Breaking into Biotech Seminar Recap

One of the perks of grad school is still having access to many different types of seminars just like you did when in undergrad. A few weeks ago, I was able to attend a Q&A-style seminar with Dr. Kanchana Ravichandran, a senior scientist at Moderna, about “Breaking into Biotech.” I initially wasn’t sure I’d have any specific questions, but I wanted to hear what others asked. It wasn’t long before I came up with questions of my own.

In this blog, I’ll share some valuable insights I gained from the seminar. Before jumping into it, I just want to say that talks and seminars are events one should take advantage of! You never know who you might meet or if it will inspire you!

Of course, right now everything is virtual, so it’s not the same as attending in-person, but now it’s so easy to log on and see if the event will be interesting to you. I hear about seminars via email. I get one almost every single day, and sometimes it feels overwhelming because now that it is so easy to log on, a part of me feels guilty for not attending. However, I try to be selective about what I attend and how I spend my screen time (because “Zoom fatigue” is real).

I am interested in possibly going the biotech path after graduation (even though that’s like half a decade away from now), so I thought it would be cool to talk to a senior scientist and learn more. And it actually was cool. So here are some things I learned from Dr. Ravichandran.

Keep in mind that her answers are from her experience.

Q: How is her work-life balance?

A: Dr. Ravichandran said she has “a great work-life balance.” Unlike in academia, biotech offers a more stable 9-5ish schedule. 

Q: Should one get a postdoc if they want to go into biotech?

A: Getting a postdoc essentially makes you more competitive. There are way more postdocs than fresh PhD grads, so why would a company choose a PhD over a postdoc? A postdoc is more experienced. That’s not to say that you won’t be able to find a job right after your PhD, but it’s more rare. On the other hand, a startup might be more inclined to take on PhD grads than more established companies.

Q: What kind of postdocs are there?

A: There are academic and industry postdocs. The academic ones are done at universities, and industry ones are done at a company and normally only last 2 years (as opposed to lasting many years in academia). It's worth noting that an industry postdoc will most likely not result in being hired within that same company, but you will then be more competitive when applying to biotech jobs.

Q: What does the salary look like when starting in biotech versus years later?

A: This will depend on the specific company, but starting salaries range from the high $80,000s to mid $90,000s. Then the salary can increase upwards to $120,000.

Q: How do companies incentivize their employees to make progress?

A: Biotechs will set up goals, sometimes quarterly, and see if your project is worth pursuing. If you are on a solid project, then your productivity and efforts will most likely be scored and be accompanied with a salary increase.

“Goals and deliverables are there to guide an employee, but your rating and the resulting raise/bonus is independent of whether the project succeeds. The company can't penalize you for science failures! They generally just look at what/how you addressed those goals. Did you do what was expected? Or did you go above and beyond?” noted Dr. Ravichandran.

Q: What does she miss about academia?

A: Dr. Ravichandran told us that she misses the freedom in research that academia has. For example, in an academic research lab, you might not get results you anticipated, but you would have the liberty to explore why that was the case. In biotech, if your result isn’t headed in the direction the company wants to pursue, then you’ll have to move on. 

Q: How does one “break into biotech”? What helps the most?

A: NETWORKING! Networking is key. You never know if the people you meet might be at a certain company down the road. However, people shouldn't shy away from cold-applying to jobs online. You never know where the opportunity will come from so leave as many doors open as possible!

Q: What was networking like in pre-COVID times?

A: Moderna is in Boston, and Dr. Ravichandran explained how there are about two city blocks filled with different biotechs, and in between them is one bar that everyone goes to. This created a social environment where you could meet and mingle with scientists from other surrounding companies like Pfizer and grow your personal network. 

The hour I spent listening to Dr. Ravichandran was definitely time well spent! I felt like I learned a lot about the biotech industry, and I actually got excited. I am still open to all possible careers after my PhD, but entering biotech sounded appealing.

I was happy that I was able to attend this seminar, and I liked that Dr. Ravichandran was so friendly and honest with her responses. After all, unless your PI was in industry before academia, they can’t really tell you from first-hand experience what industry life is like. That’s why it is so great that universities such as UCSB have guest speakers who can share their own experiences.

In conclusion, seminars are a great resource that you should partake in if it’s a topic you are interested in. When you do attend an event, don’t be afraid to ask questions when given a chance, and remember to network! I asked three questions, and a friend of mine who attended the seminar said I had good questions, so I'm glad that I asked.

I hope that you learned something after reading this post. My plan is to continue writing recap posts when I attend seminars that I find interesting, so stay tuned!