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Grow In Industrial R&D Labs Author: Neeraja Sankaran At a time when increasing numbers of Ph.D. researchers are facing a shortage of job opportunities, some scientists are finding productive and fulfilling careers before they ever reach that level -- in the pharmaceutical industry. MASTER OF MANY TRADES: As a senior research assistant, Walter Darbonne works independently on research projects. Drug companies "provide a great opportunity for people who want to do research," even without a doctorate, attests Walter Darbonne, a senior research associate in immunology with Genentech Inc. in South San Francisco, Calif. Darbonne -- who joined the company in 1985, upon graduation with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from California Polytechnic State University -- maintains that at present "there are more jobs available" for those with bachelor's- or master's-level qualifications than for Ph.D.'s. Scientists with bachelor's or master's degrees form an integral part of any major drug company, according to industry officials, typically representing anywhere from 15 to more than 50 percent of the total research and development (R&D) work force of a firm. Victor Smallberg, senior director of human resources at Genentech, describes his company's widespread use of non-Ph.D. scientific staff: "We look for people with a range of skills in fields like biochemistry and molecular biology to support principal investigators with their basic research projects. "We also have a large need for scientifically trained personnel in preclinical development -- to assist with both drug-discovery efforts as well as studies during the later stages of getting a drug approved. This would include people with experience in such areas as toxicology, drug metabolism, and pharmacokinetics." Non-Ph.D. scientists "represent about two-thirds of the work force within our research departments and are relied upon quite heavily for a number of projects," stresses Ilana Meskin, an associate director of human resources for research and development at Amgen Inc. in Thousand Oaks, Calif. In general, Ph.D. and non-Ph.D. scientists fulfill different functions: "The expectations are different of what one brings to a group," says Chris Clogston, an associate scientist in the protein structure group at Amgen, who holds a bachelor's degree. Gordon Moore, a Ph.D. in immunology who is the director of molecular immunology at Philadelphia-based SmithKline Beecham, says, "We would hire someone with a Ph.D. if we wanted to expand our knowledge base to a new area, or to achieve a critical mass of experts to strengthen a preexisting technology. "B.S.- and M.S.-level graduates, on the other hand, lend their expertise to support the existing staff," by performing experiments and maintaining records, for example. Occasionally, he adds, "there are special circumstances -- whereby we may need an individual who knows a specific technique, or to run a particular piece of equipment. We would then look for someone with expertise in that specific area." Often researchers become proficient at these skills while on the job, note industry scientists. These types of specialized technicians are often drawn from undergraduate- and graduate-level people who have spent some years working at a university laboratory, they explain. For example, Henry George, a senior research scientist in the applied biotechnology division of the R&D department at DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Co., Wilmington, Del., says he was brought on board for his expertise in molecular biology techniques. George, who holds a B.S. in biology from Southern Illinois University, says he obtained most of his molecular biological skills while working at various research jobs. Currently, he heads a group that supports the therapeutics departments at his company with molecular biology expertise. A fair number of positions are created "in response to requests from principal investigators for assistants to help in the lab with their experiments," notes Paula Swain, director of human resources for R&D at DuPont Merck. The duties of such an assistant generally include day-to-day running of experiments and maintaining records, reporting results to the principal investigator responsible for designing the projects, and overseeing the general direction of research, she explains. Pharmaceutical companies not only hire a large number of B.S.- and M.S.-level scientists in a variety of positions, but also actively use targeted search strategies to seek out such people for specific jobs, according to human resources officials at these firms. "We depend a lot on college job fairs to select such people, and complement this on-campus recruitment with advertisements in the major science [publications]," says Meskin. Amgen also runs an extensive summer internship program in which the heads of various research laboratories hire undergraduate students to work in their laboratories. "This forms a great feeder pool for entry- level research associates," she adds. Since non-Ph.D. scientists are hired primarily for their skill in assisting rather than leading research, their entry-level positions start out junior to, and with lower salaries than, entrants with Ph.D.'s, personnel officials explain. According to a survey by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), for instance, the base annual salary for an entry-level B.S. or M.S. scientist was about $40,000, while a Ph.D. started at a salary closer to $60,000 (E.R. Silverman, The Scientist, Feb. 20, 1995, page 23). But once they have a foot in the door, company officials claim, their employees encounter more opportunities for growth in industrial settings than do scientists with equivalent academic credentials at university laboratories. According to the AAPS report, the gap between the salaries also becomes narrower with increasing years of experience. "In industry, technicians can rise to positions where they can make substantially higher salaries than people in academia with equivalent educational levels," asserts Moore. Research support personnel acknowledge that financial considerations were an important factor in deciding between pursuing a higher degree or entering the work force. "The decision to choose one over the other is, of course, an intensely private one," says Clogston, who has been in research- support jobs ever since she obtained her B.S. in biology from Pepperdine University in 1980. "There is a point at which career advancement stops [without a Ph.D.], but to leave a salaried position would be tough," she acknowledges. "When I first decided to get a master's [in biology] rather than go on for a Ph.D., I went to work at a drug company with the intention of going back to school to get a Ph.D.," recounts John Trill, who is an investigator in the department of gene expression sciences at SmithKline Beecham. But a few years later, he says, he changed his mind because "I had a regular job, I was making money, and didn't want to get into debt again by going to school." "Earning money was certainly a factor that influenced my decision to go to work right after graduation," says Genentech's Darbonne. In addition to the financial considerations, Moore points out, industry is more flexible than academia with respect to promotions: "There is no prohibition against advancement without a higher degree." Consequently, the chance that a scientist without a Ph.D. will rise to the position of an independent investigator or head of a lab at a drug firm is higher than the chance that a similarly qualified person will obtain a tenured position at a university, he claims. DuPont Merck's George, at the level of a senior research scientist, is one such case; Trill at SmithKline is another. "Industry is more amenable to experience," notes George. "I am seeing more ads now asking for Ph.D.'s or equivalent experience. I think academia is still more degree-conscious." SmithKline's Trill has been employed in both academia and industry. "Before coming to SmithKline, I served for several years as a nontenured faculty member at the Medical College of Georgia," he relates. Although the position was the equivalent of an assistant professor, Trill says he would never have been considered for tenure owing to his lack of a Ph.D. Currently an investigator in charge of a lab, he says that there is "still further room for growth within the company. Part of it will entail taking on more administrative responsibilities and learning managerial skills," a facet of the job that Ph.D. scientists also ex-perience as they gain seniority (N. Sankaran, The Scientist, Oct. 3, 1994, page 1). "We only have one track -- there are no real caps," DuPont Merck's Swain declares. "Ultimately, progression is dependent upon the individual." She points to the example of staff members such as George who have risen to the level of heading their own laboratories. "The [pharmaceutical] industry -- much more so than universities -- has to survive on the bottom line," avows George. Hence, he feels, a company would be more interested in a demonstrable capacity to perform a specific task than on academic credentials: "One has to be able to recognize what the company really needs, and deliver." For instance, he adds, "I was able to bring in my expertise in recombinant technology when it was most needed," and obtain a position with a high level of responsibility. One of the more remarkable examples of an industry researcher's advancement in science without the benefit of a doctoral degree is that of Gertrude Elion, winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology and a scientist, emerita, at Burroughs Wellcome Co. in Research Triangle Park, N.C. In 1946, Elion was actually in a doctoral program at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now New York's Polytechnic University) when she was told by her dean that she had to give up her job at Burroughs Wellcome, then located in Tuckahoe, N.Y. She decided to forgo the Ph.D., she says, because she was "doing important cancer work" at Burroughs. In addition to the Nobel, she is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and has been awarded more than 10 honorary degrees (B. Spector, The Scientist, June 24, 1991, page 1). Genentech's Smallberg concedes that "not everyone advances" to positions equivalent to those of Ph.D. scientists. But, he stresses, "We -- at Genentech -- do not have an a priori position on a degree requirement. The individual needs to demonstrate the skills and abilities we require -- a fundamental insight into the science, and a talent for creative and independent thinking. "If one shows the interest and ability, we try to help with career development guidance," he adds, noting that the company has on occasion promoted non-Ph.D. scientists to positions of heads of laboratories, running their own research projects. "It is possible to have a very productive career in research even without a Ph.D. You get to do the fun stuff -- at the bench -- without dealing with too many other administrative responsibilities," asserts Darbonne. "True, you don't have the chance, at the outset, to initiate your own projects, but the opportunities are there if you apply yourself," he adds, noting that he worked toward a master's in cell and molecular biology on his own time after spending a few years at the company. While the added qualifications did not in themselves earn him any promotions, he says, they enhanced his skills, "particularly in molecular biology," and enabled him to become increasingly independent in the laboratory: "I design and plan my own experiments." For the future, he predicts, "It may take me longer without a Ph.D., but ultimately I hope to get to a scientist's position." Clogston agrees with Darbonne's perspective: "I have not yet explored this job to its limits of where it can take me -- there is a lot of intellectual challenge in it yet." (The Scientist, Vol:9, #15, pg.1 , July 24, 1995) (Copyright © The Scientist, Inc.) garfield@aurora.cis.upenn.edu

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