BGS Career Development

Making It Count!

Career: Entrepreneurship

iBiology, “Take Your Skills Up a Notch”

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iBiology offers a number of free online courses for professional development:

Promo image for Let's Experiment course: drawn man, woman, mouse, plant and molecule with title of the course

Goal: Effectively design and execute your wet lab experiments
You: Senior undergrads, grad students or postdocs looking to learn or brush up on your experimental design skills
Why?? Real scientists + real case studies + useful tools and templates = powerful experimental skills building
Link: http://bit.ly/LE-self-paced

Promo image for Planning Your Scientific Journey course: pictures of 13 scientists with the title of the course

Goal:  Develop a great scientific question and build your research plan around it 
You: Senior undergrads, grad students or postdocs looking to learn or brush up on how to design research projects or build achievable plans
Why?? Fantastic scientists give you the skills to tackle the exciting unknown of research
Link: http://bit.ly/PYSJ-self-paced

Promo image for Business Concepts for Life Scientists course: drawn lightbulb surrounded by science-related icons: microscope, flask, molecules

Goal:  Learn the core principles of business in a course built for scientists  
You: Senior undergrads, grad students or postdocs looking to move into business roles or bring key business concepts to your research
Why?? Practicing businesspeople, all trained scientists from diverse backgrounds, show you what you need to know about business
Link: http://bit.ly/BCLS-self-paced

Healthcare Startup Networking Event

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PennHealthX and the Wharton Health Care Club will be hosting a Healthcare Startup Networking event focused on healthcare entrepreneurship. This event will be held Mon, October 28th at 6 PM in Hunstman hall (room TBD). We hope to connect motivated founders looking to drive medical innovation with students across different schools. Everyone is welcome!

Space will be available for posters and presentations, though neither is required. Students in attendance will have a variety of research, medicine, consulting, banking, and education and represent different schools across campus. We are creating an environment where potential team members can meet to tackle these projects. 

To sign-up or learn more about this opportunity, click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfowJDwg2Tlt4agZX5rYHRr6P_3yBB6z_FwDwnj2ocsTmPAsw/viewform

Nature: Science Start-Ups

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Image result for science "start up"

This three-part Nature series explores the world of entrepreneurship for business-minded scientists.

Part one details the potential roles that scientists can play within a start-up, depending on their desired level of involvement. These roles might range from adviser or board member to chief executive.

The second part of the series examines the reality of failure-rates among start-ups. The author notes that in the United States, only one-third of start-ups last a decade. They go on to explain the importance of managing expectations (especially among investors), pivoting after disappointments, and learning from failure.

The third and final installment introduces the importance of investor relations, from developing a pitch to ensuring a healthy team culture.

EE Just Spring Seminar Series

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Join the Ernest E. Just Biomed Society on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at 12PM in JMEC 506 for the next event in their seminar series. Dr. Fernando Albertorio will present, “Highway to Innovation – What Science Taught About Building a Business.”

Lunch from Qdoba will be served! 

To learn more about Dr. Albertorio:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernandoalbertorio/
http://lesley.edu/stories/fernando-albertorio

Nature: “Why earning a PhD is an advantage in today’s industry job market”

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In this Nature article, one scientist describes the panic he felt when, during his fourth year of graduate studies, he was told his PhD could pose a liability to pursuing an industry career. Partially because of declining opportunities for full professorship in academia, he had decided to pursue a career in industry only to be told that hiring managers perceive PhDs as overqualified and too independent.

The author describes the steps he took to actively combat misperceptions that might arise when submitting a CV alone – he supplemented online applications with networking events and informational interviews. Ultimately, the author credits the problem-solving skills he gained in graduate school with the positions he holds today – consultant to Fortune 500 companies and manager of three biotechnology startups.

Read more here.

“SfN: A Look at One Neuroscientist’s Career in Pharma and Biotech”

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The Society for Neuroscience published a two-part interview with Khan Ozol, a neuroscientist and global head of talent scouting at Novartis. In part one of the interview, Ozol shares the career path that led him to his current position. He focuses specifically on the influences that helped him realize his passion for entrepreneurship, with a focus on science.

In part two, he describes the types of positions available in industry and some of the typical career trajectories. Though Ozol frequently mentions neuroscientists, his insights on how to be a competitive candidate in industry are widely applicable.