On May 22nd, 2012, we will host our 5th Futures in Life Science Event of 2012. The focus of this panel is Clinical, Regulatory, and Medical Affairs focused roles within the life sciences area. We are fortunate to have an esteemed panel of leaders in the life sciences space who will share information about their career paths, what they do, and their insights for individuals starting in their career. The panel includes: Eric Silberstein, CEO, TrialNetworks, Joanne Lager MD, Project Head for PI3K Inhibitors, Sanofi Oncology, and Shawna Cullen, PhD, Clinical Trial Head - Oncology Translational Medicine, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc. Laurie Halloran, President and CEO, Halloran Consulting Group will moderate the panel. The link to register is here: http://fils52012.eventbrite.com/

The event will be held at the NEW MassBio Offices, at 300 Technology Square, 8th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139 from 5:30-8:00pm

More Details about the Series:

Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize a series of networking and panel events focused on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program will bring together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who detail their roles and provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions. Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry. To see other events in the series, click here: http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/ About the Organizers

MassBio - MassBio, a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation's oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 600 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services. To learn more, visit: http://www.massbio.org.

MassBioEd - The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, founded in 2001, is a non-profit charitable organization committed to supporting science and biotechnology education in Massachusetts through school programs, workforce training, and lifelong learning. MassBioEd is closely affiliated with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and helps the Council in fulfilling its goals to nurture the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline in Massachusetts. To learn more, visit http://www.massbioed.org.

Propel Careers - Propel Careers is a Boston based life sciences search and career development firm founded in 2009 to foster entrepreneurship and to cultivate leaders in the life sciences industry. Propel recognizes the importance of job creation and career development opportunities to the success of the industry as well as to next generation of industry leaders. The mission of Propel Careers is to make connections that fuel innovation, and we do this through placement, networking, coaching and mentorship. To learn more, visit http://www.propelcareers.com.

On April 17th, 2012, we will host our 4th Futures in Life Science Event of 2012. The focus of this panel is research and development focused roles within the life sciences area. We are fortunate to have an esteemed panel of leaders in the life sciences space who will share information about their career paths, what they do, and their insights for individuals starting in their career. The panel includes: Kenneth J. Olivier Jr., PhD, Director of Toxicology, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals; Erin Whalen, Lab Head and Project Team Leader, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research; Greg Mckenzie, Senior Scientist, Sample 6 Technologies; and Heather Blanchette, Director of Nonclinical DMPK and Bioanalysis, Cubist Pharmaceuticals. Lauren Celano, CEO of Propel Careers will moderate the panel.

The link to register is here: http://fils42012.eventbrite.com/

The event will be held at the NEW MassBio Offices, at 300 Technology Square, 8th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139 from 5:30-8:00pm

More Details about the Series:

Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize a series of networking and panel events focused on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program will bring together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who detail their roles and provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions. Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry. To see other events in the series, click here: http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/

About the Organizers

MassBio - MassBio, a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation's oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 600 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services. To learn more, visit: http://www.massbio.org.

MassBioEd - The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, founded in 2001, is a non-profit charitable organization committed to supporting science and biotechnology education in Massachusetts through school programs, workforce training, and lifelong learning. MassBioEd is closely affiliated with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and helps the Council in fulfilling its goals to nurture the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline in Massachusetts. To learn more, visit http://www.massbioed.org.

Propel Careers - Propel Careers is a Boston based life sciences search and career development firm founded in 2009 to foster entrepreneurship and to cultivate leaders in the life sciences industry. Propel recognizes the importance of job creation and career development opportunities to the success of the industry as well as to next generation of industry leaders. The mission of Propel Careers is to make connections that fuel innovation, and we do this through placement, networking, coaching and mentorship. To learn more, visit http://www.propelcareers.com.

This blog post is written by Yuly Fuentes-Medel PhD, Propel Careers Intern

On Saturday, March 17th, 2012, the NanoWorcester group had their second annual NanoWorcester Symposium hosted by the Worcester Polytechnic institute (WPI) in Worcester, MA.

Since last year, the attendance doubled, and the attendees joined together to focus on their common scientific interest, nanotechnology. This symposium was organized to exchange ideas on nanoscience, nanotechnology and nanomedicine and to focus on creating new possibilities and cross collaborations in the New England area. Students had the opportunity to share their work not only by showing their scientific work in a open poster session, but also by sharing their ideas in an elevator-speech format that resulted into a great learning experience for them and for the people in the audience. Please look at the following link to look up the future leaders and finalist of the event. http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/Physics/AFM/2012.nanoworcester.summary.html

NanoWorcester is a group of faculty members within the Colleges of the Worcester Consortium (COWC) who share an interest in research related to nanotechnology. The goal of the group is to promote interactions and collaborations within the field of Nanotechnology. This year committee members are: Nancy Burnham (WPI-PH), Jianyu Liang (WPI-ME), Reema Zeineldin (MCPHS-Pharma), Alice Gardner (MCPHS-Pharma), Arshad Kudrolli (Clark-PH), Sergio Granados-Focil (Clark-CH), Robert Bellin (Holy Cross-BIO), Ananta Adhikari (Assumption-Natural Science)and Eihab Jaber (WSU-CH).

The day started with Dr. Nancy Burnham the leader of this year organizing committee and associate professor at the department of Physics at WPI. She welcomed everyone, encouraged students to ask questions and provided the logistics for the day. Then Dr. Jianyu Liang an assistant professor at the department of mechanical engineer at WPI introduced Dr. Selçuk I. Güçeri, Dean of Engineering at WPI. He welcomed everyone and thanked Dr. Burnham for taking the led on this initiative. He referred to the historical perspective of the field of nanotechnology and encouraged the group to reflect on what things can we do that we couldn't do before. Also, Dr. Karen Kashmanian Oates, Dean of Arts and Sciences also shared her enthusiasm and support for this initiative. She wished the best to students for choosing this exciting field as their future.

The morning program included a variety of different topics. Dr. Christopher Lambert, from the Bioengineering Institute at WPI started the session with his talk titled "Self-Assembled Monolayers as Chemical and Biological Sensors". The second topic was presented by Dr. Evelyn Kurt-Jones from UMass Medical Center. The title of her talk was "Size and Shape Matter: Studying the Immune Response to Synthetic Microparticles". She was followed by Dr. Gerard D'Souza, from MCPHS Boston, who presented "Organelle-Targeted Intracellular Delivery". All of this exciting science is being developed in the local laboratories of central Massachusetts. In addition, this year, the symposium had two invited speakers. Dr. Thomas Vogt, from the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at USC, share his new findings in this talk, "Imaging at the Nanoscale". His talk amazed the crowd with imaging data and analyses at the level of single atomic resolution. He was followed by Dr. Heinrich Hoerber, from the University of Bristol, UK. He presented his work titled "Molecular Motors and Force Microscopy". His findings and research lead to a model of the way motor proteins interact in the cellular environment. The afternoon was mastered by the talent of students who shared their ideas with the audience with enthusiasm and joy.

Congratulations to this inspiring group for enabling the students to dream and make science happen. Just like last year, this was an amazing opportunity to learn from the presenter's scientific ideas and enthusiasm. Their vision to foster the advancements of science within the central MA area is admirable.

Join us on March 20th 2012 for our next Futures in Life Sciences (FILS) Event which will discuss an overview of Life Sciences Career Paths in the commercial side of the industry. These areas include Marketing, Product Management, and Business Development. This event will occur at Genzyme, located at 500 Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 from 5:30-8:00pm. To register: http://fils32012.eventbrite.com/

Background on the FILS Series: Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize a series of networking and panel events focused on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program will bring together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who detail their roles and provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions. Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry.

Meeting Agenda:

5:30pm-6:00pm – Registration and Open Networking

6:00pm-6:10pm – Introductions, Overview, and Recognition of Sponsors

6:10pm-7:30pm – Panel Discussion Moderator: John Hession, Partner, Cooley LLP Panelists: Maude Tessier, PhD, Licensing Manager, Technology and Innovation Development Office, Children's Hospital Boston; Eric Olson, Senior Associate, Genzyme Ventures; Frank Deane, Founder, Lumleian, LLC; Catherine Thut, Director, Strategic Alliances, Ophthalmology, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

About the Organizers

MassBio - MassBio, a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation's oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 600 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services. To learn more, visit: http://www.massbio.org

MassBioEd - The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, founded in 2001, is a non-profit charitable organization committed to supporting science and biotechnology education in Massachusetts through school programs, workforce training, and lifelong learning. MassBioEd is closely affiliated with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and helps the Council in fulfilling its goals to nurture the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline in Massachusetts. To learn more, visit: http://www.massbioed.org

Propel Careers - Propel Careers is a Boston based life sciences search and career development firm founded in 2009 to foster entrepreneurship and to cultivate leaders in the life sciences industry. Propel recognizes the importance of job creation and career development opportunities to the success of the industry as well as to next generation of industry leaders. The mission of Propel Careers is to make connections that fuel innovation, and we do this through placement, networking, coaching and mentorship. To learn more, visit: http://www.propelcareers.com

Do you like being presented with new challenges on a weekly basis? Do you want to make immediate contributions to real-world problems? Do you enjoy immersing yourself in the details and the big picture at the same time? Then maybe you should consider a career in consulting!

The February meeting of the 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series, organized by MassBio, MassBioEd, and Propel Careers marked the start of career panels focused on particular disciplines in the industry. To see a picture video of the evening, click here: http://video214.com/play/GDmq7c9b9CW5jKMvu7NW1Q/s/dark. Career paths in consulting was the topic of discussion in the Whitehead Institute auditorium in Kendall Square, and consultants from five different life sciences/health care consulting boutiques shared their insights into the profession to an attentive audience of over 110 participants. The panel, expertly moderated by Rob Lowrance, Senior Recruiter, Life Sciences, Collaborative Consulting, included Claudio D'Ambrosio, Director of North American Operations, Deallus Group, Joseph Feingold, Senior Associate Consultant, Putnam Associates, Marc Hochstetler, Director of Decision Science, Lumleian LLC, and Gary Gustavsen, Manager, Health Advances. The Deallus Group and Lumleian LLC were generous enough to sponsor the evening.

The term "consultant" can mean different things to people. Deallus, Putnam, Lumleian, and Health Advances are boutique firms that provide strategic advice to the life science/pharmaceutical/health care industries. They differ from large management consulting firms like Bain and McKinsey not only because they focus on the life science industries, but also in the kinds of problems they solve for clients. The difficulties and costs of discovering therapeutics and diagnostics, as well as the unique constraints imposed by the FDA and health insurance companies require unique knowledge and experience that specialist consultancy firms are better positioned to provide than larger management consulting firms. Life science consultants are hired to advise clients on how to position their product research, development, and marketing resources to best minimize risk and maximize return. Some projects the panelists have worked on include determining the market and competitive landscape for a vaccine for a rare disease, determining the commercialization and regulatory strategy for bringing a circulating tumor cell detection platform to market, and advising companies on the best way to bring preclinical drug candidates through clinical trials.

Panel members universally touted the variety and breadth of their work for clients and the collaborative work environment as favorite aspects of their profession. Projects typically last a matter of weeks so new challenges arise frequently and must be approached as teams to meet tight deadlines. Many of the panel members described their consulting experience as equivalent to an earning an MBA in a compressed, accelerated manner. Due to their smaller size, boutique firms tend to offer less formalized training than their larger counterparts and expect employees to learn on-the-job. Time-management and multi-tasking are important, as consultants at these firms must work on multiple projects simultaneously. However, boutique firms also tend to offer a better work/life balance than general consulting firms because of more reasonable hours and less travel.

A cooperative approach and excellent communication skills are central to success as a consultant. The ability to navigate the uncertain and imperfect information of the business world with an easily conveyed, logical approach is also important. Good consultants balance an appreciation for specific detail and nuance without losing sight of the client's "big picture" goal. Often much of the value-added proposition of life-science consulting is given to clients through presentations and meetings, so interpersonal skills are of paramount importance. Like most professions nowadays, networking plays an important role in obtaining a job at a boutique consulting firm. Boutique consulting firms have different cultures and approaches so learning about as many as possible increases the likelihood of a complimentary fit for both the firm and a job candidate. Participation in a graduate consulting club is helpful to learn the "case study" methodology that is common to the profession.

The next event in the 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series, on Commericalization (Marketing, Product Management, and Business Development Career Paths) will be held in Kendall Square on March 20th. To register for this event, or learn about the other events in the series, check our events calendar at: http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/

About the Author: Ben Leung is currently a postdoctoral associate in the Neurobiology department at UMass Medical School.

On Feb 21st, 2012, about 100 post docs, medical residents, and graduate students, will convene at the upcoming Futures in Life Science event to learn about career paths in life sciences consulting which exists for individuals with graduate degrees. The event is being held at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, MA from 5:30-8:00pm. To register for the event, click here: http://fils22012.eventbrite.com . The agenda and speakers are listed below:

5:30pm-6:00pm – Registration and Open Networking

6:00pm-6:10pm – Introductions, Overview, and Recognition of Sponsors

6:10pm-7:30pm – Panel Discussion: Moderator: Rob Lowrance, Collaborative Consulting; Panelists: Claudio D'Ambrosio, Deallus Group; Joseph Feingold, Putnam Consultants; Mark Hochstetler, Lumleian, LLC; Gary Gustavsen, Health Advances

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

More information about the speakers and organizers are below:

Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize a series of networking and panel events focused on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program will bring together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who detail their roles and provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions. Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry.

About the Organizers:

MassBio - MassBio, a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation's oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 600 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services. To learn more, visit: http://www.massbio.org.

MassBioEd - The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, founded in 2001, is a non-profit charitable organization committed to supporting science and biotechnology education in Massachusetts through school programs, workforce training, and lifelong learning. MassBioEd is closely affiliated with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and helps the Council in fulfilling its goals to nurture the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline in Massachusetts. To learn more, visit http://www.massbioed.org.

Propel Careers - Propel Careers is a Boston based life sciences search and career development firm founded in 2009 to foster entrepreneurship and to cultivate leaders in the life sciences industry. Propel recognizes the importance of job creation and career development opportunities to the success of the industry as well as to next generation of industry leaders. The mission of Propel Careers is to make connections that fuel innovation, and we do this through placement, networking, coaching and mentorship. To learn more, visit http://www.propelcareers.com.

What do a board-certified neurologist, a medicinal chemist, a physicist, a pharmacist, and an immunologist have in common? They have all gone beyond their original training to establish successful careers in the life science industry, and they shared their insight and experiences at an event series designed to help others make a similar transition.

The opening event of the 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series, organized by MassBio, MassBioEd, and Propel Careers, held on January 17th, introduced an overflowing audience to science professionals in venture capital, consulting, health care, and biotech/pharma. Unlike subsequent events, which focus specifically on consulting, research, clinical/medical affairs, bioinformatics, commercialization, finance, legal, and operations, the panelists at this gathering had a wide range of technical backgrounds and professional responsibilities. The panelists included Kiran Reddy, Principal, Third Rock Ventures, Kevin Sprott, Senior Director, Chemistry, Verastem, Iya Khalil, Executive VP and Co-Founder, Via Science and GNS Healthcare, Dennis M. Meletiche, VP, Health Outcomes and Market Access, EMD Serono, and Katherine McLaughlin, Associate, Health Advances. John Hallinan, CFO, Cytel, moderated the panel.

A major topic of the evening's discussion centered on what skills and knowledge an academic needed to acquire to thrive in the corporate environment. Foremost on the panel's list was interpersonal skills. Beyond simply cooperating with your peers, panel members emphasized the importance of empathy, appreciating and embracing differing perspectives. Unlike academia where the "working unit" is the individual or small group, in industry the cost and scale of projects necessitates much larger teams cooperatively executing a common plan of action. The team will not only include scientists with differing expertise, but also business professionals with little formal scientific training. Productive face-to-face communication between scientists and business professionals is important to a project's success, and those that can bridge the two disparate cultures are often successful in the life science industry.

How does one refine or acquire these "soft" skills? Like any skill, practice as much as possible--networking events like the FILS series are ideal places to improve your interpersonal skills. Actively seek out and observe people that excel at relating to others. Implicit in teamwork is trust. You must have faith in your colleagues' judgment and skills, even if you disagree. In a large endeavor it is neither practical nor productive to do everything yourself, so you must assume that other team members are doing their parts with the same diligence that you are.

Another theme of the evening's discussion was the mutability of the modern professional's career path. Gone are the days of lifelong employment at a single company performing the same duties the entire period; the new paradigm is a constantly evolving series of positions and responsibilities. All of the panel members have positions for which they have no formal training--how did they acquire these skills? They availed themselves of all their resources--formal ones like business classes at their academic institution or seminars at professional organizations like MassBio--as well as from informal sources like networks and mentors. Panel members universally credited mentors as instrumental in their professional development, and each repaid the favor by mentoring others in similar fashion.

Throughout the course of the evening the importance of networks was reinforced. Panel members used contacts for everything from learning about entrepreneurship and writing business plans to looking for recommendations to fill job vacancies. LinkedIn is the networking tool of choice, not only for maintaining contacts, but also as a tool for identifying new contacts. A good approach to develop contacts in an industry you want to enter is to use LinkedIn to reach out to people who are in positions that you are interested in.

The next event in the 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series, on Consulting Career Paths in the Life Science Industry, will be on February 21st at the Whitehead Institute at Kendall Square. To register for this event, or learn about the other events in the series, check our events calendar at http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/. To see pictures from the last event, click here: http://video214.com/play/NUqXkCVP0HqH8Hz4H9ooCw/s/dark.

About the Author: Ben Leung is currently a postdoctoral associate in the Neurobiology department at UMass Medical School.

On January 17th, 2012, we will kick off our 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series at the MassBio Offices located at One Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142. The event will occur from 5:30-8:00pm. To Register: http://fils12012.eventbrite.com/

Meeting Agenda:

5:30pm-6:00pm – Registration and Open Networking

6:00pm-6:10pm – Introductions, Overview, and Recognition of Sponsors

6:10pm-7:30pm – Panel Discussion Moderator: John Hallinan, CFO, Cytel, Inc; Panelists: Kiran Reddy, MD, MBA, Principal, Third Rock Ventures; Kevin Sprott, PhD , Sr. Director, Chemistry, Verastem; Iya Khalil, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Co-Founder, GNS Healthcare; Dennis M. Meletiche, PharmD, Vice President, Health Outcomes & Market Access, EMD Serono, Inc; Katherine McLaughlin, Ph.D., Associate, Health Advances

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize this series of networking and panel events to focus on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program brings together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who detail their roles and provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions. Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry.

The event will focus on the various career options within life sciences and will set the stage for the next 7 events which are deep dives into the various areas of life science including business and commercial, consulting, research and development, clinical, bioinformatics and systems biology, reimbursement, pharmacoeconomics, patient advocacy, and finance, legal, and operations.

2012 Schedule of Events in the Futures in Life Science Seminar Series:

January 17th: Overview of the Life Sciences Landscape and Career Paths - http://fils12012.eventbrite.com/

February 21st: Consulting Career Paths in the Life Science Industry - http://fils22012.eventbrite.com

March 20th: Commercialization 1 (Marketing, Product Management, Business Development) Career Paths - http://fils32012.eventbrite.com/

April 17th: Research and Development Career Paths - http://fils42012.eventbrite.com/

May 22nd: Clinical Development/Medical Affairs Career Paths - http://fils52011.eventbrite.com/

September 11th: Bio-Informatics/Modeling Career Paths - http://fils62012.eventbrite.com/

October 16th: Commercialization 2 (Reimbursement, Pharmacoeconomics, and Market Access) Career Paths - http://fils72012.eventbrite.com/

November 20th: Finance, Legal, Operations Career Paths - http://fils82012.eventbrite.com/

Together, Propel Careers, MassBio, and MassBioEd are committed to fostering the next generation of industry leaders in the life sciences. We believe that the career paths that exist in the Massachusetts Life Science Industry are numerous, exciting, and rewarding and that it is imperative that students considering these careers be well informed regarding the areas that their education and training are relevant. We have identified a need to promote awareness of opportunities within life sciences companies, ranging from research and development to marketing and commercialization. Many students with science backgrounds pursue careers involving lab-based research, but we also want to ensure that other career paths are highlighted, that involve a high degree of technical and scientific knowledge, but that are not based in the lab.

With this in mind, we have organized a year-long program that will provide in-depth overviews of specific careers in the life science industry that often require advanced degrees. We have focused on covering the various functional areas in the life sciences sector including R&D, commercial, business development, finance, bioinformatics, reimbursement, and legal. Most graduate students and post-docs are well prepared to take numerous directions in their careers, and it is our intent to provide a comprehensive understanding of the aptitudes and work environments that are associated with specific career paths, so that the individuals who attend these events can make more informed career decisions. We are also big believers in the power of connections and networking, so each seminar will have specific time set aside to meet the presenters and the attendees and to develop relationships that will be an asset to those in attendance.

The program was launched in 2011 with an average attendance of 80 graduate students per event. Each event has a panel discussion comprised of industry leaders who provide an overview of the life sciences landscape and various career opportunities which exist in the industry. The first seminar of each series provides an overview with the next seven seminars providing deep dives focusing on specific functional areas. The individual seminars are scheduled to accommodate the academic school year with a focus on the technical or scientific expertise that is relevant to each area and the typical work environment associated with common roles.

About the Organizers

MassBio - MassBio, a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation's oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 600 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services. To learn more, visit: http://www.massbio.org

MassBioEd - The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, founded in 2001, is a non-profit charitable organization committed to supporting science and biotechnology education in Massachusetts through school programs, workforce training, and lifelong learning. MassBioEd is closely affiliated with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and helps the Council in fulfilling its goals to nurture the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline in Massachusetts. To learn more, visit http://www.massbioed.org

Propel Careers - Propel Careers is a Boston based life sciences search and career development firm founded in 2009 to foster entrepreneurship and to cultivate leaders in the life sciences industry. Propel recognizes the importance of job creation and career development opportunities to the success of the industry as well as to next generation of industry leaders. The mission of Propel Careers is to make connections that fuel innovation, and we do this through placement, networking, coaching and mentorship. To learn more, visit http://www.propelcareers.com

The capstone event of the 2011 Future in Life Sciences Series, held on November 15th, 2011, focused on careers in the finance, legal, and operations sectors. To see pictures from the evening, see link: http://video214.com/play/flKNIxfg7EsNjYQ7VXXCYg/s/dark

Throughout 2011, Propel Careers and MassBio/MassBioEd partnered to expose individuals with advanced degrees to the variety of career paths available in the life sciences. Earlier events covered careers paths in Business Development, Commercialization, Marketing, Clinical Research, Regulatory Issues, Research and Development, Project Management, Bioinformatics, System Biology, Pharmacoeconomics, Patient Advocacy, and Reimbursement.

Over 80 attendees spent a lively evening learning about the professional experiences of Boston area executives, lawyers, venture capitalists, and consultants in the life sciences industry. The distinguished panel included Kevin Bitterman, Principal at Polaris Venture Partners, Irena Melnikova, Director, Prospective and Strategic Initiatives, at sanofi-aventis, Sandra Glucksmann, Senior Vice-President of Research & Business Operations at Cerulean Pharmaceuticals, Marc Recht, Partner, Cooley LLP, and Denise Aronson, President, Safety Partners, Inc. Daniel Young, Patent Agent, Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks P.C moderated the panel.

Similar to many of the attendees, the panel members started their life science careers in academic research labs before moving on to the private sector. While their career paths, functions, and responsibilities in the life science industry differed, they all shared a desire to maximize their contribution to the industry and a willingness to step outside their comfort zone to take advantage of new opportunities. This professional flexibility not only allowed them to survive in a constantly changing industry, it also challenged them to grow and evolve. Now they enjoy the unexpected directions their careers may take.

While operations, finance, and legal specialists have distinct knowledge bases and skill sets unique to their profession, a few commonalities emerged from the panel discussion. First and foremost, all the panelists emphasized the importance of people skills to their professional success and growth. Performance in any business environment is about good teamwork rather than individual glory. In client-driven businesses such as the legal profession and consulting, ensuring customer satisfaction by spotting issues and solving them in an expedient manner is paramount. Everyone stressed the importance of networking for professional success. While serendipity gave some of the panelists their first job in their fields, subsequent opportunities often came through interacting with business contacts and their own networking activities.

Scientists hoping to enter into the business side of life sciences shouldn't worry about their lack of financial acumen--an appreciation of the drug development process is more useful. In the world of finance and venture capital, the most important skill is "pattern recognition," seeing the larger overall picture and knowing where and when value is added in a business plan.

For those looking to move from research into law, the most common route is by becoming a patent technical specialist at a law firm. The firm trains you to utilize your scientific background to help write patents and in some cases, pays for you to attend law school at night. Once you become a practicing lawyer you can become involved in other business transactions handled by law firms.

The panelists also cited networking as an important tool for those attempting to enter into new professional realms. The life sciences industry has matured to a level that companies are less inclined to hire individuals without the right experience, but business contacts advocating on your behalf can help you partially overcome this barrier. To differentiate yourself from other entry-level candidates, substantiate your interest in your new field by taking relevant courses or doing an internship.

Propel Careers, MassBio, and MassBioEd are planning the 2012 Futures in Life Science Event Series and details will be available shortly. In 2012, we will build upon the success of the 2011 series and continue to provide graduate students, post docs, and medical residents insights into the various career paths and opportunities to develop and grow in the life sciences industry. To be updated on the 2012 series, join our mailing list on our contact us page: http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/about-us/contact-us/ or check our events calendar towards the end of December 2011, http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/ We look forward to strengthening the Life Sciences Ecosystem through the insight we share through these events!

About the Author: Ben Leung is currently a postdoctoral associate in the Neurobiology department at UMass Medical School.