Ah, the long weekend in one of the most enjoyable seasons is here. And obviously it’s time to sit back and rejuvenate. Leave work at work, get that work-life balance back. And if at all, you must indulge in work, it would be a nice time to start actively listening to people around you, invest it in deciding your next career steps, know the market out there, see how it aligns with your interest. Maybe you realize it is, indeed, time to release your dream project as a startup!
After all, the big names are also putting money into riskier projects. Apple becomes the latest name to invest in devising blood glucose level sensors after companies like Google have already been unsuccessful. On the other hand, Medtronic gets approval by FDA – this insulin pump based therapy will be available to patients in about a year. Strand Life Sciences gets one step closer to personalized cancer treatment with development of liquid biopsy test. And, Bengal Chemicals, the oldest pharma company in India, registers profit after 60 odd years! Excitement all around in health care and pharma sector!
And not just companies but traditional research and educational institutes are developing potentially viable revenue generating products. Researchers at IISc, India develop electricity conducting graphene at room temperature, a model predicted only theoretically so far and one that can help make more effective electronics. IGCAR, India develops a new method to ‘see’ temperature without having to strain your eyes to read a thermometer. Doctors at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India finds a new neurological genetic disease in ‘Multiple mitochondrial dysfunction syndrome‘. Does that open up ideas for the geneticists and neurologists among us?
Talking of geneticists, did you know the Human Genome Project (HGP) is considered to one of the projects to look out for in 2017. Do attend the GP-Write at New York to know everything from scientific direction to social and legal engagements to available infrastructure in GP, May 9th and 10th.
With China’s exemplary growth and investment in research as well as industrial development in biotech drugs sector, India is taking steps to improve its stance, the Union HRD of India declared doubling of funding for research and development. In addition, it is also working on a proposal to establish National Research Foundation to leverage resources from industry and support collaboration between institutes in India and abroad. However, it also brought declarations of higher benefits for higher ranked institutes, which risks the lower rung universities without even basic amenities worsening further.
The universities, themselves, worldwide are facing criticism for lack of professional development for scientists. There are plenty of misconceptions that PhD students hold that hamper the way they go about developing their careers. It is the universities’ duty rather to take responsibility of its students; University of British Columbia and University of Chicago are setting examples in distinguishing needs of students from different fields. And there is nothing more important than the students’ ownership in the regard; make sure you develop a healthy student-mentor relationship.
We hope to develop together an utopia where each one of us chooses a career path based on what we like and not what we get. Explore many different options before you decide for yourself. Howe do people get into science policy? Or who are application scientists in industries? Do you even know how scientific writers write papers for other research groups? There are many, many different career paths to choose from those who are interested in science communication (Of course, at Club SciWri we can’t undermine this :)).
For those who are sorted, check some of these available opportunities:
- Graduate student education and professional development Program Director at University of Rochester, USA
- Process Analytics Scientist at Eurofins, NJ, USA
- Scientist II at Bristol Myers Squibb, NJ, USA
- Bioinformatics Research Scientist at St Jude‘s Children‘s Research Hospital, NY, USA
- Senior Licensing Associate – tech transfer at Children‘s Hospital of Philadelphia, USA
- Merck is expanding in South San Francisco, USA and are hiring aggressively
- Multiple MSL jobs in Europe and USA
Those interested in consultancy, check interesting training options at McKinsey (for women, except in the USA) and by Columbia Graduate Consulting Club.
For the entrepreneurial ones especially, make sure you do not miss the networking events – there are plenty of them coming up in Basel, New York and San Diego.
Try to get face to face interviews instead of email communications. When you can’t, a good cover letter is what you count on. Make sure you do not make the usual mistakes while talking to a recruiter, know how much are you worth in the market while you are readying for your interviews and meetings. Keep in mind there is still a gender wage gap!
And as I wrap up, I would like to beware our Indian readers in Europe of the fraudulent calls demanding money. We join hands with the Embassy of India in the efforts to reduce the possibilities of such mishaps. Wishing safety for all!
About the author:
Somdatta Karak works with Club SciWri as a project co ordinator and Corporate Liaison. She is a doctorate in neuroscience from Georg August University, Göttingen, Germany and has been a Teach for India fellow (2014-16). She loves putting her analytical skills to build newer and more sustainable solutions, enjoys traveling and communicating and takes every opportunity to expand her horizon.
You can reach her here.
