Moving from Academia to Industry
Have you considered moving from an academic research career to an industry position? Do you wonder if it will be the right fit for you?
Your academic training in understanding and solving problems complements the skills required for a successful career in the biotech industry. You will also find that there are many opportunities to continue to learn and improve your skills through an industry career.
From Bench to Big Business
Hear CEO and Founder of STEMCELL Technologies, Dr. Allen Eaves, discuss his transition from a bench scientist to a biotech entrepreneur.
Many STEMCELL employees started in academia and successfully transitioned to fulfilling careers in biotechnology, either inside or outside of the lab. Listen to some of them describe their personal journeys in select episodes of the Stem Cell Podcast or the Immunology Podcast featuring STEMCELL employees. You will learn about the large variety of career options in biotechnology and hear advice for making the move to industry yourself.
Non-Bench Science Careers
A Senior Sales Manager in Sales at STEMCELL, Dr. William Dunworth, talks about his transition from a research lab to working in Sales and provides advice about science careers beyond the bench.
Moving from Academia to Industry
Dr. Steve Szilvassy, now retired, was the Head of Hematopoietic Products at STEMCELL. He discusses his long career as both a research scientist and industry leader in the hematology and oncology fields.
Science Communication in Industry
STEMCELL’s Director of Scientific Communications and Brand, Dr. Nicole Quinn, left the bench behind to pursue a career in science communications. Nicole discusses the role that industry can play in science communication and how podcasts can support scientists.
Immunology and Industry
Dr. Andy Kokaji is a Senior Director of Immunology and Dr. Hannah Lee is a Senior Director of Product Management at STEMCELL. They discuss their career paths and how they develop and commercialize products to support scientific discovery.
Scientific Support
Dr. Jackie Damen is a Principal Scientist in Scientific Support for Hematology and was previously the Director of Contract Assay Services. She talks about STEMCELL’s culture, helping scientists to conduct their experiments, opportunities in industry, and her affinity for microscopy and photography.
Leading an Epithelial and Organoid Systems Team
Dr. Ryan Conder is Director of Epithelial and Organoid Systems in STEMCELL’s R&D department. He discusses the next phase in the organoid research field and what questions organoids can help answer. He also describes his experience doing a postdoc in Vienna and how Vancouver is a growing biotech hub.
Supporting Immunology Researchers
Dr. Laura Raff is an Associate Director of Sales and Dr. Ami Ashar-Patel is a Senior Account Manager; both work in STEMCELL’s Immunology team. They talk about their career transitions from academia to industry and how, in their current roles, they support scientists’ research endeavors.
Applications of Immunology
Dr. Wayne Juang is a Field Application Scientist, Immunology at STEMCELL Technologies. In his current role, he works with researchers to help optimize and troubleshoot their experiments. He discusses his path to industry and his motivation to pursue an MBA.
Mentorship in Science
Dr. Nicole Quinn, STEMCELL’s Director of Brand and Scientific Communications, talks about co-hosting the Lab Coats & Life™ Podcast, what she’s learned about podcasting, key takeaways from conversations about science mentorship, and what to expect in Season 2 of the podcast.
Listen to more inspiring interviews with scientists on the Stem Cell Podcast, the Immunology Podcast, and the Lab Coats & Life™ Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. You can also learn more about Dr. Allen Eaves’ vision and career path and the STEMCELL culture of Scientists Helping Scientists on our About Us page.
