Plying Proteomics Skills for Premium Jobs

A 2001 surge in proteomics investment has generated record revenues, seeding a burgeoning job market and a flowering of training courses and research resources. Proteomics revenues grew 41.9% from $963 million to $1.37 billion (US), in 2001, according to Frost & Sullivan, a San Antonio, Texas-based investment firm. Most of the revenues are from sales of laboratory instruments and supplies, now leaving these fully equipped labs needing to hire staff to use the tools. "We have all this wonderful equipment, but now we need people to do actual work," says Jochen Kruip, head of proteomics in the Frankfurt, Germany, office of Aventis. According to Kruip, Aventis seeks people with skills in mass spectrometry and protein and peptide chromatographic separation, but as proteomics continues to evolve, so does the definition of a qualified worker. "Right now there is no such thing as a proteomicist," says David Jensen, scientific recruiter of Search Masters International, Downer's Grove, IL. Jensen and Kruip describe the ideal candidate as one who blends an ability to work with specialized lab equipment with a working knowledge of X-ray crystallography, protein chemistry, and computational chemistry. "[But] it can't be expected for someone to have been trained exclusively in proteomics," Jensen observes. Take This Job and Learn It The current market favors job seekers because recruiters can't resort to categorizing and pigeonholing potential employees, according to Jensen. Proteomics job trends are echoing those of the earlier bioinformatics boom. Companies are hiring people with an applicable background and providing on-the-job skills training. Some fledgling scientists are jumping ahead by acquiring specific proteomics skills on their own. "I just wanted to expand the NMR [nuclear magnetic resonance] knowledge I had for the structural genomics/proteomics approach," says Daniel Monleon, a postdoc trainee at the Rutgers University center of advanced biotechnology in Piscataway, NJ. Monleon expressed optimism about future jobs because of his experiences on the bench. Already company representatives have examined software he developed, and inquired about his future plans. This opportunity resulted from his laboratory work, he says: "The lab has so many strong groups, that I learned many different processes just working with them." Such collaborative work is necessary to rapidly advance in proteomics, says Daniel Dobbs, former director of fermentation and biocatalyst development at Bristol Myers Squibb. "I can't stress enough the need for an interdisciplinary outlook." Dobbs says drug discovery work requires pooling disciplines. "Ideally, you'd have other scientists poking around other labs during coffee breaks to learn something." Laurent Terradot-Piot, a post-doctoral associate in the department of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Washington University counts the interaction between his colleagues as the most valuable part of the lab work. "There's always some trepidation about trying new things when you don't have the background.... Being able to go over to someone and ask them makes things easier," says Terradot-Piot. "With numerous, qualified, and diversified in-structors, the lab environment is perhaps the best tool to stay on pace with the quick learning curve of proteomics." Courses To Careers Many major research institutions in the United States and Europe are establishing courses and symposia to provide proteomics background and training. The European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg offers advanced training in functional genomics to people from European Union states at a new facility, which also offers access to advanced mass spec instrumentation for people outside the EMBL system. Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Virginia, among others, have launched protein analysis and protein chemistry courses, but not everyone is convinced this is the most effective way to breed students competent in proteomics. Stan Fields, professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, says formal coursework is no substitute for laboratory experience. "If you have a basic grounding in the biology and technology, most of what you'll learn will be from the bench." The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) provided $4 million each to nine centers during the last two years for pilot proteomic programs. These programs are designed to develop the best production strategies, says John Norvell, NIGMS research training officer. The centers, each comprising several regional laboratories, are devoted to structural genomics; NIGMS aims to compile a library of about 10,000 protein structures. "Many different techniques and technologies are involved, so these centers have been staffing people of all different sub-areas," says Norvell. According to Norvell, these centers have already spent the lion's share of their grant money equipping the labs. The agency is now focusing on hiring for positions such as wet lab technicians, biochemists, software technicians, and structural biologists. The labs have not determined average salaries because budget reports aren't due until late summer. Salary figures are sketchy at best in industry as well, but according to Kruip, candidates with proteomics skills have flocked to the private sector. "In Germany, many people consider Big Pharma to be a secure job," he explains. "Start-ups usually run for at least four or five years, but their success is based more heavily upon their business plan and is much riskier." Stability also brings a bigger payout. Simon Carrington, account director of the Scientific Recruitment Group (SRG) in Manchester, United Kingdom, says proteomics experts in industry get paid as much as 67% more than do their academic counterparts. Salaries for departmental professors top out at about £50,000; a senior research manager at a pharmaceutical company earns closer to £80,000, he adds. Having a PhD helps candidates climb the corporate ladder in UK pharmaceutical companies, Carrington says, but says he would be wary about rooting his future in proteomics. "Much like combinatorial chemistry 10 years ago, a lot of money was thrown at proteomics, and as it begins to settle, it will become just another research department," he predicts. "However, people will always be studying proteins, so it's a good skill set to have for whatever the next stage of research will be." Proteomics positions are still plentiful in the private sector, says Chris Catoggio, vice president of the Life Sciences Practice at S.R. Clarke, a Fairfax, Va., executive recruitment agency. Nevertheless, not all companies are gung-ho for proteomics specialists. "Many companies just aren't sure what it is they want yet, and don't want to be hasty in their hiring practices." Hal Cohen can be contacted at hcohen@the-scientist.com The Proteomics Skill Set Companies seek PhD biochemists proficient in whole-cell lysate studies, 2-D gel electrophoresis, protein characterization and structure, and mass spectrometry, according to SRG's Simon Carrington. The following links offer a sampling of proteomics resources: www.proteome.org: International science society provides links to proteomics journals, events and links to other proteomics sites. faseb.org/protein: Resumes can be posted or viewed for proteomic job searching/staffing. www.ebi.ac.uk/index.html: Jobs available at European Molecular Biology Laboratory branches, protein sequence database and proteomics research tools. www.ionsource.com/links/proteolinks.htm: Access to proteomics journals, and a comprehensive list of links to proteomic companies and government and university sponsored proteomics research. career.bio.com/pages/index.cfm: Employment resource for employees and job seekers.

Plying Proteomics Skills for Premium Jobs

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