When Celia Schiffer was finishing her postdoc at South San Francisco biotech firm Genentech, she applied for both academic and industry positions. Along the way, she discovered the enormous difference between the two application processes. In the end she opted for academia; she is now an associate professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular pharmacology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In making the switch, she learned how to tailor her application for each sector — and prove that an industrial postdoc needn't be a hindrance on an academic career.
Most PhDs take a postdoc position in industry as an introduction to the private sector's research and development culture. This is an excellent deal for companies, who often hire postdocs as staff scientists, and gives the postdoc a head start in industry (see Naturejobs 5; 5 September 2002).
Others may do a postdoc in an industrial lab because they are drawn to a particular scientist or project, even if they do not feel committed to staying in industry. Some will then move back to university, where they can delve deeper into basic research and enjoy the autonomy of running their own labs.
The number of industry postdocs who go on to academia vary by industry, company and region. The picture in Europe is different from that in the United States, with fewer companies offering organized postdoc training programmes, instead opting to host individual Marie Curie fellows. Even with the Marie Curie programme, not many small biotech companies in Europe feel they have the resources to train fellows (see Nature 421, 296–297; 2003).
Big drug companies in Europe offer some postdoc positions, but there is even less mobility from there to academia than in the United States. In the United Kingdom, David Alker, discovery staffing group manager at Pfizer Global Research and Development in Sandwich, Kent, says that few young industry researchers return to universities. Pfizer has openings for four postdocs in its current discovery group, and he predicts that most will stay in industry, partly because they earn a lot more.
Academic Advantages
People who go back to academia want more ownership of their research and accept lower funding and support as a trade-off, says Alker. Overall, he believes that postdocs receive roughly the same amount of training in either sector.
Bart de Vos, who oversees about 70 research postdocs at Genentech, says that those who go on to seek university jobs may find it harder to understand the academic process after an absence of up to four years. "If they don't stay in contact with their peers and advisers, they get out of touch with the academic culture," say de Vos. Anticipating that potential problem, Schiffer maintained relationships with her colleagues and advisers at the University of California, San Francisco, where she earned her PhD.
GENENTECH
Biotech firm Genentech gave Celia Schiffer valuable experience of industry.
Another answer is networking, which is easier in some locations than others. For example, Cellzome is located very close to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory campus and its staff often go to the lab to attend seminars. Employees at companies in La Jolla, California, can walk freely into daily seminars at the Salk Institute, the Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego, among others. If the company doesn't stay so cosy with a university, it is up to the individual to stay in touch with former advisers and colleagues, and to contact academic researchers who did postdocs in industry to ask for advice.
But contacts alone won't help you make the switch. You also have to understand the underlying rhythm and culture of academia. Schiffer learnt that academic recruiting in North America operates mainly during a 'season', with most applications accepted from August to about February, and interviews occurring primarily between October and March, with the position typically starting the following autumn or winter. Job-seekers need to plan carefully, to ensure that their application materials are complete on time.
Understanding academia goes beyond scheduling, adds Paul Heyworth, senior scientist and chair of the postdoc programme at DNAX Research in Palo Alto, California. DNAX, the research division of Schering-Plough, supports 24 postdocs for three years of training. Industry postdocs are less experienced in writing grants and fellowship applications than their peers in academia, says Heyworth.
Celia Schiffer: a two-year job hunt taught her to be self-critical while not taking rejection personally — she ended up with a choice of five posts.
Schiffer realized that this was her weak point during the first year she submitted applications to universities. Her research statement was originally based on the project she had been working on at Genentech. However, she had thought of working on HIV protease, so she contacted the leaders in the field — some of them former colleagues, some as cold calls — to help her work out where her research idea would fit.
Finding The Right Fit
Now that Schiffer sits on her department's search committee and sees applications from the other side, she has a better understanding of how candidates can 'fit', whether they're from academia or industry. Her committee seeks a strong track record of publications and scientific achievement, but they also want to see a well-thought-out research plan, and evidence that the applicant understands its strengths and weaknesses.
Also, Schiffer adds, don't assume that coming from industry will count against you. Many industry postdocs have resources that their peers at university lack, such as ready access to equipment and reagents, which speeds the progress of their research.
Although a strong publishing record is valuable, search committees understand that industry postdocs could face more restrictions to publication. Jonathan Dantzig, who is on the search committee of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, says that applicants from industry typically have fewer publications but more patents. The shorter list of publications won't count against you, he warns them, but your patents won't help as much as you hope. It is hard to measure any individual's contribution to a patent, he says, and very specialized knowledge may be needed to appreciate a patent's scientific merits.
Dantzig notes that candidates from industry bring valuable skills and experience. They have learned how to conduct practical research as part of a team and how to manage projects. Their research often addresses a wider set of problems and they have interacted with scientists from other disciplines. Along with their broader perspective, they bring industry contacts that are useful in establishing collaborations, especially for engineering and translational biomedical research.
"What I learned in industry made me more successful in the university setting," says Dantzig, who spent four years working for an engineering company before returning to university.
Schiffer agrees. She says her experience at Genentech opened her eyes to new avenues of research and taught her how to run an experimental lab.
Persistence Pays
Schiffer's top tips are to be persistent, not to take things personally, and to be self-critical. She spent two years making applications before finding her job at the University of Massachusetts. The first year, she says, "I submitted to 40 places, got four interviews, and no offers." So she spent the next year honing her research statement and learning how to sell herself.
The second year, she submitted 120 applications, got 11 interviews, and five offers. Once she was hired, her first five grant applications were rejected. After six years, everything is running smoothly, with a lab of ten people and three NIH grants. This process is normal, she says, although she concedes that the sheer volume of her applications might be exceptional. "The rejection letters," she says, "can make nice wallpaper."
In the end, it comes down to pursuing your goal and not getting discouraged. It might take some extra effort, but overall, doing your postdoc in industry puts you at no disadvantage in landing a university job.