2019 Career Panel: Scientists in Industry

by Senegal Carty, GMS PhD Trainee

Date: February 27, 2019
Panelists:
Dr. Kadryn Kadasia; Associate Scientist, Post-doctoral Fellow at Merck
Dr. Jennifer Layne; Director, Medical Affairs at Insulet
Dr. Melanie Mott; Clinical Writer at DynaMed Plus (EBSCO Information Services)
Dr. Barbara Natke; Director, R&D Business Operations at Shire
Dr. Sumeet Sarin; Scientist at Homology Medicines, Inc.

For some scientists just getting started in their careers, the university environment has taken on a comforting familiarity that can make work in industry seem intimidating. After spending years in school, the idea of moving from the academic culture to a more business-focused industry environment, which demands the flexibility to suddenly switch projects and painstaking recordkeeping that university P.I.s only dream of, can be daunting. Even for those who might want to try building a career outside of the lab, the distance from benchwork to a full-time writing or management position in a company can seem like a chasm.

Yet considering the numbers of doctorate degree holders who make this transition successfully, it’s surprising that more PhD students don’t realize their potential to do well in an industry position. Each of the career paths described by the speakers at the BU’s Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) panel discussion of careers in industry was a testament to the importance of not writing a move out of academia off too quickly when making career plans. The discussion was led by Dr. Barbara Schreiber, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and co-PI (along with Dr. Linda Hyman, Associate Provost of Graduate Medical Sciences) of BU’s BEST. Two of the panelists, Dr. Sumeet Sarin, scientist at Homology Medicines, Inc. and recent BU graduate Dr. Kadryn Kadasia, associate scientist and post-doctoral fellow at Merck, were both able to satisfy their desire to stay close to the heart of science and continue lab work after earning their PhDs. BUMC Pulmonary Center alumna Dr. Barbara Natke, Director of R&D Business Operations at Shire and Dr. Jennifer Layne, Director of Medical Affairs at Insulet have worked their way up to prestigious leadership positions within their companies. Dr. Melanie Mott, clinical writer at DynaMed Plus (EBSCO Information Services), is leveraging the scientific writing and evaluation skills she honed during her time at BUMC, first as a research dietician and later as a PhD student. She currently also works in policymaking with the FDA and USDA, to ensure that their regulations are based on sound science.

Dr. Kadasia highlighted the role BU’s BEST had played in her career success; by attending a panel much like the one she was serving on and making a networking connection with a scientist at Merck who spoke there, she demonstrated her drive to someone who would end up being one of the hiring managers for her current position. “Sometimes you just have to rely on some of the older personal skills; just making that connection, letting people know what your passions are,” she advised the audience.

In his advice to the panel’s attendees, Dr. Sarin also stressed the importance of interpersonal skills. He mentioned that seeking out the right mentors and learning how to give and receive mentorship to make the most out of this type of relationship is a key part of working towards career success. Dr. Sarin also spoke about how choosing a broad scientific question that intrigued him early on in his career development was an excellent source of motivation and helped him to create concrete goals on his way to his current position.

Of course, the panelists also mentioned that complementing clear aims with a certain level of flexibility is key. This is partly because in industry, projects that prove to be unprofitable are quickly dropped and partly because, in the words of Dr. Natke, “There’s always opportunities to change and shift gears, no matter how far in you are.” In addition to her work as Director of R&D Business Operations, Dr. Natke is currently working on earning an MBA and is considering a shift to a position in venture capital.

Two of the panelists’ career journeys are evidence of the demand for doctorate degree holders’ writing skills. This asset is so useful that, in the words of Dr. Layne, “If you can write, you can get a job.” After earning her PhD, Dr. Layne took medical writing jobs that satisfied her interest in translational research while working her way up to her current position at Insulet as Director of Medical Affairs. Of course, it’s impossible to truly leverage one’s skills without letting others know about them, and Dr. Layne made sure to impress this upon the audience, stressing how indispensable LinkedIn is as a self-promotion tool.

Dr. Mott concurred with this advice. “I don’t think I’ve ever officially applied for a job,” she said, emphasizing that trying to build a career while neglecting networking is not a wise approach. Dr. Mott also spoke about rolling with life’s punches and how an unsuccessful application for funding as a postdoc was very disappointing at the time, but in hindsight was a step on her way to her current position as a clinical writer and possibly a future full-time career in science policy.

These are just some of the stories and pieces wisdom shared by the panelists at the second in BU’s BEST recent series of career panel discussions, and audience members came away with a much clearer idea of the opportunities available in industry and how best to seize them.