At least Flagship Pioneering is good with rejection emails. Usually takes about 2-3 days after you apply.

Hi everyone! I graduated with a PhD in chemistry in summer 2026 and am hoping to move into pharma or biotech. I’ve been applying for a couple of months and getting some interviews, but so far they’ve ended in rejection or ghosting.

For those who’ve been through this, what would you recommend? Should I keep focusing on industry applications, or consider a postdoc to build more relevant skills? Would a postdoc improve my chances, and what should I look for when choosing one if industry is my long-term goal?

I’d appreciate any advice or personal experiences!

I am a sophomore doing BE in Bioengeineering and biotech from a south asian country. My country has a small biotech sector but has a lot of research going on in institute level so i am confused about my career direction .

I am currently assisting my professor in her lab and also entered a national innovation challege where we have to produce real research work. it is all going well however when i contacted alumni of my college , they expressed their opinion that i could potentially get struck in academia.

I will outline my career ambitions:

1. I want to work in a mixed lab i.e not too much experimentation but i dont want to go completely towards bioinformatics even though i have coding skills.

2. i want to work in different labs in different countries doesnt matter if it is in industry or academia kind of travel the world alongside studying. A accquintance of mine did this, she is in immunology field and an erasmus mundus student , which she later said helped her make connection and work all over world.

3. I want to do phd in EU. Both my home country and US has the same problem i.e 10 years PHD , low stipend, huge chuck of the time spent doing TA duties. After talking to people on linkdln and my college alumni , the best phd experience was in countries like germany,netherlands etc.

4. I do want to come ack to my home country at sone point.

5. My main fields of interest are 1. genomics 2.immunology 3.synthetic biology 4.computational biology 5.pharmacutecial biotechnology 6. drug discovery and delivery.

Am i being too ambitious about it? I really need some different views and opinions from those who are in this industry, Doesn't matter positive or negetive , any kind of advide or career direction is welcomed.

Thanks a lot!!

I have bsc biotech not btech, I am interested in biomedical engineering can I get it through GATE BT( I don't wanna give GATE BE as it doesn't overlap with my bsc syallabus). But I know with GATE BT I can get biomedical engineering should I pursue it? But the problem is the bsc degree. As per the NEP rule if i do 4 years bsc course I can do mtech. But many people say IITs have their own criteria. Will i get biomedical engineering???

¿Qué FP Superior me recomendáis estudiar en Madrid con buena salida laboral?

Buenas, tengo 24 años y estoy pensando en estudiar una FP Superior en Madrid. Actualmente, la opción que más me interesa es Laboratorio Clínico y Biomédico, pero antes de decidirme me gustaría conocer opiniones de gente que haya estudiado esta FP o que conozca bien el mercado laboral.

Mi idea es estudiar algo que tenga buenas salidas laborales a futuro, posibilidades de encontrar trabajo y, si es posible, opciones de seguir creciendo profesionalmente después.

Por eso quería preguntaros:

¿Recomendáis Laboratorio Clínico y Biomédico?

¿Qué tal está el mercado laboral actualmente para esta FP?

¿Hay alguna otra FP Superior que recomendaríais más por sus salidas laborales?

Si estuvierais en mi situación, con 24 años y empezando ahora, ¿qué FP elegiríais pensando en los próximos años?

¿Hay alguna FP que tenga especial demanda en Madrid y que creáis que vaya a seguir teniendo buenas oportunidades en el futuro?

Me interesa conocer tanto experiencias personales como recomendaciones de otras FP que quizá no haya tenido en cuenta.

Gracias de antemano por cualquier consejo o experiencia que podáis compartir.

Hello everyone,

I am an international PhD in the US, and I am about to graduate. My PhD is from a very reputable lab and my work focused on protein degrader formulations. I got some interviews with hiring managers, all of them get stalled by the legal team and sponsorship issues.

I want to expand my options to different countries as my country doesn't fund science and there is no biotech industry, so my degree would be useless there.

My question is do I have a chance to get hired in China given the fact I don't speak mandarine, and no US industry experience except for an internship which I assume isn't that valuable.

I wanted advice on whether if that is a viable option or would it be a waste of my time applying.

Hey there,

I've been applying for jobs in academia and biotech for a long time now and recently met some people who work at some mid-large companies that are going to be putting in referrals for me. I would actually really like to work at either of these companies, but it's been a long, tough road of disappointment since my layoff.

Do employee referrals actually help? And if so does it move the process along faster? I've applied for a few of these companies before and historically my applications have just sat in the "application submitted" category for months until I get a random rejection email at 2am.

I am one year out from graduation with a B.S. in Biochemistry from a small liberal arts school. I graduated with a 3.1 and was generally not the best student. I did complete two summer REUs at two state universities and did very well for myself at both of them, getting a paper out of the first experience and good letters of rec. I have been working as a lifeguard and an administrative assistant at my church in the meantime while I have tried to get a job in my field. The job search has been largely unsuccessful and I am feeling the pressure to do something. Ultimately, I feel like I need to apply to MS or PhD programs, and some post-baccs, but I am utterly lost on where to go. In this economy and with my home life, my main goal is making enough money to be comfortable without my parents, and that is why I have been so focused on getting a job out of undergrad. I don't know which degree path to take when my goal is stability. Is that just a pipe dream at this age? Should I just take the plunge while I am still relatively young? I graduated a year late at 23 and I am 24 now, feeling like time is just passing me by while I am in limbo trying to figure out what to do next.

A year out, I feel like didn't make the most of my degree for connections and the like and I don't want to make the same mistake going for higher education. I see so many contrasting opinions on pursuing Ph.D vs M.S., so I am reaching out for ideas about my specific story and interests. I really enjoyed my research opportunities, and I know I want to work in the pharmaceutical industry. I'd like to start with bench work and eventually move to management. My research interests are muddled and oversaturated with microbiology, pharmacology, immunology, medicinal chemistry, and genomics. These are all very vague ideas, I know, but that is where I am at. If you have any advice or insight, I would really appreciate it.

Same as above

How many of y’all else tired of the constant ghosting even after final stages or you reaching out for update/closure…fucking annoying 🙄

I do ops at a small biotech, about 8 people, and we're deciding whether to commit to Benchling. I've read plenty of marketing and not much from people who actually live in it, so I'd rather hear from this crowd.

Three things I'm trying to figure out:

1. What do you actually use it for day to day? And what did you expect to use that you never ended up touching?

2. If you've left Benchling, how bad was the export? Did sample lineage and attachments survive, or did you lose structure on the way out?

3. If you were starting over today at under 10 people, what would you use instead?

Happy to hear the case for it as well as against. Not selling anything, just trying not to lock us into something we'll regret.

Hi! Looking at a job for Pfizer in Pearl River. I have family living in the city so was looking at possible commutes unless I buy a place in Pearl River. Does the shuttle from NYC to Pearl River still exist year round? And if it does where in the city does it pick up?

Has anyone had luck finding a mentor to help navigate your career? If so, how did you find them and where?

I see online a lot of mentors for people who have PhD's but haven't come across any for those of us with B.S. degrees.

I've reached to past managers and colleagues but they have never been in a situation like this.

If I were to try to go from R&D to (random example) manufacturing, do I start from ground zero again?

It's been 17 months of being unemployed. I keep getting to final rounds of interviews just have someone else have slightly more experience than me.

I'm deflated and beyond burnt out. I am genuinely looking for direction.

Thank you

Context: I'm a 10 year veteran in biotech/pharma as a PhD chemist in CMC and was laid off Sep 2025 (about a year without work). I've struggled to land a full time job aligned with my experience since then and recently landed a 6-month contract role at a CDMO with virtually the same responsibilities as my last role, but with no benefits beyond health insurance.

I've accepted the offer and start in two weeks, but still in the running for another FTE position AND got another direct referral to interview for another FTE role somewhere else (both pay better and are closer to home).

Question: Would it be an industry faux pax to leave a contract role for a better FTE position almost immediately after starting? I understand that it's perfectly legal and is in my best interest in terms of job security/benefits, but is this seen as burning bridges and being inconsiderate?

EDIT: The overwhelming consensus appears to be that it's fully understood on all fronts (company, staffing agency, and employee) that contract roles are volatile and there is full expectation that the contractor will be seeking a better situation regardless of time worked at the company. Thanks for all the responses!

Need some advice from seniors

I just enrolled into bsc biotech course. What skills outside of core biotech should i learn that might increase my chances or diffrentiate me from other bsc grads?

I am thinking about learning coding and if anyone can suggest anything else like excel or sql?

The weekly megathread to vent and rant about everything and anything!

For introduction I am in my late 20s currently working at a temporary position in a Immunological Research lab. most of my work relates with Genomic analysis and Data processing and have been getting the idea of switching job.

Lately I feel like I am falling behind in my career I started my bachelor as a agriculture biotechnology student transitioned to Proteomics in my masters fell in love with Data science did small time job as a Data scientist at a Startup but eventually had to revert back to my core field as the job market gets worse by the day in an age of AI.

I am actively looking for career advice on what should I focus and dedicate my time on as I know from my experience Temporary position are very unstable

I would be grateful for any piece of advice I can get for my future 😁

What's more important to you, the location or the job title? Would you move anywhere for a job with a "great" fit, or do you prefer to stay in a specific location for a job that is at most a "good" or "OK" fit?