Biophysical Society Newsletter - May 2016

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 10 MAY 2016
Career Center
The World Outside the Lab:
Many Ways to Use Your PhD
in Industry
At the Biophysical Society 60th Annual Meet-
ing in Los Angeles, California, the Early Careers
Committee hosted the panel discussion, The
World Outside the Lab: Many Ways to Use Your
PhD Skills in Industry. The panel consisted of
Anna Amcheslavsky, Sales Representative, Illumina;
Ragan Robertson, Technology Transfer Principal,
University of California, Los Angeles; Jeanne
Small, Chief Information Officer, Quantum
Northwest; and moderator Prithwish Pal, Senior
Market Development Manager, Oncology, Illumi-
na. Much of the discussion is summarized below.
Q: What would I need to do to get
started in each of the panelists’ careers?
What are those doing the hiring looking
for?
People hiring for careers away from the bench
are looking for more education than just bench
science training. You will not have had a job like
this in the past, but you must show that you can
apply your existing skills to the challenges of the
job you are applying for. You have learned much
more in graduate school than just your science.
Do not forget what else you are capable of:
critical thinking, problem solving, perseverance,
multi-tasking, quick learning. Reflect about what
you are good at, and it may guide you to different
career options: Good "lab hands?" Consider de-
velopment; Writing? Consider technical writing;
Collaborating and communicating? Think about
becoming a field representative or going into
sales; etc. Also, think about how much money
you have managed in the past, because this is a
valuable skill for many career paths. When you
go on interviews, listen for feedback and take it
constructively and be flexible to meet the needs
of the hiring team. Consider options to broaden
your scientific training in new directions, through
classes on market analysis, business development,
or intellectual property.
Q: In a tech transfer office, how do you
go about taking things to market?
There are many options and pathways to bring
your innovations and inventions to market. The
first step is always talking to the scientists about
what they are working on, and researching the
market potential. In many cases the business is
launched through a start-up although many uni-
versities have options for incubators and accelera-
tors as well. Tech transfer offices at universities
play a critical role in negotiating the agreements
between the campus, researchers, and business
interests. Start-ups often have little or no money
starting out, so universities often have the option
of taking equity, and becoming part owner in the
company and/or in sharing in the technology’s
profits.
Q: In a non-academic job, are you under
contract? If not, are you worried about
being unemployed?
In sales, you are not under contract. New posi-
tions are posted all the time, but most positions
in sales are stable, as long as the company is doing
well. And, it's easier to get a new position once
you have experience.
The benefits to not having lifelong employment,
as you do in tenured positions, is that you have
the flexibility to leave. You have no contract,
NumbersBy the
The number of Science and Engineering graduate students increased by 3% between 2013
and 2014. Source: Number of science and engineering graduate students up in 2014. (March 30, 2016).
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