We Fight For PhDs And PhD Careers
We have helped and are helping thousands of PhDs transition into their first or next industry career. Our members develop their careers knowledge for life.
Our Members Get Hired At Top Industry Companies
Jack O'Sullivan, PhD
Senior Sales Specialist - LUMICKS
There was a very clear moment as I was trying to break into industry, that I said okay, I need help and I need to change something. It was this moment where I got head hunted by a recruiter for this job that I thought I was absolutely perfect for. I loved the company, knew loads about it, went and smashed the first interview, was going into the second interview, and then it all went wrong. I didn’t get it, and I realized I must be doing something fundamentally wrong and needed to make a change. I enrolled in tons of career development programs, I got a mentor, and I found the CSA as well. I just threw myself into everything. A huge difference between the CSA and other career development programs is that it’s run by people who have PhDs, have transitioned into industry, know science, and understand the industry really well. The advice I was getting from other sources was great broad advice, but not useful, while the advice I was getting from the CSA was so targeted, so clear.
Farah Lollmahomed, PhD
Scientist - Covalon Technologies Ltd.
The first thing that struck me was that I’m not the only one who has been in this situation. You really feel connected right away. There were so many people already in the Cheeky Scientist Association with experience I could learn from.
Maximilliano Vallejos, PhD
Biosciences Account Manager - Thermo Fisher
I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Biosciences Account Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific!
Chowdhury Ashraf, Ph.D.
Data Scientist - Dun & Bradstreet
Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I didn’t know where to start nor what skill set I needed to transition into industry. Once I joined the Association, I submerged myself into the Association’s private networking community. I was overwhelmed by the support I received and felt comfort in knowing that I was not alone in my job search. I received positive mentorship that helped boost my confidence during my job search.
Sherri Ter Molen, PhD
Communication Associate and Journal Acquisitions Editor - National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
I’m a more experienced PhD but still got hired because of Cheeky Scientist. Before joining, I was frustrated after spending months on job applications and receiving no response to my job search efforts. I finally joined Cheeky Scientist, and now I’m a communication associate for the NCSBN. I just can’t believe I didn’t join Cheeky sooner.
Melinda Spooner, PhD
Extension Specialist - UT Institute of Agriculture
I am happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Extension Specialist at the UT Institute of Agriculture!
Niranjan Thiruvur, Ph.D.
Research Scientist - PPD
Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I felt really discouraged in my job search due to the gaps in my resume. Once I joined the association, I felt a great deal of relief knowing that I wasn’t alone. There were other PhDs out there, like me, struggling with Imposter Syndrome. Diving into the Association materials, the modules helped me develop a professional resume and prepare for salary negotiation.
Kristin Cederquist, PhD
Senior Scientist - DCN Dx
I actually joined the Association because I had a job, this is actually my second industry job. I was not so happy at my company, they were restricting me in a bunch of ways, and around January of 2016 I joined the Association. My resume had gotten me a couple of jobs already, but I thought maybe I could make it better, maybe meet some people around the area, and actually I did and it was very helpful. In the private group, I really met a lot of interesting people that come from completely different backgrounds and have transitioned into industry. They were very active and very helpful.
Krista Meyer, PhD
Program Manager - Biosero
It’s official! I got a great job. I am so thrilled to share my news. I am starting with a company in San Diego, working fully remote, as a Program Manager. Not Surprising, it was networking that eventually brought me to the right person. The first time we spoke, there wasn’t a job. Then a week or 2 later, there was! He reached out to me and shared the JD. I submitted my application. At the time, I thought he was able to refer me to the position. But actually, he was the hiring manager. I skipped the first interview because we had already spoke and went straight to a 2 hour panel interview. I gave a short presentation, met many teammates, and finally the CEO. I had a job offer the very next week. I wanted to send my thanks to you and the cheeky team. It wasn’t my resume or my LinkedIn profile that got me traction in my job search. I have yet to be offered an interview from any application that I submitted without knowing someone, and I submitted many. During the first Friday meeting after joining the program. I reached out to 15 or so other CSA job seekers looking to connect and maybe chat for a few minutes to grow community. It was through one of those connections that I made it, several intros later, to a person who needed me. I also made some great new proffesional friends that I plan to keep close. The focused topics made a difference. I studied the materials and felt really prepared on interview day. My presentation was great, I answered many tricky interview questions seamlessly, asked a bunch of questions of my own, and negotiated my salary like a pro. Can hardly wait to get started! That will make it real. Again, just wanted to share some good news and share how thankful I am for you and the team.
Mahesh Bhandari, PhD
Scientist, Analytical Development - Moderna
My goal was, right after my PhD, to transition into industry. I came across Cheeky Scientist, but at that time I was not sure if you were real. But I was needing that guidance and supportive group, and I found this perfect group. I went through all the modules, which are wonderfully organized. The group is really like-minded, supportive people, similar PhDs with similar goals in mind, transitioning into industry.
Ranjith Nadipalli, PhD
AD Consultant - Cambrex
After six years of research, I wanted to transition into industry. Academics are always underpaid, so I always felt undervalued for my skills. That’s why I wanted to transition into industry. I personally recommended to more than 20 different graduate students to join the CSA, because I see their problems in academia.
Tazkera Haque, PhD
Senior Data Scientist - Booz Allen Hamilton
I am happy to share that I will be starting a new position as Senior Data Scientist and Machine Learning Architect at Booz Allen Hamiliton. Thanks very much for all the support and encouragement. I specifically want to thank Abha and Meera for the excellent interview prep meeting and guidance.
Meagan Ramsey, PhD
Manager, Proposal Development Unit - Michigan Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care
The biggest challenge that I came up to first was really not knowing what to do. I started my postdoc in June and things were going well at first, but for some reason around September I started wondering if the faculty track was really right for me. That had always been my plan, so I really didn’t know what options were out there. I had no clue what was available, and I’d always been kind of discouraged from non-academic jobs. That was failure, basically. So there was some guilt that I was feeling, I felt kind of alone, I really didn’t know anyone who had done something non-academic, so that was one of the biggest hurdles for me to overcome. The Association really helped me see that there are a lot of great options out there, you don’t have to go academic. There are amazing career options that fit better with the lifestyle I wanted. I could do exactly what I wanted every day, live a life where I’m able to do things on the weekends.
Pallevi Srivastva, PhD
Head of Cell Culture Media and Process Development - Wildtype
There is tons of information in the groups. Other than the information, the support is what I really like. People encourage you. It’s not a competition, it’s like a support group. We all are working towards not the same position, but the same goal, and everyone is very helpful and supportive. So the information and support are really really good parts of the group.
Naki Adjirackor, PhD
National Medical Science Liaison - Guerbet Pharmaceuticals
I’ve finalized a contract with Guerbet Pharmaceuticals as a National Medical Science Liaison!! It’s been a long road with many interviews but we got there in the end 🙂 Thank you all for your support! Exciting times lay ahead!
Paige Pott, PhD
Evidence Evaluation Specialist - Smith+Nephew
Job search techniques? I had none. I didn’t know where to start, and I only knew how to make an academic CV, I did not know how to make a resume, I didn’t know that it didn’t need to be longer than two pages maximum. And then networking, I’d only networked on campus, which still gave me good connections but they weren’t industry connections. So since then I’ve been networking on LinkedIn and just anywhere I go. If I learn that someone could potentially help me or I could help them, “Hi, my name is Paige. Nice to meet you.”
Yoanne Clovis, PhD
Senior Scientific Brand Strategist - Audacity Health
I had a hard time accepting the fact that I had to network, and that my PhD and resume were not enough to find a job. Before I joined the Cheeky Scientist Association I definitely was lost. I had sent many resumes with no response whatsoever, and I didn’t know where to go. I was just lost. For me, the “aha moment” came on Day 1. I was invited to the private group, and I think after an hour I had already gotten my money’s worth.
Amy Salmeto-Johnson, PhD
Financial Consultant - Prosperity Planning PLLC
I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Financial Consultant at Prosperity Planning PLLC!
Fred Westhorpe, PhD
Director - Discovery Pharmacology - COMPASS Pathways
I’m a biochemist, and before joining Cheeky Scientist, I didn’t understand the power of networking. Cheeky gave me the tools I needed to fully engage with professionals in my field. Now I’m a principal scientist at CuraSen. I had the potential, but Cheeky Scientist showed me how to access it.
Bishnu Joshi, PhD
Director - Agenus
Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I was just trying by myself. I didn’t know how to network, I was applying to jobs online, but besides the automated messages I wasn’t getting any other response or follow-up. After joining the Association I got the opportunity to introduce myself to other senior fellows who have already transitioned into industry, I learned a lot from the webinars, I modified my resume based on the key words found in job advertisements, and I changed my job application strategy. Before applying to positions I tried to network with people inside the company. That helped me a lot.
Sanjoy Saha, PhD
Process Engineer - Intel
I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Process Engineer at Intel Corporation!
Shanta Boddapati, PhD
Senior Scientist, Bioprocess Development - Seattle Genetics
My biggest challenge was to get to the point where my resume was being selected, to get through that screening step and actually get through to the hiring manager. Joining the Association made me realize that I had to work on all these different aspects of how I present myself professionally in a way that people can see the value I bring to the table. [After joining the Association] I got started on networking right away, and it paid off immediately. And in terms of working through the modules, I got a very good picture of every step of the process. I thought that was very helpful, because I would spend hours trying to find this information, and having it all together in such a comprehensive manner was very valuable.
Saad Ahmed Sheikh, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist - Sandvik Group
Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I struggled to get interviews, and my CV was 4 to 5 pages. Once I joined the Association, I was able to grasp the material and techniques from the modules and began to feel confident during the interview process.
Roukiah Khalil, PhD
Scientist - Evolvelmmune Therapeutics
I’m excited to announce that I have joined EvolveImmune Therapeutics as a Scientist! I’m thrilled to embark on this new chapter of my career where I’ll be collaborating with a team of brilliant scientists to make a meaningful impact in the fight against cancer.
Leo Ai, PhD
Clinical Product Risk Specialist - Boston Scientific
I had primarily taken the same approach [to the industry job search] that I had with my postdoc applications, so my resume wasn’t getting much attention. So I knew something was missing there. That was the primary thing that was on my mind at the time, because I just wasn’t getting any sort of response from anything. [After joining the Association] one of the greatest “aha moments” was the concept of adding value. That was not something that I was used to. Another big “aha moment” was the concept of transferable skills. That’s what a lot of us coming from academia don’t really realize–if you feel like you’re missing something on your resume, that’s probably it.
Lalit Sharma, PhD
Scientist - Nurix Inc.
Initially for me the main thing was making the decision whether to go into academia or industry. That’s what I was struggling with, and I was leaning toward academia. But after I decided to look into industry, that’s why I realized that my surroundings, my network, was all in academia. I was lucky enough to get a good advisor, but they had only academic connections. So I knew that I needed a strategy to get an industry job, and that’s when I was looking around and found the Cheeky Scientist Association. When I was going through the modules on the website, the first thing that really helped me was the LinkedIn module, and also learning the difference between a CV and an industry resume. And in the private group, the success stories really motivated me, especially during the time when I was getting a lot of rejections. So that really motivated me.
Andrew Laitman, PhD
Deployment Strategist - Palantir Technologies
I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Deployment Strategist at Palantir Technologies in Washington, DC!
Ale Audia, PhD
Business Development Manager - Champions Oncology, Inc.
Before joining the Association, I had very little knowledge of what possibilities were out there for me besides research and academia. So I joined the Association and went through the modules, and I learned a lot about the possibilities out there and I started to be a little more confident. That’s what was missing for me, because I didn’t feel that I had the skills.
Marylen Rimando, PhD
Research Scientist - IHRC
First, what I really liked about Cheeky Scientist was how supportive everybody is. All the materials were great, but I think the one thing that really stuck with me was the transition plan. It really lets you look at yourself where you are now, and look at where you want to go, and then develop a strategic plan to get to that point.
John Broussard, PhD
Senior Neuroscientist - Actuated Medical, Inc.
I want to let you know I did get and accept an offer for an industry position, thanks in large part to CSA.
Asjad Ali, PhD
Plant Breeder - Department of Primary Industries
My main challenges were my CV, networking, and having confidence in your PhD when looking for industry positions. I gained a lot of confidence from reading the materials from the Cheeky Scientist Association and talking with the support team.
Chronis Fatouros, PhD
Lab Head - iDNA Genomics
I was unsure of where to start, and I didn’t have any industry internships. My lack of experience was my biggest impediment. I wasn’t sure how to leverage what I learned in my academic career. After 3 months of joining Cheeky I received a job offer.
Deepthi Rajashekar, PhD
Data Scientist - Siemens Healthcase
Extremely happy to share that I’ve successfully transitioned away from academia. Landed the role of Data Scientist at Siemens Healthcare! I’ll be working on their ML/AI teams at the intersection of diagnostic imaging, machine learning, and regulatory compliance! It’s everything I wanted for my first job with a competitive pay! I am extremely grateful to all the support I received from the cheeky community.
Swati Kunduri, PhD
Associate Medical Director - Chiesi Medical Group
I wasn’t sure which career path I wanted to pursue. I knew I wanted to be an MSL, but the competition and my lack of experience clouded my dream. Once I joined Cheeky, I realized I had transferable skills and learned how to position them. Having an accountability partner provided me with a lot of support during my transition.