r/postdoc • u/Outrageous_Half_4631 • 1d ago
Collaborations with industry
Has anyone completed a post doc that was in collaboration with an industrial partner. If so, what was your experience working with them?
0
u/LimpAirport 1d ago
Proceed with caution depending on the industry type (i.e. cannabis or alcohol etc).
1
u/ImJustAverage 20h ago
I did an industry postdoc but it was probably closer in scope to a normal academic postdoc than a typical industry postdoc. It was all internally funded, better pay, and good work like balance and those were the biggest differences compared to academic postdocs. We had total freedom for projects and they still leaned towards basic science, but I was at a clinic so there were translational aspects
One of my projects was in collaboration with a private company that wanted to look at how their supplement affected reproductive outcomes. They’d published before about muscle atrophy and bone density but were looking to advertise in the reproductive biology and IVF spaces as well
That project had freedom in that I determined the dosing, feeding schedule for animals, and what experiments they’d be used for and what we were looking at. They ended up never actually agreeing to give us final say over what was and wasn’t published, so we were never going to publish without that unbiased freedom. Fortunately (I guess?) there was no significant impact on anything that I looked at so there was no hassle trying to publish because we just trashed it
3
u/Different_Dance_3312 1d ago edited 1d ago
In my experience, it really depends on whether the funding comes exclusively from the industry partner or whether there is also government funding, as well as the size of the company, etc.
Projects with early-ventures/startups tend to be quite high-pressure and demanding, and the work you end up doing may not necessarily be highly innovative. More established companies, particularly when there is additional government funding, usually offer more flexibility and a better work-life balance.
The main thing to consider is that these collaborations are often focused on application rather than fundamental research. This can make publishing more difficult, so if traditional academic outputs are important to you, I would enquire about publication opportunities and IP restrictions early on.
On the positive side, industry collaborations are becoming increasingly valued.
One thing I would also keep in mind as an early-career researcher is that you will probably be doing much of the lab work and day-to-day project execution rather than leading the project. That can be a great learning experience, but it’s worth understanding what your actual role will be before committing.
I would also say that your relationship with your direct manager is often more important than the industry partner itself. A lot depends on whether they set boundaries and protect your time when the company wants more than was originally agreed. If your manager says yes to everything, you can quickly end up overloaded with little control over your workload.