Careers In Industry – Alumni Panel Discussion

A crossroads many scientists face over the course of their career is the choice between industry and academia. The prospect of venturing outside of academia may seem like a daunting step, particularly for graduate students who are just beginning their journeys as scientists. At a panel discussion on careers in industry organized through BU’s Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) and led by Dr. Barbara Schreiber (Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Assistant Dean GMS Alumni Affairs), BU alumni spoke candidly of their motivations, personal experiences, and insights working in industry.

The speakers, who are all former BU GMS PhD students, come from diverse science backgrounds and are presently at different stages of their careers in industry. Dr. Steven Perrin and Dr. Anne-Marie Richard have each had more than a decade of experience within the field. Dr. Perrin (Dobson lab, Biochemistry) has worked tirelessly to earn his position as CEO of two companies that are focused on ALS therapy and drug development – the non-profit ALS Therapy Development Institute and Anelixis Therapeutics. Following her time as Principal Scientist within the islet group at Pfizer, Dr. Anne-Marie Richard (Tornheim Lab, Pathology) transitioned to the position of Patient and External Association Engagement Lead at Pfizer where she works with patients and scientists to drive drug development towards addressing unmet patient needs. Currently embarking on their career paths in industry are Dr. Aleksander Syzmaniak and Dr. Kristie Barth, who are relatively recent BU graduates. Dr. Syzmaniak (Varelas Lab, Biochemistry/Cell & Molecular Biology), who graduated from BU in 2017, is a research scientist working on cell therapy for type 1 diabetes using iPSC-derived pancreatic tissue at Semma, which has since been acquired by Vertex Therapeutics. After completing an industry postdoc at Merck, Dr. Barth (Quinton lab, Microbiology/Immunology) transitioned to her current position where she works as Immunology Scientist at Evelo Biosciences.

A practical piece of advice the panelists introduced regarding their motivations to join industry was the importance of being aware of one’s personality and passions. “I knew I wanted to have a bigger impact on patients’ lives,” said Dr. Richard. This prompted her to seek out leadership positions that would provide her the ability to engage directly with patients and coordinate with scientists to steer the course of drug development in a patient-directed manner. In this regard, Dr. Richard felt her current role in Patient Engagement is a good fit as it allows her to conduct Pfizer’s business while at the same time fulfilling her passion.

Dr. Szymaniak echoed the sentiment, stating that his preference towards the experimental side of biomedical science was what led him to industry. His previous experience as a scientist at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, where he could conduct experiments for the project without having to worry about the constraints of funding and grant writing, confirmed that industry was the right environment for the application of his skills and interests.

Dr. Perrin consistently climbed the industry ladder to his current position as CEO of two companies. While he feels as though he is currently “living the dream”, he continues to find motivation throughout his journey from science itself. Dr. Perrin shared that his love for science has been rejuvenated through engagement with the drug development process from start to finish. 

Steering her career based on work environment compatibility, Dr. Barth has been doing research at a small biotechnology company after completing an industry postdoc at a much larger company. She found that staying motivated is easiest when you are working in an environment that suits your personality, goals, and values. In the next 5 years Dr. Barth hopes to be promoted to a more directorial role in her company.

Touching upon the skills they have learned or found useful in industry, Dr. Perrin shared his advice with panel attendees indicating that establishing trust with colleagues at all levels is essential. Doing favors for people without expectation of anything in return not only feels rewarding, but may come back to benefit you in some form later in life. Dr. Perrin is also very aware of his weaknesses and has found success by hiring individuals who excel in areas where he is lacking and having a strong mentor to guide him along the way.

Dr. Richard agreed with this point on mentorship, particularly at the workplace, adding that a good manager wants to see their employees do well and provides support for them to achieve their goals. She also emphasized the value of cultivating soft skills early on, such as empathy and communication. These abilities are critical for effective teamwork and are attributes that hiring managers look for.

Along the same line, Dr. Kristie Barth remarked, “It’s all about the soft skills.” Learning to communicate effectively has been the most important factor contributing to her success in her post doctorate years working with a small team in a startup environment. To that end, she is also an advocate for finding a work environment that works for you, whatever field that may be in.

Dr. Szymaniak offered a slightly different viewpoint on the topic of skill acquisition. Owing to the unique circumstance of having secured a postdoctoral position with the Rajagopal Lab at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute three years before he graduated and recruitment to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation following that, he conveyed the significance of the hard skills he gained as a graduate student in shaping the trajectory of his path after graduate school. He acknowledged as well, with some prompting from Dr. Schreiber, that the combination of his soft and hard skills was beneficial, especially during interviews and networking as a young scientist.

We are extremely grateful for the insights and advice that the panelists shared with the BU community at the BU’s BEST panel discussion on careers in industry. Attendees were able to get a glimpse of what a career in industry looks like from early to advanced stages, what keeps these successful BU graduates motivated, and what skills are necessary to achieve success like Drs. Barth, Perrin, Richard, and Szymaniak.

For more information about BEST, please visit bu.edu/best.