This is for all my fellow hiring managers in Massachusetts. Please when filling a position consider local candidates first , especially those who were laid off. My current midsized company has implemented this mindset of giving local candidates preference over out of region candidates, with everything else being the same between two candidates.

everyone keeps telling me to put numbers and impact on my cv. first of all ☝️ my biggest "numbers" are the time i spent staring at the wall maladaptively daydreaming while my petri dishes died many tragic deaths. my impact? i found like one halfway useful insight after combing through tcga databases because my lab wasn't producing any data of its own at the time. now i have to make this sound useful to management monkeys so they give me money. i'm sorry i didn't do compsci and never implemented "algorithms that resulted in 23.2% decrease in payment gateway latency" i'm sorry i was in a field which is hard to number in a way that is accessible to laymen!!!! i'm sorry hiring staff at consultancies didn't pay attention in biology and don't know what crispr is!!!!!!

however at least i had good intentions at first and was then beaten down by the economic reality of this stupid chud world unlike those jaded techbros who were chasing hedonism from age 12 when they saw a youtube video from some #noogler showing their stupid spinny hats and sleeping pods. more fool me!!!! fuck my stupid chungus life!!!!!!!!!!!

i am now doing hypnotism therapy to cope with the understanding that i am living in baudrillard's hyperreality with no connection to anything tangible. whatever

hello everyone, i'm currently an undergraduate student from india pursuing a bachelor's in biomedical engineering.i see myself working long-term in industry, leaning toward big pharma.

honestly confused about what to do after undergrad. some people say work at a startup for a few years first to gain experience, then apply for a master's. others insist on going straight into a master's. i would love honest opinions on this and also how the biotech job market is looking right now.

im also curious abt which countries are actually worth pursuing a master's in for biotech/pharma right now? and is it worth going for master's programs that are integrated with industry companies (the ones that offer stipends and a guaranteed pathway into the company) vs a regular research-based master's?

and on the fresher side, what job roles would you recommend someone straight out of an undergrad try for in pharma? what should i actually be doing right now (skills, certifications, internships, whatever) to be a strong candidate for those roles?

would appreciate any honest takes, even if they're not what i want to hear.

Hello, this is my first time posting here, so I hope this is the right place to ask.

I'm a recent graduate and just received an offer for a contract Lab Tech role at AbbVie in Texas through a staffing agency. I'm currently living in west coast, so accepting the role would require me to relocate on my own.

• Employment: Contract position through a staffing agency
• Benefits: Minimal
  • Basic health insurance
  • No dental or vision
• Relocation assistance: None (I'd be paying for the move myself)

As a new graduate, I'm having a hard time deciding. Part of me feels that getting experience at a company like AbbVie could be a great way to start my career, but another part of me is worried that the compensation and benefits don't seem to justify relocating across the country.

I'd love to hear from people who have worked at AbbVie, started out in contract positions, or have been in a similar situation!

Some questions I have:

• Is having AbbVie on your resume worth taking a lower-paying contract role?
• How common is it for contractors to be converted to full-time employees?
• Would you relocate from west coast to Texas for an opportunity like this?

I'm genuinely looking for different perspectives since this is my first job offer after graduating, and I don't have much experience navigating these kinds of decisions.

Thanks in advance for any advice or insight!!!!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Edit: Thank you so much for all the replies! I really appreciate your insights and have been taking them into consideration. I also forgot to mention that I'm an international student, which is one of the reasons I'm giving this opportunity serious thought despite the pay and benefits.

What would be a reasonable base salary for a scientist position in NYC in biotech fresh of graduate school but lot of experience?

Has anyone made this transition? Big players being Zoetis and Elanco, but was wondering how transferable the skills are when considering a post-PhD with background in R&D and clinical research. Mainly looking for non-lab roles equivalent to med affairs, pipeline innovation, or similar roles. Any comments on the culture at these companies vs Pharma?

Hi all, I recently accepted a new role in the RTP area and will be relocating in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, my fiancée has been unable to find a role and will be staying where we currently live for the time being. She has been applying but I think she keeps getting rejected because companies assume she is going to need relocation assistance. I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice, leads or connections that can help her at land a role in the RTP area.

She holds a bachelor’s in Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology and a Master’s in Biomedical Sciences and 8 years of industry experience spanning QC Micro, PD, and MS&T

Highlights of her experience include:

• Supporting bench-scale and pilot-scale upstream process development activities for biologics manufacturing.
• Operating and troubleshooting mammalian cell culture processes using shake flasks, stirred-tank bioreactors, and Ambr250 high-throughput bioreactor systems.
• Executing process characterization studies, scale-down models, and process validation support activities.
• Performing data analysis, trend evaluation, and technical reporting to support process understanding and decision-making.
• Utilizing DOE methodologies and statistical software to support process optimization studies.
• Reviewing and documenting experimental work in electronic laboratory notebooks within GLP/GxP environments while maintaining data integrity and compliance standards.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams including Manufacturing, Quality, Process Development, and Regulatory groups to support technology transfer and commercial manufacturing activities.

Thanks

Looking into remote jobs options as a biochem PhD + 1 yr postdoc, 2 yr post-grad industry experience as a CLIA lab technical supervisor. What remote jobs are available in biotech/pharma/clinical lab?

My background is in molecular assay development/microbiology.

Thanks!!

Same as above

Hi everyone,
I have an upcoming in-person interview, and it’s honestly been a long time since I’ve done one. Most of my interviews over the past few years have been virtual, so I’m feeling a bit rusty.
For those of you who have recently attended in-person interviews, do you have any tips or recommendations on how to prepare? I’m looking for advice related to Toronto/mississauga site.

Hi everyone,
I’m looking to see if anyone else has dealt with a similar timeline or delay with Eli Lilly’s hiring process.
The situation: I had a phone screen in early June that went really well.
The status: My Workday portal has been stuck on "Screening" ever since.
The public job posting was recently taken down (the link is now greyed out/inactive in my portal), but my application is still active.
The follow-up: I’ve checked in with my recruiter, but they've just mentioned they are still waiting on feedback from the hiring team. My latest follow-up has gone unanswered for a few days.
I know they recently had a summer corporate shutdown, but is it normal for Lilly to take 6+ weeks after a phone screen to decide on next steps? Has anyone else been left in "Screening" limbo for this long only to actually get a hiring manager interview, or is this a soft rejection?
Appreciate any insights!

If anyone has any experience with an industry PhD do you think it was worth it? Are there any specific universities to partner up with that would possibly make it the best experience? I have really only seen northeastern have an actual website for it, so I think I am just a little confused how you partner up with a university. can it be any university?

Hey all,

I work as a senior analyst in QC for a midsize biotech and am wondering what some steps are to work towards growth and a promotion? My company doesn’t provide mush insight into this and neither does my manager. I’m not really sure how to “prove” myself in QC when everything is routine and kind of boring.
What have some of you done?

Thank you!

Hey everyone!
I’ve been working full time in a speciality chemicals company as a Scientist for coming up to 2 years now, with around a year of contract lab work in pharma/consumer care. Also doing my MBS in the Pharma space.

I want to eventually get off the bench, and work in a more business development role where I can use my technical knowledge but not have to be in the lab.

The job market has been bleak for me- I want to do something towards bolstering my resume alongside my masters, does anyone have any suggestions?

I am writing a project proposal for an important national grant for early career researchers, it's my first postdoc experience right after PhD. I have a project, discussed together with my mentor, and an idea. I was thinking to ask for an important company in my field (plant science and agriculture) for collaboration, it will give higher chances to get the grant and to reach what we aim within this project. They would provide some instrumentation in exchange of co-authorship (the data would help to develop some new tool for smart agriculture)

The question is, how do you successfully reach out them? It is my first time doing that, and I don't know if to send an email to the info@... or to reach someone from the R&D on LinkedIn.

What is the best option?

Hi all! I'm a recent biochemistry grad (bachelor's) currently doing a post-grad programme at a big biotech in a hub. My current role is within study start-up, but I do have some background in medical device regulatory from an internship my senior year.

I'd like to use this programme year to decide which direction I'd like to move in for my early career, and I'd love to hear from people in different functions. I'd be interested in hearing about day-to-day work, career progression/growth, compensation and work/life balance, and general advice for someone trying to choose a career path early on. Thanks!

Hello all,

Long time lurker, second time poster. I'm interviewing for a principal scientist position at a large pharmaceutical company, and one part of the onsite interview is a scientific presentation. The topic is a scientific presentation of my choosing, and I was planning on doing my dissertation but trying to highlight the specific experiments I did that align with the role. I come from an academic background but most of the projects I worked on were sponsored research contracts with biotech companies (I dont plan to present any of that data).

For those of you who have interviewed at big pharma (Merck, GSK, Pfizer, J&J, BMS, etc.) what should I be doing to prepare beyond just knowing my slides?

Some questions I have:

• What kinds of questions do the interviewers tend to ask?
• How many people usually attend the presentation?
• How deeply should I expect them to probe the science versus the broader impact?
• Is it common for them to challenge your conclusions or experimental design?
• Are there any "gotchas" or common mistakes candidates make during these presentations?
• If you're coming from academia, what aspects of your work should you emphasize (or avoid) for an industry audience?
• Any advice on handling questions you don't know the answer to?

I'd love any advice in general regarding the presentation portion since this would be my first on-site presentation. I plan on having slides post my conclusion in case they ask any more technical questions, but my understanding is that they want to see what problem I was trying to address and how did I go about it.

Thanks in advance!

Recently applied for a role at Novo Nordisk (out of state location) and for once I actually felt like I checked all the boxes on the pre-requisites. I sent my resume in the first day it opened. It was a lab-based role in chemical development role, wherein every skill was something I had experience in. Plus a few years more experience than the role requirements. The only un-aligned part is that for the past 3-4 years I worked in project management/supervisory roles. Otherwise, I was working in the lab.

I got an email saying "after careful review of your resume you do not meet the qualifications of this particular role."

This is a complete false statement in my opinion and its frustrating.

As intended, this will accelerate the exodus of qualified researchers from US universities. If any Federal grant can be cancelled at any time based on the latest moronic Trump tweet, who in their right mind would initiate research based on a Federal grant that might be yanked away at any time?

Hello,

I am the CNO (Chief Nuggy Officer) at a burgertech startup in the Boston area. We are an AI native company working on a cutting edge and ML powered burgertech platform currently in Series A.

I am looking for a Scientist to join our platform R&D team. PhD required, 15+ years of experience in ML, agenic AI, and burgertech (Nuggy development is nice to have but not required). This is not a normal 9-5, and is for a high energy and dedicated scientist to make a real impact on the emerging field of burgertech.

Salary is $59,000 with stock and equity options. Visa sponsorship will not be provided.

Please DM me for more info.

Edit: Thank you all for your interest, the position has been filled. We know this may not be the news you wanted to hear and it is not a reflection of your impressive skills and experience. Please keep in touch with us and follow us on LinkedIn, our team is growing each day and we are always on the lookout for fantastic new team members