career options: research in industry
issue: biogeography
27 august 2013 article
i speak to many phd students (and postdocs) at conferences and careers events and get asked many questions about moving from research in academia to industry. but i also get a sense that many don’t really understand what ‘industry’ means, how it differs from academia and how the skills they are gaining in academia should be promoted on their cv for an industry job.
this article compares research in academia and industry to inform those considering the move and to help them assess whether the grass will be greener on the other side. a recent phd graduate who has successfully made the move is profiled.
what is ‘industry’ and are there jobs there?
a whole spectrum of companies are involved in commercial research; from global giants in pharmaceuticals, food, medical and industrial biotechnology, medical technology and diagnostics to small- and medium-sized enterprises (smes), to contract research organisations (cros), to biotech and medtech start-ups. the department for business, innovation & skills reports that the uk had 4,500 life sciences companies employing over 167,000 people in 2012.
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the global recession has affected sales and therefore corporate strategies and, certainly in big pharma, stories of site closures or reduction in numbers of employees seem to be commonplace. despite the sense of doom and gloom this engenders, opportunities do exist in commercial research, but the nature and location of these opportunities is currently very fluid. although there has been an overall trend to shrink r&d, the sectors affected in each company may be different dependent on their corporate strategy; for example, one company may be divesting bioinformatics at the same time as another has placed an emphasis on mathematical modelling and systems approaches and is hiring people with computational skills. also, when companies downsize it can lead to an increase in outsourcing and there have been a number of partnerships between big pharma and cros announced.
how is industry different to academia?
in academia, research is undertaken (mostly) for non-commercial purposes in the pursuit of new knowledge and understanding (although you will have to convince a funder that there is a justifiable reason for the work being done). in this environment, there is opportunity and flexibility to follow an interesting lead or to make a change in research direction to see where it takes you; diverging from the specific aims of a grant may be a problem when the time comes to renew, but the risk is yours (or your principal investigator’s), as is the reward.
in industry, research is undertaken for commercial purposes (to develop a product to sell). you will not be pursuing your own ideas but the ideas of the company. you may be able to make a case for a new programme of research, but the decision is management’s and will be guided by business considerations. being driven by commercial opportunities makes this a highly reactive environment and tends to mean that the pace of change (projects starting or stopping) is faster than in academia. this can also make internal re-organisations more common. in industry there is the additional factor of the work being affected by mergers or takeovers.
in industry you will probably be working on multiple projects simultaneously as directed by management. you will (at least initially) have little/no say as to which projects. this could mean you work on a project that is new and fascinating or it may mean that you have to work on a product that you don’t believe is a good idea, or just don’t find interesting. each project will have defined deadlines. in academia you know well ahead of time that a grant or abstract is due, and there is some flexibility in the way deadlines can be achieved over comparatively long periods (for example, getting enough publications for the research excellence framework). if you miss the deadline, the impact is mainly on yourself. in industry, deadlines are more often and can come at short notice. it is not unusual for last-minute projects to be thrown your way. this will now be your priority and you will have to make this short deadline as well as manage your other deadlines.
applying for a job in industry
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when applying for a job in industry focus on skills, achievements and goals and have a separate section listing your technical skills (especially if the job description specifically mentions certain techniques as essential/desired). in particular, make sure you cover the skills listed in the box. show them you are confident, personable and independent and that you have skills that could enable you to move up in the company.
keep in mind that the first person to read your application/cv is likely to be someone in hr who may not have a science background. if you have taken the more ‘academic’ approach of listing each project name this will not be enough information for them to know that you fit the requirements of the job.
a tailored covering letter is very important for applying to an industry job and should specifically mention why you want to work for this company. for this (and definitely for the interview) review the website and learn about their current portfolio of products; show them you know about their company.
a job in: commercial research
avika ruparell
research microbiologist at unilever research and development
medical genetics, bsc university of leicester
molecular microbiology, phd the university of nottingham
q how did you get a job at unilever?
a i’d always wanted to experience industry research but i had no prior experience. when i finished my phd at the end of 2011, the job market was tough so i widened my job search and applied for anything and everything that was relevant to my skills and expertise. i saw the job at unilever on one of the popular online science job sites and applied. a phd was not required for the role, but it definitely gave me an advantage over those applying with an undergraduate degree.
q what’s your typical working day like?
a my job involves in vitro testing of novel and existing formulations for product claim support. every day is different and i find, compared to my phd, there is much more variation in the nature of the laboratory work as i am involved in several projects with different aims. as well as the laboratory work, there will be meetings for delivery of the results via pre-prepared reports and presentations.
q what are the most important skills you need to successfully do your job?
a good communication skills! each project is worked on by a team and these teams can be made up of people with different specialities. it is important that you can explain the work from your specialist area to the other team members so they will understand your results, ideas and opinions.
q what are the highlights and lowlights of working in industry?
a the financial support available is on a completely different level to academic research. the money to support research and development in industry, such as for commercial products, comes from their sales. with unilever being the third-largest consumer goods company in the world, the figures sometimes still surprise me! with finance comes the breadth of technology. gaining experience with various robotics systems for high-throughput testing has been hugely enjoyable (and is an excellent addition to my cv). in this environment there are always more projects to do, more deadlines to meet and pressure to do more and more – but that is a part of every job. though i’d say, compared to academia, the workload is controlled such that you are stretched but not stressed.
q what advice would you give to someone looking to move from academia to industry?
a don’t rule out applying for contract positions. my first appointment was a short-term contract and it has now been extended twice. from personal experience, i can understand the frustrations of not knowing whether you’ll have a job in 6 or 9 months, but the experience is invaluable. i’m gaining new knowledge and skills every day and i think that having a company like unilever on my cv is going to boost the potential for my future career.
karen mcgregor, sgm
email: [email protected].
further information
pharmaceutical industry career information from abpi.
strength & opportunity 2012: the landscape of the medical biotechnology, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors in the uk. annual update – december 2012. department for business, innovation & skills.
uk life science start-up report 2012. mobius life sciences.
think ‘skill’ not ‘d.phil’ (2012). sarah blackford, bioscience careers blog.
how to succeed in industry by really trying (2013). b.l. benderley. science careers magazine.
