Episoder
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In this episode, Dr. Liesbeth Ceelen, Biotech leader and CEO of BioLizard, takes us on her incredible journey from scientist to entrepreneur, sharing her passion for the vibrant start-up and scale-up environment. Her extensive experience spans operational, quality, project management, scientific leadership, sales, and business development across various biotech and healthcare companies.
If you're considering a career in Biotech, particularly in BD and management, or being a freelance consultant, this episode is a must-listen!
“Don’t stop learning”
“Dare to jump, just do it (...) even if it is not always easy to find the right job”
“Don’t have too many doubts about yourself” and “Don’t be afraid of failure”
“A ‘no’ you have a ‘yes’ you can get”
Connect with Dr. Ceelen
Dr. Ceelen’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liesbethceelen/
Time points:
00:39 Introducing Dr. Liesbeth Ceelen
01:57 Dr. Ceelen’s motivation to do a PhD and her PhD journey
03:41 How Dr. Ceelen decided her next steps after her PhD, which doors were opened
05:50 PhD transferable skills that helped Dr. Ceelen to succeed in her first job in Pharma industry
08:13 Dr. Ceelen transition from Pharma to the startup ecosystem
13:17 Moving from scientist to BD and strategy roles - advice on training and learn at the job
15h47 Journey as a freelancer consultant and as a CEO of BioLizard
19h35 BioLizard business concept
21h20 Day at work - “every day is different”
24h12 Impactful experiences as a CEO of BioLizard
25h28 “Roses and thorns” as a CEO
27h13 BD strategy in Biotech in practice
29h28 5-year-planner” or “go with the flow”?
30h47 Dr. Ceelen piece of career advice
33h32 Advice on extra training for someone with affinity with BD and consulting
35h53 How to choose the next career path
37h12 Are you interested in joining BioLizard? Listen to the skill set and expertise that BioLizard is looking for
40h45 Connect with Dr. Ceelen
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In this episode, Dr. Theresa Wang, consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of consulting, offering a firsthand account of what it's like to navigate this dynamic job. Dr. Wang guides us through her career journey and shares practical tips and empowering lessons drawn from her own experiences.
Whether you're contemplating a career in consulting or seeking guidance on your existing path, Theresa's insights offer practical and helpful perspectives.
“You shape your own path, even if it is not completely obvious how the shape is”
“I also really like the slogan dream, dare, do. Especially after your PhD, the world is wide open for you - you can try a job, you can see if it works for you. If it does, great! If it doesn't, you have new info and can move on, also great! I've seen people be petrified by wanting to choose the right thing whereas the right thing to do is to simply choose.”
“If you decide that you want to do consulting, I would dedicate quite a bit of time to practicing for the interview, both the personal fit part but also the case interview. Again, lots of resources on the internet - I would make sure you feel comfortable with the format before going to interviews!”
“I think knowing in which environment you thrive is very important”
Connect with Theresa
Theresa’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jue-theresa-wang/
Time points:
00:38 Introducing Dr. Theresa Wang
01:47 Theresa’s motivation to do a PhD and her PhD journey
06:33 How Theresa decided her next steps after her PhD + learn about Graduate Consulting Club
11:53 Which transferable skills did Theresa gain in the PhD in order to succeed in consulting?
14:25 Theresa’s role as a consultant at BCG
21:55 “Roses and thorns” as a consultant
26:22 Career ladder in consulting
27:42 “5-year-planner” or “go with the flow”?
30:07 Theresa’s piece of career advice
31:39 What can help early-career scientists decide on a career choice?
33:22 Which kind of profile BCG /consulting firms are looking for?
35:47 How can people connect with you?
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Manglende episoder?
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In this podcast episode, Dr. Tiago Faial, chief editor at Nature Genetics, sits down with Zoé for a candid conversation about his career path and advice for young scientists. They cover topics like the decision to step away from academia for a better work-life balance and finding roles that align with your personal values. Dr. Faial also shares his thoughts on the changing landscape of scientific publishing, particularly focusing on open access and peer review.
Throughout the discussion, Dr. Faial emphasizes the importance of considering personal fulfilment alongside skills when choosing a career path. He encourages listeners not to succumb to peer pressure and shares insights on what he looks for when hiring editors for his team.
"I read a tremendous amount during my PhD and postdoc. I just devoured papers...I would go to as many lectures as I could ...I loved journal clubs...I loved discussing papers...I think that's what helped me during the interview"
"You should think carefully about the skills that you have but also what ultimately makes you happy and fulfilled", "don't just follow a career path because of peer pressure or because your supervisor is telling you to do something"
Time points:
00:35 Introducing Dr. Tiago Faial
02:00 Tiago's motivation to do a PhD
03:30 How Tiago found his PhD experience
08:30 Should you go to America to do a Postdoc?
14:45 What Tiago was thinking at the end of his postdoc
17:40 What helped Tiago get a job as an editor
20:30 Explaining the role of an editor
24:30 The importance of team work
26:15 A typical work day for Tiago
28:45 The challenges of open access and peer review in publishing
33:00 Tiago's advice to PhD students and postdocs
36:30 Questions sent in from listeners: How far out of their PhD work can someone stray? What are you looking for when you interview for new editors?
To contact Tiago:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiago-faial-9b6568a3/
Email: [email protected]
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In this episode, we're joined by not one, but two distinguished guests: Dr. Elsa Martins and Dr. Francesca Tessaro, both serving as Clinical Science Fellows at Roche, Switzerland.
Together, we delve into their journeys, exploring how their PhD experiences paved the way for successful careers in the corporate world. We unravel the different dynamics of working in a multinational corporation versus the academic realm.
Our conversation takes a deep dive into the day-to-day responsibilities of Elsa and Francesca in their roles within late-stage clinical development, offering invaluable insights into the pivotal work they contribute to drug development. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to gain an insider's perspective on careers in clinical science.
“What I enjoy the most is working as part of a team where you are collaborating with different people.” “I like the fact that the work that we do might potentially benefit patients. This is something very rewarding.”
Time points:
01:10 Elsa's introduction
02:15 Francesca's introduction
03:20 Elsa's PhD experiences
05:30 Francesca's experience and skills she gained during PhD
07:30 Elsa's skills gained during PhD
09:20 How they decided their next steps after PhD
15:30 What the "Clinical Science Fellow" role is
17:30 A typical day as a clinical science fellow at Roche
23:15 Working hours
24:15 Roses and thorns (what they like vs. dislike or find challenging)
27:00 Advice for PhD students or Postdocs
30:45 5-year plan or go with the flow?
32:45 Elsa and Francesca's advice for getting a job in clinical science
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From investing in age-related healthcare companies to co-founding one.
In this episode Inês chats with Victor Bustos, co-founder and COO of Refoxy Pharma, about venture capital & biotech at the interface of aging research.
“Whatever your next step could be, choose your boss not the job”
“The most important thing by far that anybody can do is networking, and I know this is easily said …it can be like a hobby, this is a very active thing that you have to do” “it’s also important to interact with peers and try to understand how they are thinking about their future … because you may not find things that you wanna do, you might, but also you may find opportunities that you have never considered”
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In this episode, Zoé sits down with Dr. Mark Springel, a venture capital senior associate at Vida Ventures in Boston. Mark discusses his experiences during his PhD at Harvard Medical School, his venture capital career so far, and offers advice for those interested in the field. He highlights the importance of curiosity and drive over business knowledge and encourages listeners not to be overly fixated on a single career trajectory, as he believes there are many rewarding opportunities for those interested in biotech.
“The idea that business experience is required for jobs in industry is really probably not so correct”
“[PhD students are…] bright, motivated, ambitious, and those qualities go further in my view … than any resumé you might have established by working at a company for a few years”
“Don’t be so set on a particular path.... there are lots of things you could do which you would probably love and be successful doing."
Mark’s email address: [email protected]
Mark’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-springel
Time stamps:
00:40 Dr. Mark Springel Introduction
01:50 Mark’s PhD experience
04:25 Extracurricular activities during Mark’s PhD
06:55 Experience at Harvard office of technology development
10:00 How Mark was deciding his next steps at the end of PhD
15:05 Mark’s fellowship at Vida Ventures and how he got it
18:25 Staying at Vida Ventures after fellowship
20:50 Different roles and career progression at a venture capital
24:00 Day-to-day as a VC investor
28:10 Roses and thorns of the job
30:45 Mark’s advice to young researchers
33:30 Mark’s advice for getting into Venture capital
41:30 How to connect with Mark Springel.
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In this episode, Zoé speaks to Dr. Katie Roberts, Scientific Writer at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the University of Oxford.Katie and Zoé discuss finding the part of the PhD that you love (thesis-writing for Katie), imposter syndrome and whether we really need a career plan.
Katie studied Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford before earning her PhD in Cell Biology at The University of Manchester, UK. Her PhD focused on the inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB, in the context of inflammatory diseases and cancer. After completing her PhD, Katie pursued a career in Scientific Writing, firstly working as a Medical Writer for the Medical Communications company 7.4 Limited in Oxford. Next, Katie joined Bio-Rad laboratories, as a New Product Coordinator and then a Marketing Communications Specialist, before becoming Content Manager at the Research and Development company OXGENE in 2021. Shifting back to an academic setting, Dr. Katie Roberts is now a Scientific Writer at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the University of Oxford.
It is a great talk for our listeners particularly those who pursue a career as a scientific writer.
Connect with Katie on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-roberts-13458586/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/K_J_Roberts
Timestamps:
00:35 Dr. Katie Roberts introduction
02:20 Why Katie wanted to do a PhD
03:20 Katie's PhD experience
04:50 How she decided her next steps following her PhD
06:50 What Medical writing entailed
09:45 Katie's experience at BioRad
15:00 Katie's experience as Content Manager at OXGENE
16:45 What skills from PhD helped her in these roles
18:20 Current role as Scientific Writer at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology.
20:10 From Company to University and Academic Settings23:00 Typical day at work
25:00 Roses and thorns of the job
29:00 Katie's general advice for PhD students
33:50 Specific advice for those who want to go into scientific writing
35:10 How to connect to Katie
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Dr. Akira Ohkubo joins Zoé in this episode to talk about inclusive science communication at The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Tokyo.Akira studied Biotechnology in his home country of Japan. He then moved across the world to France for his Master’s at the University of Strasbourg, before doing his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Akira’s PhD was in the lab of Prof. Jean-Claude Martinou where he focused on mitochondrial RNA processing.
During his international academic journey, Akira was inspired by exchanging ideas, especially across cultures, and after his PhD he combined his passions for communication and science and is now working as a Science Communicator at Miraikan in Tokyo.Read Akira's recent article to learn more about making museums more accessible to everyone: https://tinyurl.com/mru5ux57
You can connect with Akira via LinkedIn: https://ch.linkedin.com/in/akira-ohkubo-94ba71b3
Time stamps:
01:50 What was your PhD about in a nutshell?
03:10 How was your PhD experience?
04:00 What skills did you gain during your PhD?
09:20 How did you decide next steps you would take after PhD?
11:30 Describe your current role as Science Communicator at Miraikan
12:20 What are your main responsibilities
13:15 What kind of events do you organize at the museum?
14:40 How did you apply for the role?
17:00 What are your roses and thorns?
19:45 What advice would you give to an early career researcher?
21:40 Do you believe in 5-year-plan or go with the flow?
23:30 How can people get in touch with you?
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Dr. Susanna Gobbi did her PhD in Neuroscience at the Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics in Switzerland where she developed a clinical research project focused on obesity in women. During her PhD, Susanna joined Roche as a RiSE PhD intern for one year and then kept working as an Imaging Biomarker Data Analyst while finishing her PhD. She is now a first year PostDoc at Roche, working on Alzheimer’s disease and brain functional connectivity. In this episode of Dr. What Now? she talks to Ines about her passion for neuroscience, doing research in industry and her advice for PhD students to explore outside their bubble.
“Don’t be static, explore, don’t be afraid to learn about new fields!” “Take as many opportunities as you can during your PhD to understand what you like”!
You can contact Susanna on LinkedIn: https://ch.linkedin.com/in/susanna-gobbi
Time stamps:
00:40 Susanna Gobbi Introduction
01:50 Why did you choose this field and pursue a PhD?
05:00 How was your PhD experience? Pros and cons
08:00 RISE program at Roche
11:50 After RISE continued working part-time at Roche
15:20 Is there a switch in mindset from academia to industry?
18:05 How did you decide your next steps?
20:10 Applying for post doc
21:50 Criteria to get a post doc at Roche
24:40 Typical day at work
27:40 Roses and thorns
30:25 What advice would you give?
34:30 5-year-plan or go with the flow?
36:50 Is your idea to stay at Roche?
39:00 How to contact Dr. Susanna Gobbi
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Dr. Martha Cooper studied Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, UK. She then moved to Australia in 2016 where she did her PhD at the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine. Martha’s PhD focused on computational immunology to profile anti-parasitic immune responses in humans. After a Postdoc investigating immunity to malaria infection, using data mining and biostatistics, Martha started at Microba Life Sciences in 2021, where she is now a Senior Scientist in Data Science.
Dr. Martha Cooper chats to Zoé about her career journey, from learning to code during her PhD, searching for a team-focused work environment and her current role as Senior Data Scientist at Microba Life Sciences in Australia. She shares insights into the different benchmarks of success in industry vs academia and her advice on following our own interests.
“Find what you enjoy and really work on developing those specific skills”
You can connect with Martha via:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martha-cooper-56b3a9216
Github: https://github.com/MarthaCooper
Time stamps:
01:30 Martha's PhD experience
04:40 What were you looking for in a career after your PhD?
08:45 Martha's current role. What is a Senior Scientist in Data Science?
10:35 What is your typical day?
14:00 What skills from your PhD do you use in your current job?
16:50 What are your roses and thorns?
20:50 What advice would you have for PhDs and postdocs?
23:20 5-year-plan or go with the flow?
24:30 How would you suggest applying for similar jobs?
25:45 How to get in contact with Martha
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Dr. Dmitry Kopelyanskiy tells Ines about his career journey, from his MD in Preventive Medicine in Russia to his current role at HAYA therapeutics. In between, Dmitry went on a research journey acquiring experience in University of Jerusalem, Israel, his Master's at University of Bonn and his PhD in Lausanne, Switzerland. During his PhD Dmitry was actively involved in the organization of educational and social events as well as distinguished himself as an award-winning science communicator and public speaker. After his PhD Dmitry joined HAYA Therapeutics - a startup pioneering the discovery of genomic therapies for fibrotic diseases. Dmitry has currently a Business and Corporate Development Project manager position and uses his communication and analytical skills to help the company maintain its exponential growth.
Get in contact with Dmitry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmitry-kopelyanskiy
HAYA therapeutics website: https://www.hayatx.com
Time stamps:
02:30 Experience studying Medicine and first lab experiences in Israel
07:00 Master's at University of Bonn, Germany
08:50 PhD at Lausanne, Switzerland
09:40 Science Communication during PhD
10:45 Dmitry's first presentation
12:07 Practising public speaking skills
12:55 How did you improve your Science Communication skills?
14:50 How did you decide next steps and the transition from PhD?
15:40 Organising "Pint of Science" events
17:15 What led you to HAYA Therapeutics?
18:00 Internship at HAYA Therapeutics
18:55 Tell us about HAYA Therapeutics
24:50 How did you gain the skills needed for your current role?
28:30 What is your typical day at work?
31:10 What are your "Roses and thorns" of the job?
31:49: What are the biggest challenges?
33:23 Where do you see yourself in five years?
36:00 What is your advice for early career researchers?
39:00 How to connect with Dmitry
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Dr. Margaux Duchamp chats to Inês about her career steps and day-to-day as CEO and co-founder of her startup, ArcoScreen. Margaux did her PhD at EPFL in Lausanne, in collaboration with the local hospital, on microtechnologies for biological applications. During her PhD, she started working with her now co-founder Dr. T. Dahoun on a GPCR drug screening microfluidic device for which they decided to launch their ArcoScreen spin-off. She tell us about the startup ecosystem from business concept to product development and go to market strategy, while giving advice on starting vs being part of a startup! “There’s luck and there’s triggering luck”; “Be curious about people and their science”.
You can connect to Margaux on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margauxduchamp
Website: https://www.arcoscreen.ch
Email: [email protected]
Timestamps:
02:30 PhD experience
05:15 What were you looking for at the end of your PhD?
07:55 How did you start your ArcoScreen startup?
13:30 Process of fundraising?
16:30 What skills did you gain during your PhD that help you succeed now?
19:20 What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
21:45 What are your "Roses and Thorns"?
23:55 Where do you see the future of ArcoScreen?
26:20 What are the steps to make a startup?
29:15 What is your best advice?
32:45 What can help scientists decide next career steps?
39:05 How can people connect with you?
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Ezequiel Miron talks to Zoé about his career, from learning microscopy from scratch during his PhD at Oxford to study 3D genome organisation, to taking part in a start-up incubator during his postdoc in the Netherlands. He describes the challenges and rewards of his day-to-day job as European Product Manager of High-End Microscopy at Nikon. And gives us pearls of advice for how to make the most of the skills you gain during the PhD
You can connect with Ezequiel Miron on his website: https://ezebitcoin.com, by email: [email protected] or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezequiel-miron/
Time stamps:
02:08 How as your PhD experience?
05:45 What skills did you gain during PhD?
09:30 Transition from PhD to next steps
12:40 Postdoc experience
13:55 Start-up incubator
17:00 Current role as European Product Manager at Nikon Healthcare Headquarters
22:18 What is your typical day?
25:33 What are your "Roses and thorns"?
29:10 Bitcoin consultant
30:26 What is your best advice?
36:35 How to get in touch with Ezequiel
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Dr. What Now? is the brand new podcast where two PhD students, Zoé Valbret and Inês Pinheiro, dive into different post-PhD careers in Life Sciences. They decided to start the Dr. What Now? podcast since it can be intimidating to look out from academia and ask- what careers are out there? I’ve got my PhD… and What Now? So in each episode they invite a guest on, who has done a PhD in Life Sciences and successfully transitioned to the job market. Zoé and Inês chat to them about their career journey, their day to day job and their advice for PhD students and postdocs. Enjoy!
*COMING SOON*
Website: www.DrWhatNow.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dr-what-now-podcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dr_WhatNow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_whatnow/
