A panel discussion at the International Herpesvirus Workshop 2013: Career opportunities for scientists in industry

Panel speakers: Simon Delagrave, Sanofi-Pasteur; Becket Feierbach, Genentech; Thomas Heinemann, Glaxo Smith Kline; David Lowery, Novartis Animal Health Protocol taken by: Kerstin Radtke, University of Montreal
Q: Does the current tight NIH funding situation also affect company funding? - no, sales determine the research funding - funding for own project is acquired by proposing an idea to a panel, oral presentation including clinical need assessment & marketing data, the panel then discusses whether the project is funded. Advantage: funds are available quick, one can directly defend ones own proposal during the presentation Q: Is there room for independent study? - Genentech grants scientist 20% of their time to research whatever they like, but not all companies do this - More freedom in smaller companies Q: If there are two similar jobs advertised at the same company, does it look bad if one applies to both? - No, definitely apply to both (independently) to maximize chances Q: Are there certain skills one should develop as a graduate student or postdoc to prepare for a career in industry? - The most important qualification is the area of research and expertise acquired therein, these have to be in line with the company goals - Good communication skills are important - Good oral presentation and discussion skills are vital to get projects funded Q: Is it possible to transition back and forth within industry and academia? - no problem at the postdoc level - more advanced researchers rarely transition back into academia since they are not well set up to acquire funding - switches from one company to another or different areas of industry (R & D, counselling) are easy Q: Is it possible to publish ones result in peer reviewed papers? - overall there is a certain culture of secrecy in some companies, one can discuss with external experts, but not with external peers e.g. at conferences - valuable data need to be patented prior to publication, this slows down the publication process - on the other hand industry scientists are expected to publish, and their career advancement partially depends on publications (though papers are not the primary output, products are) Q: In order to get a job in industry later on: is it better to do a postdoc in industry as well? - no, postdocs in academia or industry are pretty much equivalent, what is important is the area of research rather then where a particular expertise was acquired Q: What is the typical career ladder / how frequent are promotions? - slow, takes many years - flat hierarchies within company - promotions are more dynamic in smaller companies Q: How important is the knowledge of certain techniques when applying for an industry job? - it is more important to be able to adapt to different projects and quickly learn new methods - advice: if you dont know the techniques specified in the job ad, apply anyway Q: How about technical assistance in the lab? - one often has to perform experiments oneself, depending on career level - there are no graduate students to help you - technicians are often very capable and sharp Q: Current possibilities in industries vs. economic crisis? - research budgets constitute a percentage of sales and are directly affected when sales go down - many companies do not hire during times of economic crisis