Beyond the Ivory Tower and Into the Woods:
An Alternative-Career Development Conference for Life Science Graduates
By Cheng He

Long before Chiedza Kaitano finished her Ph.D training in microbiology at NYU three weeks ago, she knew she wanted a career outside of academic research. But although there is a forest of opportunities outside the groves of academia, Ms. Kaitano, like many science graduates, initially had difficulty finding a path to her goal of a career beyond the lab.

Undaunted, Ms. Kaitano actively plunged ahead, exploring alternative careers by going to career seminars and taking industry internships. Recently, her job search led her to the 4th Annual Life Sciences Career Development Conference, held at CUNY Graduate Center in the heart of Manhattan.
Organized by the Center for Biotechnology, a NYSTAR-designated Center for Advanced Technology, the annual conference in just a few years has grown into the leading event in New York State for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows interested in pursuing careers in the life sciences industry. This year’s conference attracted more than two hundred students and postdoctoral fellows over a two-day period. The attendees came from over sixty academic institutions throughout the Northeast region and beyond, covering a wide range of scientific disciplines from biomedical engineering to genetics and neuroscience.

The conference opened with a keynote speech by Dr. Jan Vilcek, the Remicade® co-inventor and professor of Microbiology at NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Vilcek’s inspiring talk on his own career path, highlighted by the success of Remicade®, exemplified how society can benefit from applied science, and how each one of us has the potential to make a difference. Dr. Vilcek’s message reaffirmed the reason many of us chose a career in the life science the first place.

Graduates in biological sciences face many challenges when they decide to pursue a career outside academic research. Many simply don’t know what career options are available, while others know what they want, but don’t know how to get there. With that in mind, the organizers of this career development conference described its aim as “expand[ing] the knowledge and understanding of the variety of career paths in the life sciences industry.” And, in fact, a broad range of career options were presented via breakout groups and a large number of panel discussions. For example, Ms. Kaitano attended “Alternative Careers for Life Science Graduates” panel, chaired by Dr. Cynthia Isaac, VP, Ogilvy PR Worldwide. Attendees of this panel were briefed on careers in PR, marketing, scientific writing/editing, as well as investment banking.

Meanwhile across the hall, Karen Quadrini, a postdoc from Mount Sinai School of Medicine who is looking for a R&D job in the pharmaceutical industry, took part in the panel “Everything You Need to Know About Finding a Job in the Life Sciences Industry” chaired by Dr. Cliff Mintz, CEO of BioInsights. Although successful in securing a few job interviews, Ms. Quadrini had not yet been offered a position and decided to come to this career conference. “I liked the Regulatory Affairs panel the most,” said Ms. Quadrini, when asked what she thought of the conference. “I have been to other career fairs but there was very little coverage of regulatory affairs issues. This one has a much deeper breadth.” Ms. Quadrini believes she now has a better understanding of the drug-development process, which she hopes will translate into a successful job search.

Ms. Kaitano and Ms. Quadrini are by no means typical life-science graduates looking for alternative careers. Too often graduates complain about the difficulties of landing a job but don’t actually work to build their credentials. By contrast, Ms. Kaitano and Ms. Quadrini came to the career conference because they both understand the importance of reaching out and networking.

In fact, promoting networking by students like Ms. Kaitano and Ms. Quadrini is the second major aim of the conference. The Center for Biotechnology’s website describes the conference as helping to “increase communication and forge a formal linkage between New York's graduate student and postdoctoral population and New York's life sciences industry.” And even a quick walk-through the meeting venue showed that employers responded. Panel speakers and exhibitors came from over fifty enterprises working in life sciences -- from traditional pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Merck, to biotech companies such as Acorda Therapeutics and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; from venture capital firms, such as Thomas, McNerney & Partners, to investment banks such as Goldman Sachs; and from consulting firms, IP law firms, PR firms, to non-profit organizations and governmental entities.

For most speakers, the decision to participate in the conference came rather easily, despite their busy work schedules. “I believe that fresh science graduates must educate themselves about the various opportunities available to them. Attending a conference like this is very helpful in achieving that goal and I was glad to be of help,” said Dr. Sadhana Chitale, a business-venture analyst at the NYU Office of Technology Transfer who spoke on a panel on issues women face in the life sciences industry. “I thought that the panel addressed many real and practical concerns facing women in the life sciences.” Dr. Eric Staeva-Vieira, an associate biotech analyst with the investment banking firm Rodman & Renshaw LLC., also believes that “[i]t’s an important opportunity to share knowledge and help others make the move from the bench to alternative (off-the-bench) careers.” He added, “From my experiences at the New York Academy of Sciences as well as my own career development, I have gained much insight into these off-the-bench careers and feel compelled to share what I know.” As a panelist representing the finance industry, Dr. Staeva-Vieira emphasized the importance of having strong writing skills and an understanding of finance and accounting. “If you can’t find your way around a company’s balance sheet or income statement, you significantly limit your chances of getting a job in the banking sector.”

The overwhelming positive response from conference attendees only underscored the hunger for career development guidance. As more and more life science students want to learn about career paths beyond bench research, there is a need for more networking and conferences such as this one. However, there is only so much that can be learned in a two-day conference. Indeed, a quick survey found many conference participants expressed desire to have more time for Q&A during the panel discussions. Happily, the Center for Biotechnology has for the past two years supplemented the annual conference with an intense course called “Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry Program”, which covers most of the topics dealt with during the conference, but in a more comprehensive approach over a four-month period.

The second class just graduated this past spring, and a number of program alumni volunteered at the conference, helping with registration and set-up as well as practicing what they learned during the class by networking with fellow students and industry participants. A couple of alumni even became panelists, sharing career development experience with the rest. Their experience and exposure to options, skills, and contacts may well make a difference in their quest for that “perfect” job in the industry.

As for Ms. Kaitano, the freshly minted Ph.D from NYU, she has narrowed her focus to a couple of industries, primarily pharmaceutical consulting. The job search will likely still not be easy. But considering the groundwork she has done and the paths she has explored, Ms. Kaitano is already a giant step ahead of her peers.

Cheng He is an alumnus of the Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry Program, class 2005. He is expected to graduate from NYU School of Medicine with a Ph.D in cell biology in summer 2006, and is currently looking for career opportunities in consulting, business development, and Tech transfer/IP, within the pharmaceutical/biotech fields. For more information, please visit www.chenghe.org