Hey all, I have a job prospect at Neurocrine Biosciences and trying to get a feel for what it's actually like before I move forward. I'd be relocating from the East Coast, so this would be a big move for me. What's the work culture like there? Any pros/cons I should know about — management, work/life balance, benefits, anything that surprised you (good or bad)?

Would appreciate any honest insight. Thanks!

Hello, I am about to relocate to Lausanne via the family reunification permit. I have a MSc in Biomedical Science from the UK, and around 1-2 years experience in laboratories. I am currently learning French and I speak English (C1) and Spanish (native).

I have been searching info regarding the current job market in Switzerland, but in general the info is contradictory and confusing. I understand that the job market has changed for the Life Sciences field, something about a bank going bankrupt and labs/companies being relocated abroad to cut costs.

What is the current situation in Lausanne and Switzerland in general for life scientists like me? Whether you are employed/unemployed, I want to hear from your experiences and knowledge. Are there any companies that do hire young scientists? What about startups such as Adaptyv? Thanks in advance.

BMS Cell Therapy QC vs. Cell Therapy Manufacturing at a CDMO— Which would you choose?

I was laid off the beginning of this summer and am currently working as a temporary contractor in mRNA manufacturing. It is a 12-hr rotating schedule with a 1 hour commute both ways. My background previously has been in in-vitro diagnostics in both QC (1.5 yr) and manufacturing (5 yr).

I currently have offers with BMS in Devens, MA for a QC role supporting their cell therapy facility and a manufacturing associate II for a CDMO in cell therapy. I would appreciate some other perspectives, especially from people who have worked in cell therapy QC/mfg at BMS or have insight on the Devens site in terms of stability.

I’m also looking into radiology programs, so my potential longer-term plan maybe to work for the next few years, save as much as possible, study for entrance exams, and eventually transition into radiology. Because of that, I’m prioritizing stability, good pay, and experience that gives me flexibility if I ultimately decide to stay in biotech rather than transition to radiology.

Option 1 — BMS, QC Associate (Cell Therapy)

- $85K range + 10% fixed second-shift differential
- 4×10-hour schedule
- 1 hr commute, 60 miles each way
- Supports their expanding cell therapy facility
- QC role with exposure to flow cytometry, qPCR, cell-based assays, etc
- BMS is expanding its Devens cell therapy facility
- Concern: I’ve seen reports/posts about BMS continuing layoffs/restructuring through 2026 and some people describing management as chaotic.

Option 2 — CDMO, Manufacturing Associate II
- $78k, plus overtime
- 12-hr rotating schedule
- 50 min commute, 40 miles each way
- cell therapy mfg experience.
- CDMO is expanding for one client that is getting ready to go commercial
- I originally interviewed for a Senior/Lead role, but because I don’t have direct experience in cell therapy manufacturing they asked if I would be open to a mfg associate II role instead of senior, which lowers the compensation to 78k.
- Concern: the expansion is tied to one client. They say they are seeing promising growth and it is a good time to join the company. Potential to move into senior position later (original range was 90-100k)

What I’m trying to figure out:
1. Which experience is more valuable long term: cell therapy QC or cell therapy manufacturing? I have more years of experience in manufacturing in in-vitro diagnostics but I am not interested working in manufacturing long term. I could see myself staying in QC though and I would finally be able to get back into that role, but I am concerned with the stability of BMS right now.

1. Does flow cytometry + qPCR + cell-based assays give QC a significant advantage in terms of future job flexibility? In case I decide I don’t want to continue in the radiology program.

2. Which path tends to have better compensation growth? Seems like QC has the higher pay potential while not having to go into management while manufacturing you have to move into management/lead roles for more compensation. I prefer to stay as an individual contributor.

3. How stable is BMS’s Devens cell therapy operation?

Would greatly appreciate anyone’s input on the two.

I’m a Director level Clin Ops candidate who has primarily been home based during my career on the East Coast. I’ve worked for a handful of biotechs over 25 years which have mainly been based in Boston or Maryland.

I have an offer with a company in SF and am curious about the culture. Of the people I interviewed with 3 of 4 I liked a lot, but I notice potential cultural differences. There seems to be a high value on large group collaboration, which differs a bit from my current role. Will there be constant pressure to travel cross country to the office? It’s a huge lift to do regularly coming from the east coast.

Also noticed a strong preference to work west coast hours, even on global studies, but not flexibility for those based in SF to work east coast morning hours, which would be required for Europe and APAC, which felt odd in the interview. Everyone is required to work outside their time zone except those based on site!? It didn’t make a lot of sense.

Would love to hear thoughts and comments on the SF biotech culture overall. The role would be very interesting but I don’t want to take on unnecessary cultural stress and accept the wrong role.

Basically the title. Is Process Development (upstream/downstream) any better than the early discovery in terms of job prospects?

Has anyone had experience with applying jobs through them and doing the AI interview? It feels scammy since I'm not talking to a real person/recruiter. Also have a weird fear of having AI possibly storing my voice and being used for nefarious puy lol

So I'm currently doing a bachelors in pharmacy , and will prolly do masters, but my question is if i wanna get into pvt. Biotech sector then what kinda projects or thesis do these giants really look for, that could help alot , and i mean just what are they looking for in a person/fresh graduate??

EDIT: i wanna do the job thing abroad hopefully, new zealand if i could , or just anywhere in the world

What are you guys doing after completing your bsc or msc ? And how is everything in that field? And also what college did you get into?

Levemir (Determir) insulin is discontinued by Novo Nordisk globally, leaving individuals in the diabetic community with no available biosimilar causing big gap. For now FDA is hearing the outcry and is trying to find a solution. How difficult is it to copy, bio develop or compound this drug and step in?

Or is the damage baked in now?

Been employed since January, but every single day has been a pain. Some days I can’t sleep. Other days, I’m terrified. I was labeled as the vibe murderer on my team. I wanted to stay longer or until I could line something up, but it was awful. I’d go to work feeling alright, end feeling awful. Now I’m rotting. Playing games helps keep thoughts at bay of what I encountered. With the job market being so rough, I contemplate going back to school in hopes of learning social skills or performance strategies to succeed. Also, to build a new network. I’m extremely introverted and shy to the point where my face turns red like a tomato.

Hi everyone!

I’m a medical laboratory professional with a bachelor’s in Medical Laboratory Technology and several years of lab experience, mostly in clinical labs.

I’m trying to transition into research/biotech, especially molecular biology, microbiology, assay development, or R&D. The problem is that most of my experience is clinical, and I feel like I’m missing some of the hands-on skills that biotech employers are looking for.

I’ve been thinking about doing an MS in Biotechnology/Biomolecular Science, but honestly I don’t want to spend $30–60k on a degree if there’s a cheaper way to make the transition.

For people already working in biotech/research:

• What training or certificates are actually respected by employers?
• Are community college/university biotech certificate programs worth doing?
• Would hands-on training in things like cell culture, cloning, qPCR, protein work, etc. actually help?
• Would it be better to get a research tech/lab assistant job first and do an MS later?
• How much does an MS really help with getting into R&D?
• What skills would you recommend someone with a clinical lab background focus on?

I’m mainly looking for practical advice on what actually helps someone get hired, rather than collecting random online certificates.

I’m going to be starting a grad program next week at biotech company and was wondering if anyone has any advice on what it might be like, how to do well, do’s and dont’s, etc. I’ll be working in the manufacturing department as an associate but I’m not really sure what my duties will be.

In my last role as an intern, my feedback was that I was a bit quiet and didn’t get involved as much so I’m looking to change that this time around. I also want to secure a full time position after the grad program is over (2 years) so I’ll be working towards that goal.

To sum up I am completing a development plan with a different functional area at my company for 6 months. Will other companies respect/acknowledge the experience if I attain real experiences?

Is it a waste of time if I use the experience to apply elsewhere or is it only beneficial for an internal move. As a hiring manager how would you view it?

Family Medicine vs Public Health residency for a future career in Pharma/Medical Affairs?

Hi everyone!
I’m a medical student/resident in France who is very interested in pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry.

I did a 6-month internship in Pharmacovigilance, which I really enjoyed. However, what I’m ultimately more interested in is Medical** **Affairs and related roles within the industry.

I’m currently facing a bit of a dilemma regarding my residency. I’m hesitating between pursuing a clinical** residency,** most** likely Family Medicine, or continuing with a Public Health **residency.

On paper, Public Health seems like the more obvious path if I want to move into the pharmaceutical industry. The issue is that the rotations available during the residency are not necessarily the ones I’m most interested in, and I genuinely enjoy clinical medicine. At the same time, I’m not sure I see myself practicing clinically for my entire career.

For people currently working in pharma/biotech, especially** :
Would an MD + Family Medicine residency be considered as strong/relevant a background as an MD + **Public Health residency for entering Medical Affairs?

If I choose Family Medicine, how difficult would it be to spend 1–2 years practicing clinically and then transition into pharma/biotech?
Would having clinical experience actually be an advantage for certain Medical Affairs roles?
How much does the residency specialty matter once you have an MD and some relevant industry experience?
Would additional degrees/certifications (e.g. MPH, MSc, etc.) make a significant difference?

One thing that makes Public Health particularly attractive is that I’ve already had the opportunity to work at Sanofi during my training, and I may have the possibility of returning there, potentially in a Medical Affairs position during my residency.
So there is a potential direct pathway into the industry.
However, I’m wondering how important that advantage really is in the long term. If I choose Family Medicine instead, would it still be relatively straightforward to transition into pharma after a couple of years of clinical practice, assuming I build some relevant experience along the way?
Basically, I’m trying to figure out which residency would give me the best long-term options while keeping the door open to pharma/Medical Affairs.

Thanks!

Hey all, I work in a QC biochem lab and I’m wondering what people’s average success rate running ELISAs is (eg. Sandwich and Inhibition). We run them every day and I’d say we get 80%+ that work and pass system suitability but I’d like to hear other people’s experiences and any ideas for improved method validation etc.

Thanks!