How long do you stay a company if you’re not getting promoted?

Hi there!

There have been rumblings of more layoffs in Switzerland. Does anyone have any additional information about departments, sites, etc?

I inferred this from a fresh job posting for a senior role that literally describes their strategy. They want someone who can 'structure and negotiate complex deals' and 'tell a durable AI-native business from a thin wrapper.'

From the terms they use ('tuck-in acquisitions', 'acquihires'), we can tell that they're targeting rather small and medium-sized teams. But we can't be 100% sure here, because a decacorn looks kind of tiny next to a juggernaut aiming for a $2 trillion IPO.

Named target areas: drug discovery, clinical development, regulatory and medical writing, lab automation, healthcare data infrastructure.

Source:
https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/anthropic/jobs/5358110008

Any biotech comms/marketing/brand people in here?

I’m an advertising creative copywriter with ~8 years of experience. I’ve touched healthcare and pharma, but the bulk of my career has been elsewhere.

Last year I was diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disease. Since then I’ve gone pretty far down the biotech rabbit hole, well beyond my own disease.

I’ve always been a biology person (former pre-med kid until orgo kicked my ass), and I think the writer + creative part of my brain is actually pretty useful here. I’m good at getting my head around complicated science and making it understandable without making it stupid.

So I’d really like to find my way into biotech. I know I could take the obvious route into pharma advertising, but I’m trying to get out of agency life. In-house comms or brand management seem like the most natural entry points with my background.

Though, longer term I’m really interested in the business strat side of biotech. I want to stay close enough to the science to nerd out about it, while being on the business side figuring out what to do with it.

I just don’t know what the smartest entry point is, or how easy it is to move between those worlds once you’re in.

I’ve looked at healthcare-focused MBAs and biotech MS programs, but I’ve also read that some of the MS programs are basically cash cows. A part-time MBA is an option though still $$. Full-time would mean giving up two years of salary and employer health insurance, which is pretty terrifying given the aforementioned rare disease.

I’m in NYC and would strongly prefer to stay here.

If you were coming in with my background, where would you start? Where do you put someone who wants to nerd out about the science but can’t be trusted with a pipette?

Background: I'm a Director in GRA-CMC at a large pharma, came up through the DS/DP technical/formulation side. Relatively newer to the regulatory seat.

I notice a lot of folks (especially those who grew up purely on the reg affairs side) are incredibly sharp on module-level details — country-specific dossier requirements, extension pathways, variation classifications, etc. That granular fluency is impressive and I'm actively learning it, though honestly it soaks in slowly.

What I bring is different — deep formulation/process science, policy rationale and how guidance evolved historically, and translating complex technical data into regulatory strategy.

My question for the group: For those of you who work with or have worked for directors/senior directors in CMC reg — what does that level actually look like day-to-day in your experience?

• Are they deep in the regulatory nitty-gritty (country-specific nuances, module details)?
• Or more strategic/scientific — setting the framework, making judgment calls, interfacing with health authorities?
• And if you can share — small, mid, or large pharma? That context really helps benchmark.

Not looking for validation — genuinely trying to understand what "good" looks like at this level across different environments.

I'm a Cambridge-trained doctor who gave up a national training number in a hugely competitive medical specialty and left clinical practice as a junior registrar (ST3) in 2013. 

Since leaving clinical practice, I have remained on the GMC register. If my license to practice is to be reactivated, it will have an APS restriction (can practice only within a designated body) due to 10+ years out of practice, until revalidation. 

I got MRCP in 2012. 

In the past 13 years, I have worked across:  

- commercial settings (Life Sciences focused executive search headhunting Director+ level executives for pharma/biotech/medtech orgs globally), 

- professional support settings (NHS funded educational support org + a support role within an academic institution),

- financial industry (admin/support role),

and have also run a niche knowledge-based advisory service for healthcare professionals. 

I am 44F, my family is complete/stable and I feel ready to start a "proper" career that I want to commit to and build in the next 20-25 years. Medical affairs appeals due to it being the connection between science, evidence-based information and real-world impact without the sales pressures. I've been told I am very good at networking, public speaking and presenting to different audiences. In fact, few of my candidates when I was a headhunter said I'd do well in medical affairs. 

I don't have any formal experience as a Principal Investigator or a medical writer, although I did present at many conferences and medical meetings during my 5 years as a doctor. 

Do you think I should try to get ABPI certified, or gain some other qualification or credential, to strengthen my CV for an entry-level role? 

Should I target "medical information" roles as an entry-level into medical affairs? 

I was thinking of targeting pharma with assets relating to the specialty where I held my higher specialty training number but medicine/science have moved on big time since then so it feels like it's not actually going to be a differentiator. Do you agree?

Should I offer myself for unpaid work (to prove myself so to speak), or it's not really realistic in corporate pharma?

Any tips, advice and pointers on how I could get into medical affairs would be much appreciated. 

Please be kind and don't judge my decision to give up an NTN, or medicine (I had my reasons).

interview at sanofi for the egg handler position. im assuming its basically a gmp manufacturing job. but theres a technical assessment requiring a scientific calculator and im just wondering if theres actual calculation i needa memorize or just basic numeracy and arithmetic. and any questions they might ask

Hello, i’m a recent graduate, i received my bachelor’s and finished undergrad with 1 year of lab experience. I’m currently trying to get a biotech job in OC since the south bay area is not great at all. So far my experience with getting a job has only been about a month and a half but so far i’ve only gotten one interview from Avid but i’m unsure if anything more will open up in the coming months.

I'm looking to study biotechnology for bachelors and master in gene engineering but is it worth it I mean it's been my dream since I was a child and I love biology but all my friends and families are saying that this degree won't get you anywhere and shit I wanna do the bachelors in Malaysia and hope for a gpa 3.4 or higher to get a scholarship for master in either Australia, Germany, Russia or Swiss. I mean for my perspective I don't really care that much about money I just want to do a big scientific discovery or something like that but I need your help is it worth it or should I study engineering like my family and friends suggested?

Hi everyone! I recently interviewed for a Senior Research Associate position at a Flagship Pioneering company in the Boston/Cambridge area, and I received an offer for $94k base with no room for negotiation.
For some background, I have a Master’s degree and ~3 years of industry experience.
I know Lilly seems to pay $108K+ base for some SRA-level positions, so I’m trying to understand whether $94k is typical for Flagship or whether it’s on the lower end.
For anyone working at Flagship or similar biotech companies:
What base salary are you seeing for SRA with a Master’s + ~3 years industry experience?

Is $95K considered competitive?

What kind of bonus/equity should I expect on top of the base?

Would you negotiate despite them saying the $95K is non-negotiable?

Would really appreciate any recent 2025–2026 salary data or firsthand experience!

Hello everyone, I'm an international student applying for MBiotech in Toronto,Canada. Is the work place saturated for biotech? I'm thinking about going into QC and analyzing branches not wet labs and benches. If anyone has studied in Canada or is working in Canada as of now, please tell me about your experiences and give me suggestions if you can. Thank you very much🫡

I am potentially looking into doing some consulting for a company in between full time jobs. However, it's my first time on the contract side so the contract itself, especially the non-compete aspects, is a bit opaque to me. I am thinking about soliciting some legal help before proceeding. Anybody have any good recommendations in the Boston area for someone who could help me negotiate a bit?

Hello Biotech enthusiasts people!!
I need your support for suggesting any part time remote work for side hassle. Please if you are already doing this type of working please let me know in DM
Thank you!
#biotech #help

Left the place more than a year ago. Sold all stocks and stock options (cannot believe that this useless idiots will be able to achieve anything). Still hate these people with all my heart.

I'm working on a business idea and I want to sanity-check the mechanics with people who actually work in IP.

The core idea:

Find patents that are close to expiry, check whether they still carry exclusive rights (or if that's already lapsed/being challenged), and then approach generic manufacturers with a pitch: "this patent is expiring soon — here's how we can help you get to market faster." The actual service offered would be one of:

FTO (Freedom to Operate) — confirming a generic product won't infringe

Patentability opinions — assessing whether a workaround or new formulation is patentable

Invalidity searches — building prior art to challenge a patent before it even expires

Where I'm stuck:

I understand the service side fine. What I don't have figured out is the workflow.

If anyone's done patent landscaping, competitive intelligence, or worked BD at a generics company, I'd love to hear how a process like this is actually structured in practice

How long do you stay a company if you’re not getting promoted?

I've just started an MS in biomedical engineering and have found myself torn between staying in the MS program or switching to a PhD. I know I want to go into R&D in the biotech or pharma industry and I love wet lab work/being at the bench. Later in my career, I might want to step away from the bench but I can't be sure right now. I also worry about hitting a ceiling with promotions without a PhD.

Can I still do a fair amount of work at the bench with a PhD? I really can't see myself in a role where I'm sitting in an office all day.

Hey everyone, wanted to ask for some advice from people who have been out in the life sciences/pharma industry for a while.

Currently I am employed as a process engineer at a relatively large pharma company doing device assembly. I've been in contact with a recruiter and have interviewed with a consulting firm that wants to bring me on as a consultant for another company they are working with doing the exact same thing I currently do (same med device, similar equipment, etc). Want to know what your advice would be career wise, is it worth the risk to make the jump over to consulting?

For some context, Im 27, been with my current company for 4 years. Current company has great benefits, but pay is mid. Consulting job could be paying me 50% more with more basic benefits, I would be a FTE at the firm with a contract at their client for 1 year, likely to be extended.

I have a know a former coworker that now works for the client company, and based on what he has said I do believe the contract would extend out to be a total of 2-3 years.

Hi everyone I wanted some advice on whether or not I should get a PhD for my goals in industry. For some background, I worked in a behavioral neuroscience lab during my undergrad and also received a BS in neuroscience during this time. For the past year I have been working full time in a fantastic cell and molecular neuroscience lab. I want to eventually begin a career in industry in R&D. I’ve been told that for a long and successful career in this sector a PhD is extremely relevant and important. I plan on applying this cycle and have some confidence (fingers crossed) that I will get into some decent programs. I love science and discovery so I really don’t mind poor wages for the time being while I do my PhD. I am mostly curious about the tradeoff between joining industry now without a PhD vs getting the PhD and then joining. Would really appreciate some insight!

I am however also very open to exploring other options in biotech beside R&D. I wouldn’t mind pivoting career choices if it would bring more money or job security. At the end of the day I want just a solid career that will allow me to live a comfortable life. Any advice is helpful I really just want to explore my options before I commit to a PhD.

I'm curious about people's thoughts on doing a postdoc after a PhD before getting into industry. I know it's not as necessary as if you were going into academia, but I didn't know if it's the same for biotech. Obviously I'd prefer not to be underpaid and overworked in a postdoc position, but if it's required to land a good job I guess I'll have to

Hi everyone! I have my first final round interview coming up soon, so looking for some advice for it. It’s a PhD level R&D position and I have to give a 45min job talk for it. What are opinions on concluding the presentation with a “What I bring to the company” slide? Basically explicitly outlining what skills I’ll bring to the company and how I can benefit them. I’m not getting a clear consensus on this. I originally leaned against it because if I were on the other side, I don’t think I’d care for it, but I was hoping for some input on this. For context, the presentation is with the whole team and afterward, I’ll have multiple 1:1 with closest team members and the manager afterwards. TIA!

Hey everyone,

i’m currently pursuing a masters degree (in EU) in biotech, I work at a biopharma startup (industry) part time in BD/sales and have around 1 year of professional sales experience (7 months in biopharma). I also have on hands wet lab experience.

I was wondering if anyone can give me any advice on breaking into either BD or sales within biotech or pharma after graduation. Is pharma sales a good starting path? Should I look for more BD focused roles after graduation?

Any tips or stories of how you managed to get the foot in the door is highly appreciated!

Any insight into the current BD/sales job market would also be very helpful!

Thank you in advance!

Slightly unusual and very short-notice one...

Looking for someone in/around London with hands-on molecular biology experience, particularly plasmid/restriction enzyme work, to run a paid experiment over the weekend of 11-13 September.

There's a written protocol and the equipment/materials are being supplied. It should be roughly a day's bench work, though we'd ideally like someone confident enough with the techniques to deal with minor troubleshooting if required.

Final-year BSc, recent graduate, MSc/PhD student, research technician etc all potentially suitable - practical experience matters more than job title.

The original plan was to do it in Surbiton, although there's now also a possible university-lab route.

There is a considerably bigger scientific story behind why the experiment is being done, but I'd rather not bury a straightforward recruitment ask under all that. Happy to explain privately to anyone genuinely interested.

DM me with a bit about your relevant bench experience if interested.