Recent Articles and Opinions in the News:

What other leading authors are saying about
science careers and business

Improving Graduate Education to Support a Branching Career Pipeline:
Fall, 2011
This is a great article out of UCSF that takes a fresh look at graduate programs and how effectively they prepare students for the real career opportunities that are available.  The authors surveyed all basic biomedical sciences doctoral students at UCSF in 2008, and got responses from 469 students, representing over 62% of the student population.  Some very interesting trends emerged from this study including the fact that large numbers of students are considering career paths outside academia, with many of those considering at least one career path not directly involving scientific research.  There is little doubt that a signficant underlying cause is the relative scarcity of available jobs in academia, and interestingly, many of the students shift their career preference away from academe after spending one or two years in their thesis lab.  For all these reasons, the authors recommend broader training curriculum to include  professional skills training in order to better serve our student populations and make them more competitive and successful.

"Washington Area Experiencing Pharmaceutical Industry Job Growth"
June 5, 2011
This article appeared in the Sunday Washington Post Jobs Avertising Supplement.  The article indicates that science job growth in the DC area is expected to increase by between 14 and 22 percent over the next decade which is good news.  Of partcicular interest is the observation that "...there is also a demand for pharmaceutical professionals with a synthesis of clinical, scientific and regulatory experience and a management and business background.  'The pairing of these two skill areas is highly desireable'."  This is yet another testimonial to the importance of combining the scientific/technical skills with the transferable skills valued by industry which is the basis for the SciPhD philosophy.


"The Real Science Gap"
June 14, 2010
I know this is not a "recent" article, but it was just brought to my attention and worthy of posting here.  The author describes in great detail the devolution of prospects for scientists, particularly in academia and very interestingly debunks some important preconceptions about the solution.  The essence of the article is that the real problem in America's perceived slipping stature as a leader in science, engineering and math is not inattention to science engineering and math education, but rather an inability to accomodate the ever expanding roles of scientists our system produces.  It's far more complicated than that, and the author does an excellent job of disecting the problem.  One of the messages I take from this is that it once again reiterates the importance of expanding ones skills beyond the scientific/technical to also include the transferrable soft skills that are so important in order to be competitive for industry positions, and to succeed in those positions. One other conclusion one might draw from this article is that increased investment and commitment to entrepreneurism programs in developing new companies focused on emerging technologies such as alternative energy, and biomedicine might be as important, or more important than the iincreased investment in STEM education itself.  Those newly formed companies could serve as additional opportunities for appropriately trained scientists. One interesting program that has developed over the past few years that follows this model is the INNoVATE program offered by the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.



"Fix the PhD"
April 21, 2011
A very realistic and frank editorial appeared in the April 21 Nature that again confronts the realities for PhDs.  They accurately point out that the world has lots of problems that "will take a lot of bright, educated people to solve them", which suggests that generating even more scientists engineers and mathematicians will help address those problems.  However, the real issue is, the forces that determine the nubmers of PhDs being generated are driven by research funding dollars rather than demand of the job market.  With fewer available jobs in academia, the realization is finally emerging that traditional PhD programs may need some modernizing in order to prepare today's scientists and engineers to be most marketable for careers outside of industry, and successful.  More attention should be applied to leadership, communications, finance and management skills which are rarely taught in traditional postdoc programs.  And one can argue that this kind of training should also be part of graduate curriculum, not just postdoctoral training.  There has been the emergance of some excellent programs to address this need including the Professional Science Masters programs that are now offered at over 100 universities as well as postdoctoral programs such as the PPM program at the Keck Graduate Institute.  Providing these transferable skills to able well trained scientists is a good education strategy and good business as well.

"Academia Faces PhD Overload"
March 8, 2011
A very interesting article in the March 7th Genome Technology takes a very stark, realistic look at the current state of available academic research positions, compares that to the number of PhDs and postdocs being generated, and comes to the conclusion that a a fresh view of how best to train scientists is needed.  The essence of this article is the fact that success in industry demands more than scientific/technical skills.  One of the more intriguing obesrvations is that undergraduates contemplating a PhD might reconsider that decision and  pursue an alternate Professional Science Masters degree that trades some of the more science intense focus of a traditional PhD program for a broader education into the business skills valued in industry.  This is worth serious consideration for undergraduates who have not already commited to a PhD program, but for those already well along, and those who have completed their PhDs, other options  are necessary.  Programs for graduate students and postdocs are beginning to appear in support of this realization.  The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Keck Graduate Institute offer programs that augment traditional PhD training with these important "soft skills."  The CSO Bootcamp built around the SciPhD philosophy follows a similar model.


"Taken for Granted: Doing Something Different With Your Science"
March 8, 2011
Beryl Lieff Benderly looks at the value of extending the science PhD's traditional education by adding "soft skills" to the postdoc curriculum.  There is an emerging realization that with the decrease in the number of available academic positions for postdocs, alternative careers in industry is becoming a more attractive, or at least more necessary option.  The mental shift required to successfully shift from academic science priorities to industry science priorities requires an appreciation of skills not typically taught in academic programs.  Communications, project management, financial skills, delegation and the like are the nuts and bolts of emerging programs.  This article highlights the Keck Graduate Institute in Claremont California and looks at the pros and cons of this kind of educational pursuit.


"How to Prepare for a Job in Industry"
March 8, 2011
This article by Tertius de Kluyver that appeared in the August 2010 Career Insights section of ASBMB Today.  This is an eye-opening article that really highlights what industry really looks for in scientists applying for positions.  One of the central points of the article is that most scientists competing for a position in industry are equally qualified from a scientific/technical standpoint, particularly given the fact that there are so many scientists competing for the same jobs.  The author goes on to posit that the differentiator by hiring managers becomes the candidates relative competencies in the soft skills valued by industry.  Indications that they can lead a group, work in highly cross-matrixed teams, demonstrate rapport, empathy, and other team-building skills, have a good sense of project management, and financial acumen.  These are the realities of getting a job in industry today.  A very productive first step in developing these important skills is to do a self evaluation of your own capabilities.  Map your strong skills to jobs that emphasize those skills, and develop a career plan that will get you the training you need to develop the skills you don't have in pursuit of your dream job.  The SciPhD program is a great start on that path to success.


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