Articles Written By Aditya Sharma, PhD

While academic career prospects are diminishing, the opportunities for life science PhDs outside the ivory tower are growing. Your skills are desirable in an array of industry biocareers. Industry needs life science PhDs to fill management consulting, medical science liaison, medical communication, research and development scientist, and application scientist roles. Whatever your passion or career interests, there is an industry position suited to your skillset.

There is a wide range of industry positions that are great options for PhDs. One lesser known, but quite lucrative position is that of a quantitative analyst. These positions are in high demand and PhDs have many of the skills needed for this role. PhDs who are experts with data sets and data mining, who have strong mathematical and statistical backgrounds, and who have an interest in finance, are well-suited for a role as a quantitative analyst. PhDs who can work under pressure and who have excellent communication skills will be able to succeed in quantitative analysis roles. With a…

While the work environment within academia is poor and often unsupportive, there are many industry companies who are dedicated to investing in their employees and who pride themselves on having a good culture. Not all companies will have the same type of culture, so it’s important that you take the time to research and find out if a company’s culture is suitable for you. To determine if a company is a good fit for you, speak with current and past employees, research the company’s online presence, and ask the right questions during your interview. This will help you to find…

As a PhD who has spent many years in academia, it is possible to lose sight of your value. But, when you are transitioning from academia to industry, you must reconnect with your value in order to get the pay you deserve. The only way your future employer is going to see your value is if you communicate it to them. Once you know what your skills are worth, negotiate to get the salary to match. Sending the right type of email will help you secure a higher starting salary. Negotiation emails should be polite but direct. Here are 5…

Making the transition from academia to industry requires you to gain some knowledge of how businesses work. It’s not enough to have technical skills. Industry employers don’t care about your technical skills. They care about a solid set of transferable skills combined with astute business acumen. If you’re applying for jobs, particularly in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, you need to add the patenting process to your knowledge base. Knowing that you understand the process and how important it is to businesses to protect their ideas shows you are a business-informed PhD with the company’s success in mind. Learn the…

No one said getting your PhD would be easy. But at one point, there was the idea that it would at least take you into a career that was fulfilling. For many, reaching the goal of their PhD was met with bleak future prospects for meaningful work in the academic halls they had invested so much of their time. So when it’s time to leave academia and fully commit to an industry transition, many PhDs don’t know the best way to do it. It can feel like taboo to talk to your advisor about your plans to leave academia. Read…