the skillsets that most students and technicians pick up during their time in grad school can be applied to multiple fields in the industry. He gave examples of his colleague, a biology graduate, whose research was on the identification of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and is now working in the Industrial Hygiene department. He was able to apply his scientific knowledge and chemical background to a relevant field.</span></span><strong><u> </u></strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> <h5><span><span><strong><span><span>Ryan McAlister, University Biosafety Officer</span></span></strong></span></span></h5> <p><span><span><span><span>Ryan is a University Biosafety Officer who oversees all three main Rutgers campuses and auxiliary sites. His team works in research locations pertaining to infectious diseases, recombinant nucleic acid, and research animals. They also participate in institutional Biosafety committees, such as the </span></span><span><span>Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (</span></span><span><span>IACUC) and </span></span><span><span>Institutional Review Board (</span></span><span><span>IRB). He also administers and manages the Institution of Biosafety Committee, which can include work with plants, humans &amp; animals.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>When talking about his career journey, Ryan said he never missed an opportunity to learn. He started to build his skillset and <strong>gain relevant experience while in graduate school with a Biosafety Officer shadowing program</strong>, which made him stand out from the other applicants for his current role. During his PhD, Ryan did a rotation in a regional biocontainment laboratory, worked with infectious diseases, and learned technical skills that he still uses in his day-to-day life. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <h5><span><span><a><strong><span><span>Ian Pracher Health and Safety Specialist I</span></span></strong></a></span></span></h5> <p><span><span><span><span>Ian completed a master’s in public health from Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. He talked about the importance of industrial hygiene in the proper function of a laboratory. Ian mentioned that the essential skills needed for this kind of work are “understanding federal, state, and local regulations; creating, and implementing policies and programs that meet or go beyond compliance requirements; investigating problem-solving skills and working with various groups to identify and correct problems.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>He described<strong> Industrial hygiene as a constant fight rather than an endpoint.</strong> It is a cyclic process; once you finish a project, you start reevaluating and retargeting to find areas where you can do better and improve. Ian describes his day-to-day job as filled with new challenges requiring new solutions. He is constantly learning new information that helps him identify and correct hazards. Ian loves the process of investigating, problem-solving, and sharing new solutions with his colleagues. He also reiterated the importance of getting certificates and staying up to date with the field to advance the role.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span>The most informative part of the iJOBS event was learning about <strong>the internship and career opportunities available to current graduate students for personal and career growth</strong>. </span></span><span><span>Students have access to a variety of courses, provided internally and through third parties. Some of the specialized EHS training or certificates include the 40-hour Hazwoper Training certificate and the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) certificate. Grad Students can participate in projects like environmental hazards and sustainability and in the </span></span><a href="https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/center-drug-evaluation-and-research-cder/institutional-review-boards-irbs-and-protection-human-subjects-clinical-trials"><span>IRB</span></a><span><span> or </span></span><a href="https://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/ncstate/iacuc.htm#:~:text=An%20institutional%20animal%20care%20and,and%20inspection%20of%20animal%20facilities."><span>IACUC</span></a><span><span> review process. The </span></span><a href="https://ipo.rutgers.edu/rehs"><span>REHS website</span></a><span><span> has more information on hands-on opportunities with education and training programs. For opportunities outside Rutgers, information can be found on the </span></span><a href="https://absa.org/"><span>American Biological Safety Association</span></a><span><span> website </span></span><a href="https://absa.mcjobboard.net/jobs"><span>job board</span></a><span><span>, which has various job listings.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>It was a very enlightening session, and all the panelists encouraged the participants to explore the opportunities within Environmental Health and Safety and reach out with more questions and career options. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><em><span><span>This article was edited by Junior Editor Angelica Barreto-Galvez and Senior Editor Natalie Losada.</span></span></em></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--news.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/352" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">nml95</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--news.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Wed, 11/08/2023 - 19:09</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-tags--news.html.twig * field--node--field-tags.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Topic Areas</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/251" hreflang="en">Biomedical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/282" hreflang="en">career development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">iJOBS Event Summary</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/342" hreflang="en">careers after graduate school</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/354" hreflang="en">environmental health and safety</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/355" hreflang="en">university jobs</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/285" hreflang="en">career panel</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/317" hreflang="en">STEM careers</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-academic-cluster--news.html.twig * field--node--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-cluster field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Academic Cluster</div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">Biological, Biomedical, and Health Sciences</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-authored-on-year--news.html.twig * field--node--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--computed-integer.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-authored-on-year field--type-computed-integer field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Authored On Year</div> <div class="field--item">2023</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> Wed, 08 Nov 2023 19:09:08 +0000 nml95 2814 at https://grad.rutgers.edu iJOBS Careers: Association for Women in Science Virtual Career Fair https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/ijobs-careers-association-women-science-virtual-career-fair <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--news.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>iJOBS Careers: Association for Women in Science Virtual Career Fair</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--news.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Association for Women in Science Virtual Career Fair</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>By Antonia Kaz</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>On August 24<sup>th</sup>, the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) held its summer virtual career fair for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals and students. The event was an excellent resource for first-time job seekers or individuals interested in new or alternate opportunities for career advancement. If you missed the event, you’re in luck! <strong>The AWIS is planning to host a Winter 2024 Virtual Career Fair</strong>, and below are some tips to prepare you for the next event.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><strong>What is the AWIS?</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The AWIS is a non-profit organization that provides resources for professional development, recognition, and global networking. The organization stemmed from a series of champagne brunches among informal women’s caucuses during the Women’s Rights Movement, and, shortly after its founding, took part in lawsuits of gender and race discrimination against the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in the early 1970s. The AWIS continued to make headlines on a national and international scale throughout the late 20<sup>th</sup> century and is currently the leading organization advocating on behalf of women in STEM. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><strong>What is the AWIS science career fair? And how does it work?</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The AWIS website features a diverse range of events and resources. One of their most popular events is the science career fair, a networking event for job seekers. The Summer career fair, held on a <a>virtual platform</a>, hosted representatives from seven companies involved in the pharmaceutical industry, nuclear and electric energy, aerospace, and defense and security. During the three-hour networking event, all attendees had access to a “lobby” filled with virtual company booths where they could learn about and communicate with different representatives. Attendees were required to provide contact information, educational background, a resume, and LinkedIn profile while making an account. Additionally, it was recommended to use an advanced search tool to <a>find specific jobs related to an attendee’s field of work.</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><img alt="ASiS virtual event lobby" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a47f079d-e1b0-4c48-8050-2aaded00a9b9" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Picture1_7.png" /></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>August 2023 career fair lobby: Virtual booths of each company were available for attendees to enter and engage in chat conversations with representatives</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><strong>What should I know for the next event? </strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><strong>Tip #1: Join the queue to speak with a representative early</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>While three hours may seem like ample time, you want to ensure that you<u><span> </span></u>have enough time to communicate with the representatives who are in high demand by getting in line early. During the last hour of the event, the wait time for a major pharmaceutical company like AstraZeneca was over an hour, prompting representatives to send out an online form to continue communication after the event. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><img alt="AstraZeneca - what science can do" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c91ff329-ac71-4f9b-86d4-22e62f98a4e2" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Picture2_2.png" /></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The virtual booths, such as AstraZeneca’s here, provided tabs with information about the company, job opportunities, representatives present, designated to networking with other attendees, and more!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><strong>Tip #2: Use the discussion tabs as a networking opportunity with other attendees</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The discussion tab is a great way to make use of the downtime between chats with representatives. Here, attendees provided short paragraphs with their education, relevant skills, and contact information or a LinkedIn profile. You may consider preparing a similar paragraph with your background information to add to the discussion tabs of one or more companies. Doing this before the event can save more time for networking with recruiters. Plus, you will have more time to read through other attendee’s posts in the discussion tab before chatting with a representative. Many attendees invited others to reach out on LinkedIn as well, so be sure to connect with individuals who share your interests to have one-on-one conversations with other attendees after the event. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><strong>Tip #3: Treat this as a first-round interview or a way to see what jobs are in demand</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Talent acquisition team leaders and partners, recruiters, outreach associates, program assistants, and human resources coordinators were among the representatives from each company who were available to chat during the event. For job seekers, this is an excellent opportunity to make a good first impression with potential employers. Make sure to practice your elevator pitch before entering a chat! If you are currently seeking a new job, consider preparing questions for the representatives to get a feel for what the company is looking for in terms of skills and personality. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>You may find these tips helpful or applicable to other virtual career fairs and networking platforms. For example, I frequently use a brief introductory message when networking on LinkedIn. While searching for a job or company, I often find profiles of people holding positions at a company that may be of interest to me. Inserting a semi-personalized introductory message containing your background information makes the connection request more personable. Here is a simplified template that you may consider using “Hi, [insert individual’s name]! I am a [insert year] graduate student in the [insert graduate program] interested in pursuing an industry position in [insert position] after graduation. Your position at [insert company] is of particular interest to me. It would be great to connect!” In my experience, most people are willing to connect. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>For more information about the next career fair event, check out the iJOBS newsletter or the AWIS website before the end of the year. You may find additional AWIS events of interest on their events <a href="https://awis.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_jevents">calendar</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Edited by: Natalie Losada (Senior Editor), Shawn Rumrill (Senior Editor)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--news.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/412" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">srr131</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--news.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Thu, 10/05/2023 - 16:36</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-tags--news.html.twig * field--node--field-tags.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Topic Areas</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/251" hreflang="en">Biomedical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/282" hreflang="en">career development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">iJOBS Event Summary</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/342" hreflang="en">careers after graduate school</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/353" hreflang="en">women in science </a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/268" hreflang="en">Industry Perspective</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/285" hreflang="en">career panel</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/317" hreflang="en">STEM careers</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/287" hreflang="en">networking</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-academic-cluster--news.html.twig * field--node--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-cluster field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Academic Cluster</div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">Biological, Biomedical, and Health Sciences</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-authored-on-year--news.html.twig * field--node--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--computed-integer.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-authored-on-year field--type-computed-integer field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Authored On Year</div> <div class="field--item">2023</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> Thu, 05 Oct 2023 16:36:27 +0000 srr131 2793 at https://grad.rutgers.edu iJOBS Career Panel: Research Careers in Industry https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/ijobs-career-panel-research-careers-industry <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--news.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>iJOBS Career Panel: Research Careers in Industry</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--news.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"> <p><span><span>By Joycelyn Radeny</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span>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 25<sup>th</sup>, 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.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h5><span><span><strong>Panelist: Kai-Ti Chang, Ph.D.</strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Graduate School</strong><strong>: University of Maryland at College Park</strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Career role: Senior Scientist at Regeneron</strong></span></span></h5> <p><span><span>As a senior scientist at Regeneron, Dr. Chang primarily focuses on antibody characterization in late-stage development using analytical assays. To find industry roles, <strong>Dr. Chang used a four-step strategy</strong>. 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 <strong>highly recommended using LinkedIn to learn about interviewers</strong> 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.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h5><span><span><strong>Panelist: Stephania Guzman Diaz, Ph.D.</strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Graduate School: Rutgers School of Graduate Studies </strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Career role: Leadership Development Program at Eli Lilly</strong></span></span></h5> <p><span><span>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. <strong>Dr. Diaz followed three key strategies</strong> 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 <a href="https://smdp.icpdprograms.org/">science mentoring diversity program</a>, 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, <strong>Dr. Diaz was part of the iJOBS phase II program, allowing her to find and build connections that were pivotal in her job search</strong>. 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. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <h5><span><span><strong>Panelist: Nicole Torosin, Ph.D.</strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Graduate School: </strong><strong>University of Utah</strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Career role: Bioinformatics Scientist at Tally Health</strong></span></span></h5> <p><span><span>As a bioinformatician, Dr. Torosin analyzes data and develops bioinformatics pipelines for research and development in epigenetics and aging. When applying for industry jobs, <strong>Dr. Torosin also used a three-step approach</strong>. 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, <strong>Dr. Torosin emphasized learning about different industry jobs and options as early as possible</strong>, especially for those unsure about staying in academia. She also recommended attending iJOBS events as a great way to explore industry options.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h5><span><span><strong>Panelist: Michelle Zeliph, Ph.D.</strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Graduate School: Rutgers School of Graduate Studies  </strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Career role: Microbiologist in R&amp;D Product Microbiology at Ethicon</strong></span></span></h5> <p><span><span>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, <strong>Dr. Zeliph utilized three strategies</strong>. 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<strong>. So far, the greatest difference Dr. Zeliph has noticed between research in academia and industry is the strict guidelines for documentation</strong>, 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.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h5><span><span><strong>Panelist: Huseyin Erguven</strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Graduate School: </strong><strong>McGill University</strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Career role: Medicinal Chemist at Paraza Pharma</strong></span></span></h5> <p><span><span>As a medicinal chemist, Dr. Erguven focuses on drug development, <em>i.e.</em>, 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, <strong>he urged international students to research visa-related restrictions and available visa alternatives at the earliest opportunity</strong>. 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. <strong>If projects in the industry are not making progress, it is common to pivot to a new one.</strong> Therefore, Dr. Erguven emphasized the importance of being open and flexible to change.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <h5><span><span><strong>Panelist: Agata Krzyzanowaska, Ph.D.</strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Graduate School: Rutgers School of Graduate Studies</strong></span></span></h5> <h5><span><span><strong>Career role: Scientific Lead at Eli Lilly</strong></span></span></h5> <p><span><span>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, <strong>Dr. Krzyzanowaska used four main strategies</strong>. First, she attended iJOBS events, such as mock interviews, to help her understand the interview process and formulate her responses. Second, <strong>she was intentional about building her network, which included contacting alums who worked at or had networks in companies of interest</strong>. 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. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><span><span>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:</span></span></p> <ul> <li><span><span>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.</span></span></li> <li><span><span>Using staffing agencies to get contract positions in companies of interest is a great way to get your foot in the door.</span></span></li> <li><span><span>If you are an international student, contact an immigration attorney to understand your visa options before applying for jobs.</span></span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><span><span><strong>These shared experiences of the panelists can help graduate students and postdoctoral researchers take the necessary steps to venture into industry roles.</strong> Therefore, if you want to transition into industry from academia, take advantage of the precious information offered in this panel discussion!</span></span></p> <p> </p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--news.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/352" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">nml95</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--news.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Wed, 09/27/2023 - 14:38</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-tags--news.html.twig * field--node--field-tags.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Topic Areas</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/251" hreflang="en">Biomedical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/282" hreflang="en">career development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">iJOBS Event Summary</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/342" hreflang="en">careers after graduate school</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/321" hreflang="en">industry research positions</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/268" hreflang="en">Industry Perspective</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/285" hreflang="en">career panel</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/317" hreflang="en">STEM careers</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-academic-cluster--news.html.twig * field--node--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-cluster field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Academic Cluster</div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">Biological, Biomedical, and Health Sciences</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-authored-on-year--news.html.twig * field--node--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--computed-integer.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-authored-on-year field--type-computed-integer field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Authored On Year</div> <div class="field--item">2023</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 14:38:31 +0000 nml95 2787 at https://grad.rutgers.edu iJOBS Career Panel: Regulatory Affairs https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/ijobs-career-panel-regulatory-affairs <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--news.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>iJOBS Career Panel: Regulatory Affairs</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--news.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p><span><span><span>By Shreya Madhavarapu</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'filter_caption' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/filter/templates/filter-caption.html.twig' --> <figure role="group" class="align-center"> <img alt="Regulatory Affairs profession and how it touches on different activities in a product’s lifecycle" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8c0f9911-64f2-4bd3-8cc0-ea5494f1e6f9" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/02-28-2023_iJOBS%20Career%20Panel_Regulatory%20Affairs_fig1.jpg" /> <figcaption><em>Figure 1: Regulatory Affairs profession and how it touches on different activities in a product’s lifecycle.</em></figcaption> </figure> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/filter/templates/filter-caption.html.twig' --> </p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          The rapid development and approval of vaccines, therapies, and diagnostic tests during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the significant impact regulatory affairs and regulatory agencies like the FDA have on ensuring the safety and efficacy of medical products. Broadly, regulatory affairs is a profession at the intersection of industry and government. Regulatory affairs professionals are responsible for ensuring that foods, drugs, medical devices, and other products that impact public health are safe and meet set standards at every stage of development, testing, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          If you are interested in using your scientific background and expertise daily and ensuring that scientific innovations meet the high standards for public safety, then you have come to the right place! </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          On February 28, 2023, iJOBS hosted a career panel on regulatory affairs. The career panelists came from diverse backgrounds and are working at different pharmaceutical companies within regulatory affairs. The panelists were:</span></span></span></span></span></p> <ol> <li><span><span><span><span><span><span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-lynn-mercado-5797246/">Mary Lynn Mercado</a>, Senior Group Head in Regulatory Writing at <a href="https://www.novartis.com/">Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><span><span><span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=abla%20tann&amp;origin=GLOBAL_SEARCH_HEADER&amp;sid=WLN">Abla Tannous</a>, Regulatory Medical Writer at <a href="https://www.bms.com/">Bristol Myers Squibb</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><span><span><span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bahar-demirdirek-ph-d-7507509/">Bahar Demirdirek</a>, Director and Global Regulatory Lead of Oncology at <a href="https://www.bms.com/">Bristol Myers Squibb</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span><span><span><span><span><span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenhkang/">Helen Kang</a>, Manager of Regulatory Affairs Strategy at <a href="https://www.regeneron.com/">Regeneron</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></li> </ol> <p> </p> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><span><strong><span><span>The panelists first shared their backgrounds, decisions to leave academia, and how they landed their first jobs in regulatory affairs.</span></span></strong></span></span></span></h6> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          </span></span><strong><span><span>Mary Lynn Mercado</span></span></strong><span><span> received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Rutgers University, followed by joining Brown University as a postdoctoral researcher to develop therapeutics for muscular dystrophy. While at Brown, her advisor launched a small biotech company, prompting her to enter the industry. She started as a Senior Research Associate at Wyeth, where she conducted more applied science work. When Pfizer acquired Wyeth, Mary decided to look for jobs closer to home instead of relocating to a new location. While searching for job positions, she came across the area of regulatory writing. At her first interview with Celgene for a regulatory writer position, she utilized her scientific expertise to convince the panelists that she was ready to make a career switch despite the steep learning curve ahead of her. She has now been a successful regulatory writer for the past 14 years.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          </span></span><strong><span><span>Abla Tannous</span></span></strong><span><span> completed her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. in 2015 before joining Rutgers University as a postdoctoral researcher. During her 4 years at Rutgers, she used quantitative mass spectrometry to map the mammalian subcellular proteome and, like so many others, attended several iJOBS workshops and events. Her first job was in the pharmaceutical industry as a research scientist at BioAegis Therapeutics, where she also stumbled upon medical writing. While she had learned about it through iJOBS events, she had never considered it a profession. Working at a small company allowed her to explore these other areas of opportunity. Although hired as a research scientist, she dipped her toes in regulatory writing whenever she could. This experience led her to land her first medical writing job at BMS, where she has worked as a scientific writer since 2021.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          </span></span><strong><span><span>Bahar Demirdirek</span></span></strong><span><span> completed a master’s degree in Chemistry from Rutgers and went on to work as a lab scientist in product development (small molecules) at BMS. While at BMS, she decided to pursue her Ph.D. with the support of her employers. She did this part time to continue her learning in industry simultaneously.  After getting her Ph.D., she went back to BMS within the biologics drug development area. While she enjoyed bench science, Bahar wanted to learn more about the drug development process. Through this learning process, she learned about the Regulatory Strategy Team, and it interested her. Bahar was an active member of the BMS network for women and the healthcare business women association. Through this, she made meaningful connections at BMS and gained useful soft skills that helped her land a role in regulatory affairs as a junior regulatory manager. Like Mary Lynn, she had a steep learning curve but had some really great mentors who guided her along the way. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          Our last panelist,<strong> Helen Kang</strong> received her Ph.D. in Immunology &amp; Microbial Pathogenesis from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York. Unlike the other panelists, she began her career in medical communications (also known as medical affairs) and learned how pharmaceutical companies work and function on the client side. She applied to be a Regulatory Medical Writer at Regeneron three years ago and has been with them since. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><span><strong><span><span>In the next phase of the event, the panelists talked about their responsibilities and what their day-to-day looks like.</span></span></strong></span></span></span></h6> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          Mary Lynn started her regulatory writing career at Celgene, where she was immediately thrown into the deep end. For her first clinical study report, she took a <a href="https://www.diaglobal.org/">DIA</a> course on writing a clinical study report - she received a lot of data and some example clinical reports and used all of these to write the first draft. While the report was well-received, she conveyed her need for more coaching and onboarding support. In her current role as a manager, she provides one-on-one coaching to her team members. As a manager, it is also her responsibility to strike a suitable balance between the number of writers and the workload they can handle. Mary Lynn also has the flexibility to support external organizations. She co-leads the TransCelerate Clinical Content &amp; Reuse (CC&amp;R) workstream, a consortium of 22 pharmaceutical companies working together to identify ways to bring quality medicines to patients more efficiently. She is also the Deputy Topic Lead for PhRMA on the ICH Clinical Electronic Structured Harmonized Protocol (CeSHarP) M11 Expert Working Group.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          Although Abla is a scientific writer, she describes her work as 50% writing and 50% communication. Her typical day consists of meetings with subject matter experts like clinical scientists, statisticians, clinical trial physicians, and others. Specifically, Abla works on the submission team, where each expert writes their own section. She also oversees her team members’ writing timelines and ensures that submission deadlines are met. While this can be stressful and time-consuming, the company has recently transitioned to fully remote work, providing much flexibility.   </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          Bahar’s primary role is developing global and US regulatory strategies for oncology products in the first three phases of development. She manages all regulatory interactions with the FDA and international health authorities.  She works with researchers from different departments, including translational medicine, statisticians, medical affairs personnel, and clinicians, to understand and determine their needs and priorities while sharing the regulatory point of view. Her typical day involves meetings to coordinate work between these diverse stakeholders. Her goal, as the global lead, is to effectively communicate with regional teams and share the overall regulatory strategy. She works with members of the writing teams to review FDA submissions and other regulatory documents, such as protocols and marketing applications, which are needed to obtain regulatory approval. She enjoys working with colleagues from different backgrounds and cultures, though her role does not involve a lot of travel. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          Helen’s work is currently focused on the cardiovascular space, and her typical day is similar to Bahar’s, but without the coordination between different regions across the globe. As a global lead for an early-stage study, she constantly interacts with experts across various functional areas. She also works with US and EU regional liaisons.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><span><strong><span><span>What are Regulatory Documents?</span></span></strong></span></span></span></h6> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          The panelists mentioned working on different regulatory documents. What are these documents? What is involved in an FDA submission? Mary Lynn gave us insight into this. A <strong>Clinical Trial Protocol </strong>includes information about the number of patients to enroll, inclusion and exclusion criteria, assessments to be made, endpoints, and statistical models. This is similar to a bench science protocol that includes details about the experiment (i.e., its rationale, expected outcomes, and the process of data acquisition and analysis). Once the trial is completed and data is acquired, a <strong>Clinical Study Report (CSR)</strong> is written. This is similar to an academic manuscript with an introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. A CSR outlines key aspects of the trial, such as background, objectives, study design, patient selection, participant demographics, the efficacy of the intervention, endpoints, adverse events, and more. Another essential document is the <strong>Summary Document</strong>, which is compiled when a company wants to submit clinical trial results to a regulatory authority. A company may write a variety of summary documents, including efficacy, safety, clinical pharmacology, biopharmaceuticals, etc. All this information also goes into a marketing authorization application or a new drug application, which is sent to the FDA, EMA, or other health authorities around the globe. A <strong>Pharmacovigilance Document</strong> is written once a drug is on the market, and the company receives patient safety data. The company works closely with health authorities to design a clinical trial program. To correspond with them, regulatory writers use a <strong>Briefing Book</strong>. The panelists emphasized that as doctoral students, we write very relevant documents and that the writing skills we developed translate well to industry or regulatory affairs work. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <h6><span><span><span><strong><span><span>Preparing for a Career in Regulatory Affairs</span></span></strong></span></span></span></h6> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          When considering a career in regulatory affairs, more than an advanced degree is required. This position's collaborative nature requires you to constantly communicate with different stakeholders. Hiring managers also look for candidates with the necessary soft skills to execute day-to-day tasks and with an advanced degree and preferably some prior experience in the regulatory field. The panelists recommended applying for internships or co-ops to gain valuable hands-on experience while still completing your degree. Networking is also key, so get ready and start polishing your LinkedIn skills. You should consider taking classes related to regulatory affairs, drug development and medical product regulations. You can also consider getting a certification like the Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) from the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) to enhance your qualifications. Starting at a contract research organization (CRO) or even at a small company can expose you to the various facets of regulatory filing, through which you can gain the experience needed to transition into a career in regulatory affairs. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>          The regulatory affairs field is in high demand and is projected to continue growing in the future. This field requires a strong understanding of complex scientific, legal, and regulatory issues. For those who enjoy intellectual challenges and problem-solving, this can be a rewarding career.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><span><span><span><em><span><span>This article was edited by Junior Editor Sonal Gahlawat and Senior Editor Shawn Rumrill.</span></span></em></span></span></span></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--news.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/352" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">nml95</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--news.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Tue, 06/06/2023 - 14:12</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-tags--news.html.twig * field--node--field-tags.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Topic Areas</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/251" hreflang="en">Biomedical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/282" hreflang="en">career development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">iJOBS Event Summary</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/342" hreflang="en">careers after graduate school</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/317" hreflang="en">STEM careers</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/344" hreflang="en">regulatory affairs</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/285" hreflang="en">career panel</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-academic-cluster--news.html.twig * field--node--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-cluster field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Academic Cluster</div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">Biological, Biomedical, and Health Sciences</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-authored-on-year--news.html.twig * field--node--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--computed-integer.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-authored-on-year field--type-computed-integer field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Authored On Year</div> <div class="field--item">2023</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> Tue, 06 Jun 2023 14:12:17 +0000 nml95 2663 at https://grad.rutgers.edu iJOBS Case Study: Business Development https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/ijobs-case-study-business-development <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--news.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>iJOBS Case Study: Business Development</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--news.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p>By Natalie Losada</p> <p>Imagine you had an expired tube of topical antibiotic (truthfully, most of us currently do) and you needed to decide if you should throw it away or give it to a friend who needs to use it.  It’s an easy decision, right?  You only need to consult yourself and possibly your friend, and if you decide to throw it away you have only lost a few dollars.</p> <p>Now imagine you own a pharmaceutical company and millions of dollars of products are about to expire.  What do you do?  Panic?  Yes, probably at first, but you will quickly call on your business development (BD) team to evaluate all the available options and perform their due diligence.  While some companies have in-house BD support, others outsource the task, but the goal remains the same; <a>save the company money.</a></p> <p>This iJOBS event in January 2023 was led by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/evchang/">Evelyn Chang</a> and focused on this specific case study where a company had to decide the best course of action with their soon-to-expire inventory.  Evelyn has led multiple events for iJOBS to educate students and postdocs on business development as a career.  This year, Evelyn joined us virtually from North Carolina, where she is currently in the semiconductor industry, working in business development at <a href="https://www.cree-led.com/">Cree LED</a>. </p> <p><u><em>Evelyn Chang’s Background</em></u></p> <p>Before diving into the world of business management and the case study, we learned about Evelyn’s career journey.  She grew up in New Jersey and went to NJIT for her BS in computer engineering and then her MS in pharmaceutical engineering.  She later earned an executive MBA from Rutgers business school with concentrations in finance, strategy, and leadership.  As of this year, Evelyn has 20 years of experience in the regulated life science (pharmaceutical and medical device) and semiconductor industry.   While still working in pharmaceuticals, Evelyn was encouraged by a previous coworker to join the mergers and acquisitions (M&amp;A) team at Cree LED.  Outside of her work, she’s a mom of two, owner of a cake decorating business, and co-founder/owner of a startup tech company.  She’s a busy bee living a “hectic” life, as she put it.</p> <p><u><em>What is Business Development?</em></u></p> <blockquote><p><a>The activity of pursuing strategic opportunities for a particular business or organization, for example by cultivating partnerships or other commercial relationships, or identifying new markets for [their] products or services. -- <em>Oxford Dictionary</em> </a></p> </blockquote> <p>Evelyn began <strong>defining BD by the five focus areas of a BD employee/team (Figure 1)</strong>.  The first area of focus she mentioned was recruiting people to the management team for due diligence tasks, which may involve bringing in an outside company for their expertise.  <strong>Due diligence</strong> is when you ensure purchases and business decisions are thoroughly vetted before the company takes any action.  For example, if a company is thinking of acquiring an asset, due diligence would involve researching the product, profit, competitors, and more to determine if purchasing that asset will be worthwhile and makes sense with the executives’ long-term plan for the company.  The BD team also advises the company on when to <strong>phase products in and out</strong> of production or specific markets.  For example, if a product is not producing revenue in its current market, it may need to be phased out (end production and marketing).  The next area BD focuses on is <strong>forming strategic alliances</strong>. For example, an alliance/joint venture with a complementary company can be profitable and productive if a startup lacks certain assets or technical expertise.  Along the same lines as alliance forming, BD will also advise their own company on identifying and acquiring other companies that may benefit the company’s long-term goals.  The last two areas of focus were <strong>divesting assets or divisions</strong> and <strong>managing intellectual property</strong>.  Evelyn also reinforced that business development is very broad and can be boiled down to a simple statement of responsibility: how can we generate revenue and help the organization grow?</p> <p><img alt="Pictorial of steps involved in generating revenue and growing a company" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7b58c9fd-324f-4f40-8fe1-c36ce563171b" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/picture2.png" /></p> <p><em>Figure 1: Visual representation of focus areas of Business Development (BD) team and their mission statement/question.</em></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><u><em>Business Development Approach and Tools</em></u></p> <p>BD teams utilize a high-level approach consisting of <strong>Vision, Strategy and Execution, and Commercialization,</strong> to steer their work.  Vision is listed first because, ultimately, the short-term and long-term goals of the company executives guide the BD team in developing their plan, strategy, and execution. In short, BD is centralized around managing assets, both current and those that could potentially be acquired. Following the explanation of BD, Evelyn then walked us through the tools they use to know if a product or company is worth purchasing/investing in.  There are three categories: financial statements, market research, and financial ratio analysis, wherein multiple resources and factors are considered.  Within each category there are multiple resources and factors to consider before making any decision.</p> <h4><strong>Financial statements</strong></h4> <h6><strong>Balance sheet: </strong></h6> <ul> <li><u>Assets</u>: these include current, fixed, and intangible (copyrights, trademarks, etc.) assets</li> <li><u>Liabilities</u>: current and non-current (if or how much another company owes)</li> <li><u>Equity</u>: paid-in-capital (cash received from stocks) and retained earnings (profit after paying all operating costs and dividends to shareholders)</li> <li><strong>Assets = Liabilities + Equity</strong></li> <li>A company may have good intangible assets (exclusivity to sell) but if they have a lot of debt and low retained earnings, their assets won’t be worth much to your company and you should not invest.</li> </ul> <h6><strong>Income statement</strong>:</h6> <ul> <li><strong>Net income = (Total Revenue + Gain) – (Total expenses + Losses)</strong></li> <li>Investment in the company will be considered if the net income is high.</li> </ul> <h6><strong>Cash flow statement</strong>:</h6> <ul> <li><u>Operating activities</u>: are they spending a lot on operations?</li> <li><u>Financing activities</u>: is their high financing (“taking a lot of the load”)?</li> <li><u>Investment activities</u>: what are they investing in and are they investing a lot?</li> <li><u>Net Profit Value (NPV)</u>: if positive and higher than other companies, you can pursue, and if it’s negative, it’s not worth the investment.</li> <li>You can go to a public company’s investment page on their website and see their <strong>10-K</strong>, which describes their financial performance.</li> </ul> <h4><strong>Market research:</strong></h4> <ul> <li><strong>ROI (return on investment): </strong>do your own due diligence to see if it’s worth investing in a particular company.  Generally, 10% or more is acceptable. You can then rank companies with 10% or more ROI to pick the best option.</li> <li><strong>Niche:</strong><strong> </strong>understand if this is a niche product that will fade over time.  Also decide if you want to risk investing in a niche product and try to make revenue before it fades away.</li> <li><strong>Disruptors: </strong>supply chain disruptions are an example, if a pandemic or a war or a particular material shortage is happening, you might not want to invest in a company that will be hindered by these disruptors.</li> </ul> <h4><strong>Financial ratio analysis:</strong></h4> <ul> <li><strong>Liquidity ratio: </strong>how fast a company liquidates their assets (turns their products into cash).  This has an impact on financial stability.</li> <li><strong>Working Capital ratio: </strong>how fast and how much money you are spending on capital.</li> <li><strong>Asset Usage ratio: </strong>calculated as the total revenue for all the products the company currently owns.</li> <li><strong>Efficiency ratio:</strong> how well a company uses its resources.</li> <li><strong>Profitability ratio: </strong>a company’s ability to generate earnings.</li> </ul> <p>BD team members work together to evaluate a product or company using the above-listed tools and determine if it is worth the investment.  <strong>The ratios are particularly helpful for numerous reasons: you can compare companies of different sizes and industry types and you can obtain performance trends (growth or deterioration)</strong>.  However, one must also know their limits.  The calculations are only as good as the input data, so if things are not well reported, you will not have a good summary of the company’s performance.</p> <p>To understand all the BD terms, Evelyn recommends formal training.  For her, the ratios concept was the hardest to learn as the zero or negative values were difficult to interpret.  Evelyn went to Rutgers for her business degree, but she also mentioned there are online options, like Coursera and Udemy, if that fits your schedule better.  Another great way to learn about BD is to read and practice solving case studies.  In this iJOBS event, we did just that, and as you read the next section you can practice working with a case study too.</p> <p><em><u><a>The Case Study:</a></u></em></p> <p>You are part of the BD team in a pharmaceutical startup (New Jersey) that has been around for 10 years. Because of emerging competition and the war in Ukraine, the startup is experiencing supply chain issues and losing money.  The company’s excess inventory is near expiring (about a year), and your operating income has been reduced, so you must conserve cash.  Your task is to assess how to make a profit on the products you already have.</p> <p>Expired products would need to be disposed of, which involves writing them off as a loss and, if necessary, paying fees for proper disposal, like pharmaceutical drugs.  Another option Evelyn mentioned is donating to hospitals and clinics (nationally) to get government credit.  International donations would need additional approvals and require longer shipping times, so the products could expire before they reach the destination.  Ideally, you want to find a way to get revenue without disposing of or donating your products.  If you are an experienced BD team member, you might have considered what Evelyn did: can we sell our human pharmaceutical product in the veterinary market?  As an example, acetaminophen is used in both humans and animals.  The idea is to look for a quick solution because starting a whole new drug application (NDA) will take at least 6 months for approval, while the products expire in approximately a year.</p> <h6>Sequence of activities (as performed and recommended by Evelyn Chang):</h6> <p><strong>FIRST: Assess existing inventory:</strong></p> <ul> <li>     <strong>Prepare a list</strong> of the expiring pharmaceutical finished goods.  This should contain product details like dosage, dosage form, strength, size, cost/unit, etc.</li> <li>     You can take this time to reference the <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/index.cfm">orange book</a> from the FDA, which contains all the information on FDA-approved drug products for humans.</li> </ul> <p><strong>SECOND: Review the FDA green book:</strong></p> <ul> <li>     The <a href="https://animaldrugsatfda.fda.gov/adafda/views/#/search">green book</a> contains information on<strong> FDA-approved drug products for animals</strong>.  If you want to sell your human drug to the veterinary industry, you have to cross-reference to find an equivalent drug in both the green and orange books.</li> <li>     The orange and green books contain information like <strong>market status </strong>(e.g., Rx, over-the-counter), application number, dosage form, route of administration, strength, applicant holder, etc.  Cross-check everything relevant to your product.</li> <li>     Make sure to <strong>understand regulatory requirements</strong> before proceeding, including active ingredients, strength and dosage form, dosage regimen (including the route of administration), and labeling (generic labeling must match the brand name labeling exactly).</li> <li>     You <strong>should look for and compare exclusivity</strong>, competitors, labeling, etc., in the green book.  You need to understand the market you are entering so you don’t infringe on another patent or sell something with many competitors.</li> <li>     <strong>Tip:</strong> look for expired (A)NDAs ([abbreviated] new drug applications) because that company will no longer have exclusivity to sell, and you can make/sell a generic.  In the green book, they are called ANADAs (abbreviated new animal drug applications).</li> </ul> <p><strong>THIRD: Conduct competition analysis:</strong></p> <ul> <li>     Perform a market share analysis (remember the market research terms and tools from the previous section). <a href="https://www.iqvia.com/search#q=market%20data">IQVIA</a> is a great resource for understanding a company’s position in the current market.  IQVIA does market research for you and writes summary reports.  You can subscribe to get their market research analysis on-demand.</li> </ul> <p><strong>FOURTH: Perform financial analysis:</strong></p> <ul> <li>     Calculate the <strong>NPV</strong> (remember it’s part of the cash flow statement!) and determine how much competitors are selling versus how much your company is selling (or has left in their inventory).</li> </ul> <p><strong>FIFTH: Make a list of assumptions:</strong></p> <ul> <li>     The assumptions can include “pet owners are willing to pay cash” and “the FDA ANADA will be processed within 6 months”.  These are things you assume will work in your favor to maximize your profit in this plan.</li> </ul> <p>Spreadsheets should be your best friend for organizing the above data and making quick comparisons and conducting deep analysis.  This is especially important since employees from different departments need to provide feedback about the logistics and feasibility of the available options.  The BD team was given three weeks to compile the initial report, which involved filtering lots of information from big spreadsheets, contacting various people to answer specific questions, and inquiring about different options the company had left.  Because of their extensive research, they discovered human drugs cannot be sold for animal usage without performing clinical studies, according to the FDA.  In the end, the company donated the products to charities and several hospitals for government credit at a significant loss to the company.</p> <p>While the company in this case study had to choose a less-than-ideal option, the BD team still had to complete their due diligence by researching and evaluating all possible options the company had.  Sometimes research in graduate school can feel the same, where a lot of work has been done to seemingly no fruitful end.  However, it is an extremely valuable experience that you can use for your future projects.  The work of the BD team can still be used to answer similar questions in the future, and their experiences can help companies make decisions quickly and efficiently.  While Evelyn's case study did not have a happy ending, it is the bittersweet reality of life and research.  <a>No matter what, you will always have value from your work and experiences.</a></p> <p> </p> <p><em>This article was edited by Junior Editor Sonal Gahlawat and Senior Editor Shawn Rumrill. </em></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--news.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/412" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">srr131</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--news.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span>Tue, 05/23/2023 - 14:25</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-tags--news.html.twig * field--node--field-tags.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-tags.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Topic Areas</div> <div class="field--items"> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/251" hreflang="en">Biomedical Sciences</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/282" hreflang="en">career development</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/254" hreflang="en">iJOBS Event Summary</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/342" hreflang="en">careers after graduate school</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/317" hreflang="en">STEM careers</a></div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/343" hreflang="en">medical devices</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-academic-cluster--news.html.twig * field--node--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-academic-cluster.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-academic-cluster field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Academic Cluster</div> <div class="field--item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">Biological, Biomedical, and Health Sciences</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-authored-on-year--news.html.twig * field--node--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--node--news.html.twig * field--field-authored-on-year.html.twig * field--computed-integer.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-authored-on-year field--type-computed-integer field--label-above"> <div class="field--label">Authored On Year</div> <div class="field--item">2023</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> Tue, 23 May 2023 14:25:28 +0000 srr131 2657 at https://grad.rutgers.edu