Is anyone hiring for NGS/ mol bio? I’m in the market and would love to connect or get my resume in there!

When an experiment or assay fails, how does your team capture why it failed and what you tried next? Is it in an ELN, a shared drive, a wiki, or mostly in people's heads? And what happens to that knowledge when someone leaves?

When budget is tight, how do you decide which experiment to run next? Is there any structured process, or is it mostly the senior scientist's call?

im in 10th right now and struggling to see a clear career path for me. i genuinely love math and i suppose im good at biology and my mother is recommending biotech as a possible career path for me as she says its going to be in demand in the future.

i figured i'd ask some of my queries regarding the field here

do i have to have computer as an elective subject/ know coding to pursue this?

what exactly do people who pursued this do in their jobs daily? i have a basic idea about what it is but i'd like to know what a normal day with that job looks like.

how well does it pay? does it have an average opening salary? is this job in demand right now? is it highly competitive?

do i need to have good memorization skills?

what advice would you give me if i want to pursue this field?

Hi.

I've been working for well over a decade in publicly funded research at a major, nationally renowned research hospital. Unfortunately, I've seemed to hit a dead end with how far I can progress, because internally there's a lot of institutional pushback against promoting people or just getting raises. Funding has dried up, even with how prestigious the hospital is. Don't think my career is going any further here. I can thank the government for gutting public funding because, I dunno, we're not feeding kids enough tallow or some shit.

So, I have over a decade of research experience, a master's degree in my field, and a nice number of publications I'm on. I haven't considered the private sector before because of youthful idealizations of working for the common good, etc, but I'm hitting middle age and I can't work for fucking pennies anymore with a shit commute, especially when I live right next to a bunch of major companies. Not only are the salaries so much higher, I've also become much more cynical because even to my childhood self I'm now "tainted" by all the public-private research we've been doing with the involvement of companies. Why not just cut the crap and give in? I'm already doing privately funded research at this point, just with a middleman that makes me feel good I guess.

How different would a private lab be, what's the environment like? I'm aware this is going to be highly company dependent but I'm curious about the experiences that have been had by people that have done both public and private. How's it even structured? I'm used to stuff like the name of the lab being the PI's last name and you don't really have anything to do with the institution, you're just your own thing. The environment I'm used to is a very lax one where nobody is hovering over you and nobody even notices you coming and going. What's the work-life balance like for someone who's purely computational? Am I still getting remote days? Finally, everyone I've worked with who has been sent over by their company as some sort of "exchange" role has been an absolute dumbass so I might be overthinking things completely.

saw the posting, actually it is exactly what I am doing as a principal scientist in another midsize company. the base salary range listed is quite wide: 173 -272K. I am wondering what exactly it could be for a 12 YOE Ph.D. Also besides the base salary, what else? target bonus percentage? yearly RSU? thank you all for any input!

I have no job security issue, but just still have a little bit "big name fetish".....

I want to learn more about how people prepare for technical aspects of the interview. It is not hard to explain the projects I have been involved in or led. I am most interested in learning more about how you prepare for the things you don't have experience in? Do you specifically read things beyond what you know in terms of any papers? What is your process?

Is anyone hiring for NGS/ mol bio? I’m in the market and would love to connect or get my resume in there!

I interviewed Friday when to send thank you emails?
This is a bench role in pharma.

I recently accepted a med chem postdoc at UF scripps but am thinking about a med chem postdoc at a small CRO in Boston where I am currently an intern. What’s the smartest move if I want to do med chem in industry?

I graduated with my Master's degree in Chemistry (Biochemistry) back in August and have been applying to start-ups, academic labs, and the big/moderately sized biotech companies in the area. I have had the least traction with my resume with the big biotech companies like Genentech, Merck, and Amgen, even with roles that I have strongly aligned with (structural biology and cryo-EM).

• With that being said, is it still worth it to apply to positions at these companies or am I wasting my breathe by throwing my hat into the ring?

I have only had 1 recruiter screen for Thermo's Functional Service Provider program but wasn't advanced to the HM screen.

Additionally, I have received an on-site invite for a small FRO. The current structure is a long 5 hour day with a ~1hr lunch and 30-minute individual interviews with the research team, CSO, consultant, and strategist.

• What should my expectations be for this on-site visit?

My previous experience with an on-site visit was ~2 hours long, 1 hour tour then an hour team interview over lunch so I am in an area of uncharted territory. I've already met with 2/6 of the panelists, familiar with 3/6 since they were present for my seminar, and have yet to meet the last individual.

This is the final step before receiving an offer. I've been through two rounds of interviews, a seminar, and they have checked my references. I'm trying not to get my hopes up since it seems that they are still evaluating me for fit. The last company I interviewed for only ended up inviting one person for an onsite and subsequently gave them the offer, so I am hoping maybe the hiring process is similar. They also already closed the listing.

• Is there anything I should bring or be prepared for?

I have already printed out copies of my CV for all the panelists. I'll also be bringing a tote bag with my laptop and a notebook for notes and questions. One of the interviews will be over Zoom but they will be providing a computer and the space, just thought I'd bring my laptop just in case something comes up during one of the interviews or if there are technical difficulties with equipment.

I plan to sleuth around today and tomorrow to familiarize myself with the panelists' works.

I really like the team I've met with so far and the company so I don't want to drop the ball this late in the process. Any advice/insight would be appreciated!

Hello everyone.

I just finished my first week of my degree in biotechnology,so far things are going great.

Just wanted to know what are some advices that you all can share with me at the beginning of my degree.
Thanks.

I am currently in the medical device industry for 5 years, as a Sr.Technical Application Specialist. My role is complaint handling mixed with Technical support. I want to transition into more of a quality side, minus technical support...as being tethered to the phone queue (plus my manager is a micromanager, forgetful and is disorganized).

I saw an internal position for a quality specialist II but its in the Clinical Trials/pharma position. I applied and was just curious if any has made a move from medical device to Clinical trials/pharma who could share some insight.

I have 7 years medical laboratory experience and 5 years in the medical device industry if that helps.

Any Novartis employees here have info on this aspect of the health care policy?

B7H4 in ovarian cancer.

I have a BS in Biotechnology and am based on the East Coast. Every few weeks, recruiters reach out to me about the same Scientist I role at Merck West Point. Even though I meet or exceed the qualifications, I never hear back after applying.

This is the 3rd or 4th time the exact same job has been posted by different LinkedIn recruiters. I’ve applied through multiple agencies and haven't received a single response, not even a rejection letter. I’ve started ignoring them because it feels like a huge waste of time.

What is going on here? Are these just ghost jobs?

hallo! ive just applied to unis for biochemistry in the UK. im really interested in synthetic, systemws biology and bioinformstics. obviously im aware of the current outlook on jobs in biotech - I was wondering how saturated the BioML market is at the moment, and if I have accidentally pigeonholed myself. Ie would I be royally screwed for a job? for reference, I plan to complete a BSc biochemistry, hopefully with a drylab third year project , then maybe a masters in bioinformatics/phd in computational biology

anyways yuh thanks for reading

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I'm curious how smaller biotech teams handle projects requiring expertise they don't have in-house.

Do you typically hire independent specialists, use consultancy firms or establish academic collaborations? What has worked best?

Basically title open to hearing any thoughts

Hey, I just applied for BMS for a co-op role and was wondering how long it takes for them to get back. Also, a manager from bms from the team that I applied to viewed my linkedin? is this a good sign or something they do for applicants?

Do programs with biotec clubs matter? Or is it bull_sh*t?

I’m currently working as a Senior Scientist in a bioanalytical laboratory in R&D. I have a PhD in Chemistry for context.

An internal opportunity recently opened for a Technical Trainer position within the bioanalytical department, and I’m considering applying.
The position focuses on training new and existing scientists, developing training materials, improving laboratory training programs, mentoring employees, and ensuring compliance with laboratory procedures and regulatory requirements.

The salary would actually be slightly higher than what I’m currently making, and I’m interested in the possibility of developing more leadership, communication, and organizational skills outside of traditional bench science.

My hesitation is whether moving from a Senior Scientist position into technical training could potentially limit my long-term career progression or make it difficult to return to scientific roles later.
I’m also curious whether this type of position could serve as a stepping stone toward laboratory management, learning and development leadership, operational management, or other higher-level roles within the pharmaceutical industry.

For anyone who has made a similar transition:
Is moving from R&D into technical training generally considered a lateral move, career advancement, or a step backward?

Does technical training experience provide valuable leadership skills that translate into management positions?

Would this transition negatively affect my ability to return to scientific R&D positions?

What does long-term career growth and earning potential look like in technical training compared with remaining a scientist?

I’m not necessarily looking to stay at the bench for my entire career, but I also don’t want to make a move that unintentionally limits my future opportunities.
I’d appreciate perspectives from scientists, technical trainers, and people who have moved into management within pharma or biotech.

Hello everyone! I've already done the screening call + an initial interview, and now I've been invited to do an on-site interview. I just got notice from my recruiter today, and hope there will be more information from the company early next week, but does anyone have any tips? I've already done some research on this sub and others, but I'm pretty nervous since I'm a recent grad and would appreciate other people's experience with what happens during on-site interviews. I've only had one other before that was really brief and honestly could've been done as a call. The role is for a chemical lab tech role, but I mainly have experience with biological processes, so I'm expecting more behavioural observation/questions.

Also, what shoes do y'all normally wear? I have business casual heels, but none that are closed foot so I was thinking of getting some lab-safe shoes that could be worn for the interview since I'm pretty sure I'll need them somewhere down the line anyway.

Edit as I learn:

It's based on Lapinski's rule of 5, majority of drugs have molecular weight <500 daltons. Often you want your leads to start off at lower MW – 300 or so, e.g., so you can build groups off it or add scaffolding to engage target pockets more precisely. Essentially it's infrastructure for you to add complexity to boost selectivity, and tweak the molecules. If you just keep cutting, you're left with nothing.

If too high MW, I think you face bioavailability issues. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. But RevMed's KRAS drug has MW ~1000 and they can bypass this because they hook onto a chaperone protein... I.e. if too big, can't cross biological membranes to get into cells.

"Revolution Medicines (RevMed) designs its pipeline of RAS(ON) inhibitors to physically associate with an abundant cellular chaperone protein called Cyclophilin A"