More Biotech Ph.D.'s Opting To Take Postdocs In Industry

Better pay and richer research environments in the business sector lure young science grads away from academic labs Two years ago, when Thomas Malvar was finishing his doctorate in molecular immunology, he came to a major career crossroads. Should he go the traditional route and do his postdoctoral training in a university? Or should he follow a more adventurous path and do his postdoc in industry--a road that some of his professors warned was a professional dead end? Like a small but growing number of other life scientists with newly acquired Ph.D.'s, Malvar chose industry. He's doing his postdoc at Ecogen Inc., an agricultural biotech firm in Langhorne, Pa. There, he's using recombinant DNA technology to study the lethal effects of microbial toxins on beetles and caterpillars. And he says he made the right decision. "Coming out of academia, you're kind of biased against industry," he says. "But I no longer have that negative view. "I've found this to be a very positive experience. The company has a very academic atmosphere. They recognize what the postdoctoral position is all about--that you have to be able to publish and develop your career." Doing a postdoc in industry can be a stepping stone to a first- rate career in basic research--but it can also be a stumbling block if you're not careful, industry experts advise. "At the best companies, your marketability will be as high as or higher than if you went to the finest academic institutions," says bioscience recruiter David G. Jensen, president of Search Masters International in Sedona, Ariz. "But beneath that top tier of companies, you can get caught in a trap in which a company is looking for slave labor at low prices." Experts in the field provide a few pointers to postdocs on finding an industry situation. Although checking the classified ads in scientific publications, such as this one, is a useful place to start, don't end your search there. "Tap into the network of industrial contacts that your adviser has developed over the years," advises Jensen. "Only a fraction of available jobs are advertised." Also, be flexible when you talk to prospective companies about your research interests. For example, if you spent your predoctoral training studying the genetics of the fruit fly, don't be surprised if a company wants you to refocus your efforts on a project geared toward human health. "If you're not flexible enough to shift your interests to accommodate the company's interest, you're going to die on the vine waiting for one of these things," says Jensen. As for avoiding the traps that await unwary candidates, it's easy: Do some research about the company before you sign on the dotted line. Some things to find out: * What kind of reputation does the company have for basic research? Check to see how many publications it has, and the quality of those reports. Also, make sure you'll be working with a mentor who has a strong reputation. If possible, try to talk to former postdocs about their experience with the company. * Will the company be committed to rapid publication of your research findings? And will you be able to go to major scientific meetings to give presentations? The company should have an explicit policy to steer you clear of research involving proprietary information, which could impede your ability to publish. "Get that guarantee up front that there's no hindrance to publishing," advises John Hambor, a postdoc at Pfizer Inc. in Groton, Conn. * Is the company in good shape financially? Basic research is expensive, and a cash-strapped company may not be able to afford the reagents and equipment you'll need. There's also the danger that a fledgling biotech company could go bust or abruptly change its directions--which could sound the death knell for your research project. * What's the company's position on hiring its own postdocs? You won't know whether or not you want to stay with a company until you've worked there a while. But it's a good idea to clear this issue up front, to avoid potential misunderstandings down the road. For a life scientist, choosing a postdoc is a crucial step in launching a research career. It's a make-it-or-break-it time to publish scientific papers and build research credentials, while still under the wing of a seasoned mentor. Traditionally, this all-important training has been done exclusively in academic institutions. But in the past decade, many of the biggest names in the pharmaceutical industry have started postdoc programs, including SmithKline Beecham of Philadelphia; Pfizer Inc. of New York; the Upjohn Co. in Kalamazoo, Mich.; Lederle Laboratories in Pearl River, N.Y.; Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis; and DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Co. of Wilmington, Del., to name a few. In the biotech industry, these programs are even more widespread. According to the Industrial Biotechnology Association, 90 percent of roughly the 200 biotech companies it surveyed of-fer some form of postdoctoral training. Programs run the gamut from large, internationally known efforts, such as one sponsored by Genentech Inc. in South San Francisco, Calif., to far less formal offerings in many smaller companies, which may hire a postdoc or two for occasional projects. Although no one has done a headcount of the postdocs in industry, the numbers appear to be small, probably no more than a thousand or so at any given time. The vast majority of the 5,500 life scientists who get their doctorates every year still do their postdocs in academia, according to recent statistics from the National Institutes of Health, which supports most academic postdocs. However, in a time of shrinking federal funds to support academic research and a dwindling number of new faculty jobs, more and more young scientists are signing up for company postdocs as a way to get a foothold in industry. "Going through grad school, my ideal was to get a faculty job," says Malvar, who plans to continue in biotech research when his Ecogen postdoc is completed. "Now, I look at an academic career as nearly impossible. Even my friends who are doing postdocs at Harvard are having trouble getting jobs." "Ten years ago, [barely] a single postdoc program existed in the biotech industry," says Gary Wilcox, vice chairman for science and business development for Xoma Corp., a biotech firm based in Santa Monica, Calif. "Today, you've got major programs going at Genentech and many other companies." Soon, Xoma will be no exception: The company, which makes monoclonal antibody-based pharmaceuticals, is about to initiate its first postdoc program. Wilcox says Xoma will start small, with two positions, and expand the program in time. The growth of such programs is a prime example of the increasing interdependence between scientists in the ivory tower and those in the corporate park, industry experts say. As old academic prejudices against industry fade, the two research communities are becoming more closely intertwined, spawning new collaborations and understanding. "Years ago, someone who did a postdoc in industry was waving a red flag that [he or she] couldn't get a job in a major lab," says Wilcox. "Today, there's no stigma whatsoever in going into industry. Some of the most exciting research in the last 10 years has been done in biotech companies, and it's clear the science there is just superb." At Genentech, which receives 10 times the applicants it needs for each postdoc position it fills, the emphasis is on an academic- style postdoc program, complete with seminars and poster sessions. "The science that goes on there is amazing," says former Genentech postdoc Matthew Moyle. In fact, he says, it was superior to the scientific training in the well-known Canadian university where he earned his doctorate. "It was like going from a small university to Harvard," says Moyle, a molecular biologist who specializes in cellular adhesion. Many scientists agree that the quality of postdoc programs at top companies, such as Genentech, Eli Lilly, or Pfizer, matches that in first-rate academic labs. But pick the wrong company--such as one that changes a postdoc's research project in midstream or impedes rapid scientific publication--and it's a different story (see accompanying story). Especially in some smaller companies, which may not have the resources to allow postdocs to do truly independent basic research, "there could be a tremendous temptation to use postdocs as cheap labor," warns James Burke, manager of research recruiting at Rohm & Haas Co. in Philadelphia. Like most chemical companies, Rohm & Haas doesn't offer a postdoc program, largely because, Burke says, postdoctoral training is not considered as essential to a chemist's career as it is for life scientists. Still, Burke is concerned about the programs. "The consensus is that the postdoc should be kept clean," he says. "It should not be a source of cheap labor, but an opportunity to work with a world-class scientist who happens to be in industry." In the best programs, however, everybody benefits: the postdoc, the company, and, sometimes, even researchers in academia. For postdocs, the programs serve as a kind of scientific green card--a permit that allows them to explore and work in the foreign world of industrial research for a few years, without having to renounce their citizenship in academia. Big or small, formal or casual--industry postdoc programs come in many shapes and sizes. Here's a quick rundown on the offerings at four companies: * DNAX Research Institute Inc., Palo Alto, Calif.: Devoted to research in immunology, this company, a division of the Schering- Plough Corp., is unusual in that despite its small size, it has one of the largest postdoc programs in the biotech industry. More than a third of its research staff are postdocs--54 positions out of 140 scientists. The large number is in keeping with firm's intensely academic atmosphere; it functions as a pure research institute, and two of its four founders, Arthur Kornberg and Paul Berg, are Nobel laureates. About half of its trainees return to academia; recent postdocs have gotten faculty jobs at Stanford University and the University of Tokyo, for example. * Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Currently, this maker of biopharmaceuticals has only four postdocs, but it's planning a major expansion of the program that may quadruple that number within a year or so. Although Amgen occasionally hires its own postdocs, "it's a bona fide training program; it's not a recruitment tool," says Chris Giffen, associate manager of research affairs. The company also offers unusually high starting salaries to postdocs: around $35,000 and up. * DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Co., Wilmington, Del.: Another program that's expanding. DuPont Merck attempts to keep its 45 postdocs in close touch with the academic world. Postdocs host a visiting scholar seminar series, in which they invite top academicians to the company. Annually, the company also holds a career-development day for postdocs, where invited experts discuss such professional issues as grant writing. * Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, Calif.: With 55 post-docs, Genentech's program has a collegial atmosphere. Postdocs gather monthly for beer and snacks, where they take turns presenting data to their peers. Once a year, the company also sponsors a three-day retreat for postdocs (this year's destination: Lake Tahoe) for a mini-scientific conference. Gen-entech also provides its researchers with a vast array of scientific support services, in areas such as DNA synthesis and protein sequencing. "It frees postdocs from having to learn a specific technique they may only need to use once a year," says Jim Wells, the senior mentor of the postdoc program. "They're not struggling to reinvent the wheel." --J.W. "When you're in a university, it's very hard to imagine what it's like in industry," says Wilcox. "But if you think you might be interested in industry and you do a postdoc there, you're in an ideal position to make a choice as to what you want for your career." Another main attraction for postdocs: the pay. Salaries for industry postdocs typically start around $30,000 or higher. Many postdocs earn $5,000 to $10,000 more than they would in comparable academic postdocs, according to an informal survey of academicians and company officials. Companies also realize a payoff from postdocs. Basic research is the lifeline for new drug discovery, and postdocs bring in a vital infusion of new talent, energy, and ideas. "We see it as a way of keeping ourselves fresh," says Alan R. Proctor, group director of molecular genetics and protein chemistry at Pfizer Central Research in Groton, Conn. "They're really keeping our people on their toes." Because postdocs aren't company insiders, they're less inhibited about questioning the status quo or shaking up old ways of doing things. "I couldn't do some things if I didn't have these bright postdocs in my lab," says virologist and molecular biologist Lynn Enquist, a senior research fellow at DuPont Merck and the director of its postdoc program. He cites as an example one of his postdocs who came in and taught the entire lab how to perform a new radioactive labeling technique. "As a result, we've been able to ask questions and get answers that we couldn't get before," he says. "It's opened new doors for us. "These guys are always telling me I'm wrong and I should be doing things differently," Enquist says, with a laugh. "It's an honesty I relish--most of the time, anyway." Senior management at DuPont Merck considers the postdoc program to be so important that next year, the company will increase its postdoc positions to 71, from 45 this year. "It's a multimillion- dollar commitment," says Enquist. For the most part, industry postdocs are structured similarly to those in academia. The postdoc works closely with a senior scientist, on a project that usually involves basic, not applied, research. When the two- or three-year training period is over, the postdoc may choose to return to academia or look for a job in industry. Pfizer, however, recently introduced an innovation in industry postdoc programs. Its three-year fellowships offer a combination of industrial and academic research. Postdocs first spend 18 months doing basic research in the company's R&D laboratories in Groton. Then, still under Pfizer stewardship, they move to major universities, where they continue their projects for another 18 months with academic co-mentors. John Hambor, the first postdoc accepted into the new Pfizer postdoctoral program, says he knows of no other like it. "It's been one of the best career choices I've made," says Hambor, now at Yale University, finishing his Pfizer postdoc on immunoregulation of T lymphocytes. "This way, I'm not closing the door on going back to academia. But at the same time, I'm opening the door to industry." Long after its postdocs complete their training, Pfizer will continue to benefit, Proctor says. "We're very interested in increasing the level and intensity of our ties with the academic world. Once the postdoc has graduated and gone onto a job somewhere, the collaborations that we'll have with many professors [co-mentors] across the country will continue." Many young scientists see these postdocs as a way to get a foothold in industrial jobs. Although competition is keen for most positions in pharmaceutical and biotech companies, those who have done industrial postdocs in reputable companies have a definite edge, says biotech recruiter David G. Jensen, president of Search Masters International in Sedona, Ariz. "Having done a postdoc in a top-flight company, you have a much better chance of making it in industry than someone coming out of an academic postdoc, who is still untested as to whether they will like or do well in the goal-directed world of industrial research," he says. Matthew Moyle, the former Genentech postdoc, confirms that view. "Coming from a place like Genentech is great if you want an industry job," he says. "It was unbelievable: Practically every place I applied, I got job offers." Of his six offers, which included five positions in industry and one tenure-track professorship, Moyle chose another biotech firm. He is now a senior staff scientist at Corvas International Inc. in San Diego, which makes anti-inflammatory drugs for life-threatening indications. However, as Moyle discovered, doing a postdoc for a company is no guarantee that you'll be hired there. "After being at Genentech for a few years, I really wanted to stay there as a staff scientist, but no positions were available," he says. This year, Genentech will extend job offers to just three of the 55 postdocs in its program, says Jim Wells, a staff scientist at Genentech and senior mentor of its postdoc program. Some companies, such as Pfizer and Eli Lilly, also have strict policies against hiring their own postdocs. In their view, the postdoc is strictly a training position, not an extended job try- out. "To take someone on that you trained is a form of inbreeding that we just prefer not to engage in," says Proctor. Still, once postdocs have experienced life in industry, most want to stay there. At Genentech, for example, only about one-fourth of graduating postdocs return to academia, where recent fellows have gotten tenure-track faculty jobs at Harvard University and the University of California, San Francisco. Hambor, too, is leaning toward a research career in a pharmaceutical company when his Pfizer postdoc is finished. Before he started the program, he says, he had some qualms about doing industrial research. He recalls wondering, "Is it all applied? Is it intellectually stimulating? Or is it plug-away- and-be-bored-for-the-rest-of-my-life?" Now, those doubts are gone. The scientists he's met at Pfizer are among the best he's ever known, he says. And he's especially attracted to the opportunity to work on drug-discovery projects that may directly benefit people. "I'd rather go with a company," he says. "I think I'd feel comfortable and it'd be intellectually stimulating. And my work would have a bigger impact." Jean Wallace is a freelance science writer based in Philadelphia.

More Biotech Ph.D.'s Opting To Take Postdocs In Industry

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