ConferenceProceedings

forthe

STEMCareerSymposium

heldonMarch26,2016

Organizedby

UCSanDiegoPostdoctoralAssociationSalkSocietyofResearchFellows

SBPScienceNetworkScrippsSocietyofFellows

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TableofContents

Acknowledgments……………………………………….………………………………………………………………..………….3Panel1:Research&Development……………..…………………………………………….............................…….4Panel2:Research&Development(Non-Biology)……….……………………………………………………………..5Panel3:Clinical&RegulatoryAffairs……………………………….…………………………………………………………7Panel4:ScientificWriting&Communications………………………………………………………………………….9Panel5:Consulting&Management………………………………………………….…………………………………….12Panel 6: Teaching…………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………14Panel 7: Business& Entrepreneurship……………………………………………………………………………….…..17Panel8:IntellectualProperty&SciencePolicy…………………………………………………….………………….19

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Acknowledgments

OnbehalfofthePostdoctoralAssociationsofUCSanDiego,SalkInstituteforBiologicalStudies,Sanford

BurnhamPrebysMedicalDiscoveryInstitute,andScrippsResearchInstitute,wewouldliketothankall

attendees,panelists,andsponsorsforsupportingthe3rdAnnual“WhatCanYouBewithaPhD?”STEM

CareerSymposium!Thegrowingdifficultiestosecurefundingandtheincreasedscarcityoftenuretrack

faculty positions havemade it imperative to explore other career options. There aremultiple career

pathsoutsideofacademia,someofwhichmanypostdocsmaynotbeawareof.Thiswasthe impetus

behind the creation of this Symposium, to enable interactionwith experienced professionals to help

informandguidefuturecareerdecisions.

Thepreviouseventsorganizedby theUCSanDiegoPostdoctoralAssociation (PDA) in2014and2015

wereverysuccessful.Thisyear,forthefirsttime,wewereabletoorganizethiseventasacollaborative

effortbymultiplePostdoctoralAssociationstoreachouttoevenmoreattendees,morespeakers,and

more sponsors. We hope that by attending the Symposium postdocs and grad students are able to

discovermanynewpossibilitiesforabrightfuture.

The Postdoctoral Associations would especially like to thank all of the speakers for generously

volunteeringtosharetheirstoriesandwisdom.Wealsoextendourdeepestthankstooursponsors.We

aregratefulforyoursupportinourpostdoccareerdevelopmentefforts.Lastly,wealsothankallofthe

Postdoctoral Associations’memberswho volunteered tomake this year’s STEMCareer Symposium a

success.

Sincerely,

UCSDPostdoctoralAssociation

SalkSocietyofResearchFellows

SBPScienceNetwork

ScrippsSocietyofFellows

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Panel1

Research&Development

Moderator:QiangZhu

GuangChen,PhD ScientificDirectoronTranslationalResearchandBehavioralPharmacology,JanssenR&D

KarenGutekunst,PhD VPofDiagnosticDevelopment,Illumina

TusharMenon,PhD Scientist,VertexPharmaceuticals

KarstenSauer,PhD DirectorofCancerImmunology,Pfizer

TomWu,PhD AssociateDirectorofMedicalChemistry,Genomics InstituteoftheNovartisResearchFoundation

(GNF)

Pleaseintroduceyourself,tellusaboutyourbackgroundandcareerpath.All speakers have good records during previous academic training. Two of them actually had facultyappointmentsbefore.Evenyoudecidetomoveintoindustryinthefuture,youstillneedtoperformwellinacademiatoearnyourcredibilityandprepareyourselfwellintermsoftechniqueandsoftskills.Whatmotivated you tomake a transition into industry?Whatwas themost challenging aspect ofyourtransition?Toapplyknowledgeandskillsinashorttimeperiod,makearealproduct,closetoclinic.Learnhowtomanagepeopleandcommunicatewellwithothers.What recommendations do youhave for postdocswho are interested in R&D jobs to best preparethemselves?Thekeyisnetworking.Itisnotaboutwhatcanyoudo,itismoreaboutwhodoyouknow?PayattentiontoyourprofessionalappearancelikeyourLinkedIn.Whatisatypicalworkdaylikeforyou?Mostoftime,alotofmeetingsandinteractionswithcoworkers.Transferrableskills?Problem-solving,analytical,communication,leadership.

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Panel2

Research&Development(Non-Biology)

Moderator:ChristianUrban

FrancescoCarobolante,PhD(C) VPofEngineering,Qualcomm

SupriyaJaiswal,PhD (J) CEO,Astrileux

JorgeA.Martinez,PhD (M) SeniorEngineer,Cymer

MarcelNassar,PhD (N) SeniorResearchEngineer,Samsung

HarveyS.Smallman,PhD (S) Director,VisualAnalytics,PacificScience&EngineeringGroup

Motivationsfortransition,keyfactorsforsuccess,challengesexperienced:

S: I was groomed for academia, and at the bottom of the pecking order when I got a job as a

professor.Flexibility isakeyfactorforsuccess,particularlyformeIwasopentoappliedscience.The

cultureshiftbetweenacademicandcommercialenvironmentswasachallenge.

C:Tangibleskills,communication,andtransferableknowledgearekey

N: The distinction between university and industry environments can be blurry. Inflexible working

hoursandhavingtoalignwiththecompanycanbeachallenge.

J:Theinefficiencyofacademiawasamotivationtostartmyowncompany.Pressureanddeadlinesare

challengingtocopewith.

M:Alsodeadlines

Howdidjobrolesingradschool/postdocexposeyoutoothercareers?

C: Be excited about your career, and have curiosity. Don't limit yourself to what you're taught in

classes.Buildsomething.

N:Expandyourhorizonsandexposeyourselftolotsofdifferenttopics.Itookclassesinmanydifferent

fields.

J:Everyonehasmultiplecareersintheirlife.Physicstaughtmeanethic.

M:Ibecameahandyman/engineerformylab,andthusindispensable.

S:Iliketheproblemsolvingaspectofmywork,andhavinganoutletforcreativity.IusethepedagogyI

developedinacademiatoexplainthingstoengineers.

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Feelingsaboutthetransition,especiallyifyouracademicenvironmentwasunsupportive.

N:Engineeringacademiawasrathersupportive

J:Sendingoutresumesonlinewasineffective.Meetpeopleinpersontogiveoutyourresume.Make

yourresumerelevanttowhatthecompanyneeds.

S.Resume-> Whathave Idone.Companiesare interested inwhatyoucandoforthem.Tailoryour

resumespecificallytothecompany.

Startupvs.largecompany?

J:Smallcompanyhaslotsoflogisticsworkyouwillhavetodealwithyourself.Youneedexperiencein

corporatelifefirst.

M: Big company advantages are that there is always something to do, and lots of

resources.Disadvantagesarelotsofmeetings.

S:Smallcompany->Tolerancetoriskisnecessary.

C:Makemistakestolearnfrom

N:largecompaniescandealwithgreencardrelatedpaperworkeasier?

NotesduringopenQ&A

-Apply theprocessof scienceyouhave learned,notnecessarily theexact scientific knowledgeyou've

acquired.

-Thestructureofresearchisatransferableskill.

-Yourresearch/communicationresponsibilitybalancemaychange.

-Publicationrecorddependsonthefield

-Haveanoutlettorelievepressure(hobbies)

-Documentyourskillsetandprocessesevenforfailedprojects.

-Beflexibleonhowyouphrasethings

-Interview:Thinkonyourownfeetforthatithelpsresearchingproblemsthecompanyisfacing

-Managementleadership/teamskillsareimportantandcancomefrommanyplaces

-Beanactiveparticipantinyourlab/group

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Panel3

ClinicalandRegulatoryAffairs

Moderator:EvelynWalenta

SonjaBilles,PhD Owner,MedicalWriter,AugustScientific

MariaJoseCortes-Mateos,PhDRAC RegulatoryAffairsAssociate,DJOGlobal,LLC

SandraMatsumoto,PhDRAC PresidentofGlobalRegulatoryAffairs,Evofem,Inc.

JoanneMcNelis,PhD Clinical/RegulatoryScientist,CatoResearch

KristinTaylor,PhD HeadofClinicalDevelopment,Zafgen,Inc.

The three major parties involved in clinical trials are Clinical Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, andMedical

Affairs. Their tight collaboration is essential for the success of clinical trials, and their functions often

overlap. Especially small companies might have one person doing all three jobs. Put simply, Clinical

Affairs aremostly involved in the operational part of clinical trials, including design, implementation,

andmanagementofclinicaltrials;RegulatoryAffairsinteractstronglywithregulatoryauthoritieslikethe

FDAandmakesurethattheclinicaltrialsareimplementedincompliancewithlawsandregulations;and

MedicalAffairscommunicatethescienceinvolvedinclinicaltrials.

Themajordifferencesbetweenbeinginacademiaandworkinginanyoftheabovementionedfieldsis

thattherewillbemorethanoneprojecttofocuson.Thereforeitisimportanttobeabletorealizefast

whatisimportantandwhathaslesspriority.Communicationiskey.Clinicaltrialsareateameffort,and

insteadof reportingtooneprofessor it ismore likely toreport to3peopleormore.Relyingonother

membersoftheprojectteam(scientists,marketingetc.)wereexamplesofthemajorchallengesnoted

for these professions. Additionally, due to the tight regulations by the FDA and other regulatory

organizationstheadministrativeeffortisbigger.

The pharmaceutical industry develops fast, as well as the FDA regulations are constantly changing.

Therefore,althoughataskofseveralyears,clinicaltrialsareconductedunderconstanttimepressure.

Beingpartofthegoodaswellasthebadtimesoftheclinicalresearchindustrywasmentionedasoneof

themostpositiveandnegativeaspectofthisfield.Tobesuccessfulinthisindustryyouhavetobeopen

tonewthings,readalot,andconstantlylearn.

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WorkdaysinthisfieldvaryalotdependingonthepositionandstatusoftheClinicalTrial.Workingasan

independent contractor, like Dr. Billes, leads to a high fluctuation ofwork load. There can beweeks

withoutassignments, followedbyweeksof12hoursworkdays.However, it isyourchoicehowmuch

youwant/canaccomplish.Employmentbasedjobshavelessextremefluctuationofworkload,butcome

with less freedomconcerningcorehours.ClinicalTrialassociated jobscanbeveryversatilebut rarely

comeinconstant9to5,40hourworkweeks.

What all fields have in common is lots of writing and reviewing of documents and lots ofmeetings.

Therefore, scientific writing experience, strong analytical skills, effective communicating/negotiating

skills,aswellastimemanagementskillsgainedduringaPhD/postdocaremosttransferrableandshould

be highlighted on your resume when applying for Clinical/Regulatory/Medical Affairs related jobs.

Explain during the interview that you knowwhat you are getting into, and do your research on the

company.

Several certificates/modulesareoffered locallyandonline,whicharegreatways to learnmoreabout

thefieldanddemonstratetoperspectiveemployersthatyouhavemadeaseriouscommitmenttothis

careerpath.

e.g.UCSDextension(http://extension.ucsd.edu/),SanDiegoStateUniversity(SDSU,

https://www.sdsu.edu/),RegulatoryAffairsProfessionalsSociety(RAPS,http://www.raps.org/)

Networkingisvitallyimportanttothejobsearchprocess.Localchaptersofnationalorganizationshave

monthly/bimonthlymeetingsandareagreatwaytonetworkandlearnmoreaboutthesefields.

e.g.SanDiegoRegulatoryAffairsNetwork(SDRAN,http://www.sdran.org/),SanDiegoClinicalResearch

Network(SDCRN,http://sdcrn.net/),AmericanMedicalWritersAssociation–PacificSouthwestChapter

(AMWA-PACSW,http://www.amwa-pacsw.org/)

Itiscommontoenterthesefieldsfromotherdepartmentswithinindustry–mostoftenwithinthesame

company.ItmaybepossibletoworkcloselyorevenworkinRegulatoryorClinicalgroupswhileworking

inR&D for example.Anotherway to startoff a career inClinical/RegulatorAffairs are fellowshipand

developmentprogramsmostlyofferedbybigCROs(ClinicalResearchOrganizations).

e.g.CatoResearch(Fellow,https://workforcenow.adp.com/jobs/apply/posting.html?client=catoresear),

Quintiles(CRADevelopmentProgram,http://www.quintiles.taleo.net).

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Panel4

ScientificWriting&Communications

Moderator:AmandaMoore

HeatherBuschman,PhD SeniorManager,CommunicationsandMedia Relations,UCSanDiegoHealthSciences

NenaChavira,PhD MarketingScienceWriter,Illumina

AmyCullinan,PhD SocialMediaManager,Illumina

TiffanyFox,PhD PublicInformationRepresentative,Qualcomm Institute,UCSanDiego

SharonSchendel,PhD GraduateEducationSpecialist,Sanford-Burnham PrebysGraduateSchool

PeggyVorwald,PhD AccountExecutive,LittleDogCommunications

Thebasic tenetsof the jobdescriptionsofall thepanelistswasverysimilar,which is to takecomplex

scientific advancements,whether it be in theprivateorpublic sector, anddistill themessage intoan

informativeandinterestingmessagecateredtothedesiredaudience.

Asummaryofthepanelists’careerpathstotheircurrentposition:

• 4/5 panelists were PhD graduates and their transition into their current position started in

graduateschool

o soughtoutextrawritingandeditingresponsibilitieswithintheirdepartmentorthrough

independentwork

• While working at Illumina, Amy wanted to focus on Illumina’s communications with social

media,buttherewasnopositionwiththisdefinedrole.Byexpandingherjobresponsibilitiesto

provewhatshecoulddo,shecreatedapositionforherself.

• 1 panelist majored in journalism and was a columnist at the Union Tribune before taking a

positionattheQualcommInstituteatUCSanDiegoasaPublicInformationRepresentative–she

saw that print journalism wasn’t thriving anymore and opted to move into science

communicationsatUCSanDiego

• Thefirst joboutofacademia/school forall thepanelistswasnottheircurrentposition–each

tooka job in sciencecommunications,editing,medicalwriting, journalism,etc.andover time

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discoveredwhat they liked/dislikedabout theirprevious jobs,which led themto theircurrent

position

Whatmotivatedthepanelists totransition intoacareer insciencewritingandwhatwerethemost

challengingaspectsofthistransition?

• The resoundinganswerofwhatattracted thepanelists toacareer inwriting/communications

was that they preferred writing and editing manuscripts, writing their thesis, or making

presentationsoverdoingthebenchscience.Theseactivitiesalsoallowedformorecreativityand

expression.

• The panelists found the transition to be not very challenging sincemost were already doing

extracurricularactivitiesthatpreparedthemfortheirfirstorcurrentjob.

Whatarethemostandleastrewardingaspectsofthepanelists’jobs?

• Themajority lovedtheability to instillpassion inotherpeopleaboutscience.They lovebeing

able to takeacomplex idea,break itdownandshare it inawaythatabroaderaudiencecan

understandandbenefitfrom

• Allthepanelistsenjoyedtheirabilitytobemorecreativeintheircurrentroles

• Theleastrewardingaspectsofthejobinclude:

o WheninPRroles–alackofindependencesinceeverythingmustbecontinuallyedited

orapproved

o Toomanymeetingstoattend,whichcutsintowritingtime

o Whenscientiststrytodotheirroleforthem–sincethemajorityofthepanelistswork

withscientiststohelpthemcommunicatetheirresearchsometimestheirroleinvolves

coaching/convincingscientistshowtowritetheirpressreleases,etc.

Recommendations for current graduate students and postdocs who are interested in a career in

sciencewritingandcommunications

• It’seasytogetsomeexperiencenow!

• Take on some extra work to help other write/edit manuscripts, start a blog, engage other

scientistsontwitter,takesomeextraclasses(TheUCSanDiegoclassbyLynneFriedmannwas

recommended),findfreelancework,volunteerwithascienceoutreachprogram

o Thiswillgiveyoutheopportunitytofigureoutifyoulikewritingorcommunicationsand

itwillalsoaddskillstoyourCV

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• Look out for fellowships or internships to get some experience (one panelist had a health

communicationsinternshipintheNationalCancerInstitute’spressoffice)

Whatdoesatypicalwork-daylooklike?

• Alotofthepanelistsstartearly,especiallyiftheirroleinvolvesinformationorclientsthatarein

aneastcoasttimezone.

• Themost importantpartsof thedayarethecarvedoutandessential timessetasidetowrite

(usuallymultiplearticles/papersatonce)

• Sometimesthedaycanbeunpredictableinlength(ex.ifworkinginPRpositionatabusytime)

• Somepanelistsgettotraveltoattendandreportonconferences

• Mostofthepanelistsdooutreachactivitiestoengagethecommunityinscience–someofthisis

paidandsomeisvolunteer

• Awork-day seems to bemuchmore variable than the predictable work day of an academic

scientist

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Panel5

Consulting&Management

Moderator:DalilaElOuarrat

MattCross,PhD MedicalLiaison,TevaPharmaceuticals

AmyDuncan,PhD Co-Founder&ChiefMarketingConsultant,GoldfishConsulting,Inc.

BeatriceMarturano,PhD AssociateClinicalProjectManagerDirector, Quintiles,Inc.

HopeMirendil,PhD SeniorAnalyst,ICON,PLC

TracyYeo,PhD ManagingDirector,ChinaBioConsulting,LLC

1.Thepanelistshad the transitionatdifferentstages in theiracademiccareer.Oneaftermaster,one

afterPhD, twoafterPostdocandoneafterbeingassociateprofessor.Even though theyhaddifferent

motivation,allofthemwereveryconsciousabouttheirtransitionandeachhadtakenspecificstepsto

makethattransitionpossible.Theysuggestedtoeveryonethatthesooneryoustartpreparingyourself

the better (most of them used their last year in academic job for networking, courses, practicing

interviewskillsetc)

2.Allofthepanelistsmentionedthattheirworkdayvaries.Howevertheyallhadincommonthattheir

typicaldayasconsultant/projectmanagers/liaisonsinvolvedalotofmeeting(between50-80%oftheir

time),andthatstrongcommunicationalskillsareabsolutelyessential.Forsomeoftheconsultantsitwas

importantthattheyhadalsosomemarketingskills,butallagreedthatitwasnotessential.

3. One of the questions was, what the differences working for a life science or smaller consulting

companyversustheBigcompanieslikeMcKinseyetc.Oneofthepanelistansweredthatthosetypeof

jobsaregreatifyoujustwanttogetoutofacademiaanddontreallyknowwhatyouwanttodowith

yourcarreer,However,theyaretypicallynotthetypeofjobsthatpeopledoverylong,andaremainly

usedtosteptowardanotherposition.

4.Thepanelistallseemtoagreetothattheirspecificscienceexpertise,probablydidnotcontributeto

themgetting hired in the position they are now.And also they said that the publications record you

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havedoesnotcountatallforthiscareerpath.Infact,theircompaniesarewaymoreinterestedinthe

typeofacctivitiesyouhaveparticipate/organizeorexperiencedOUTSIDEofacademia.

5. About job prospects, the consultants said that life science consultants are always sought after

especially in San diego. However, the projectmanager PM andmedical science liaisonMSL said that

thereisalotofdemandforthesejobsthesedaysandsaidthisisagoodtimetojumpin.MSLsaidthat

April-Juneisthetimethatalotofcompaniesstarthiringnewpeople.

Resources:Consultingplatforms:http://www.apdconsultinggroup.com/http://www.apdconsultinggroup.com/http://www.scripps.edu/california/scc/http://www.scripps.edu/california/scc/ProjectManagementcertificationprogram(PMP)https://www.pmi.org/https://www.pmi.org/

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Panel6

Teaching

Moderator:CarolinaQuayle

RanitaGhoshDastidar,PhD (RGD) AdjunctProfessor,MiramarCollege&CuyamacaCollege

StarLee,PhD (SL) AcademicCoordinator,UCRiverside

StanleyLo,PhD (SLo) AssistantProfessor,CellandDevelopmental Biology,UCSanDiego

PeterNewbury,PhD (PN) AssociateDirector,CenterforEngagedTeaching,UCSanDiego

SarahStockwell,PhD (SS) AssistantTeachingProfessor,DivisionofBiological Sciences,UCSanDiego

Whatspecificteaching-relatedexperiencesorskillswouldyousayweremosthelpfulintransitioning

from graduate school/postdoc to your current position?Are there resources available for postdocs

interestedinteachingtogainmoreexperience?

SLo: Experiences: summer teaching and guest lectures. To be a good teacher you have to collect

informationonthesuccessofthestudents–“evidence-basedteaching”.

PN:Takinggoodcoursesandbeingaconsciousteachercanbejustaseffectiveasyearsofexperience.

Resources:collegeclassroomatUCSD;commons.com

SS:Combinetheoryandpracticalexperience.Takethoughtfulapproach.

SL:SalkSciencemobilebus.Findoutwhata“goodeducatorlookslike”.Takeateachingpostdoc.Bea

TAanddooutreachprograms.

RGD: Identify what you love. Interact with your students and know their personal needs. College

classroomatUCSD.Centerforintegratedresearch.

Whatdoyoufindmostrewardingandmostchallengingaboutteaching?

SL: Isa coordinator.Perweek:giveassignments forTAsandwalk themthroughonhow to introduce

newconceptstotheirstudents.

SLo:Bereflectiveaboutteaching;beorganizedandontopofthings;developnetworkwithcolleagues.

PN:Communication.

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SS: Enjoy the process of figuring out how to explain things – teaching is like research, plan and try

differentmethodologiestofigureoutwhatworksbetterindifferentcircumstances.Schedulingcanbe

difficult–beontopofthings.

RGD:Alotofpreparationisnecessary.Useactiveteachingtoengagestudents.Modifytoimproveyour

classeseverytimemore.

Howaretheneedsofdifferenttypesofstudentsdifferent(i.e.communitycollegexuniversityxhigh

school…)andhowdoesateacherhastoadjusttheteachingstyletoeachcircumstance?

PN:Thinkofyourexperienceasastudentandthenrealizethatdoesn’tapplytoeveryone.Findoutas

muchasyoucanaboutyourstudentsandthenadapt.

RGD:Everylevelofstudentspresentnewchallenges.Beabletoadapttodifferentbackgroundsandalso

towhateachstudentplanstodowiththeinformationyouaresharingwiththem.

SL:Explaininawaythatyourstudentswillbeabletounderstand–mayhavetoassumestudentshave

limitedknowledge..

SLo:Understandthediversityofstudentsbackgrounds.Rememberthateveryonecanlearn.Remember

thevalueofnon-formaleducation.

Q&A:

Whatinspiredyoutobeateacher?

PN:Familyexperience–“naturalthing”.

SS:Alwaysenjoyedexplainingthingsasfarasshecanremember.

SLo:Itwasalwaysnaturalandhadalotofteachingexperiencesthroughhislife.

SL:TAwasexciting,hadagoodmentor.LearnedmoreandmoreaboutitintheteachingPostdoc.

RGD:Goodteachingpeers.

Whatarethequalitiesofeffectiveteachers?

SLo:Beingabletounderstandhowdifferentpeoplelearn.

PN: Care about your students. “What can I do to engage every student and give the opportunity to

expresstheirstrengths?”.

RGD:Humility.

SL:Empathy.

SS: Remember that is not all abouthaving credentials. “Whatdo you really know?”. Learn fromyour

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studentsandacceptfeedback.

Whatexactlyisateachingpostdoc?

SL:Givesyou lotsof teachingopportunitiesandhelpsyoufigureoutwhat it isall reallyabout.Allows

youtogetinvolvedwiththecommunityofeducators.

Whatopportunitiesareout there forpeople toget involved ineducationand learnmoreand start

teaching?

commons.com

UCSDpostdocassociation

Outreachprogramsatalllevels(Salk,UCSD,museums,privateopportunitiestoo)

Volunteer–alot

TheChronicleofHigherEducation–chronicle.com

SABER–BiologyEducationResearch-https://saber-biologyeducationresearch.wikispaces.com

CenterforIntegratedResearchTeachingandLearning-www.cirtl.net

SummerjobsatUCSD

HigherEducationCommunityonTwitter

JournalClubsonUCSDcampus

Diversityworkshops

Conferences

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Panel7

Business&Entrepreneurship

Moderator:WaseemAkhtar

KaraBortone,PhD (K) HeadofCompanySourcing,JLABSSanDiego

JayBryant (J) DirectorofGraduateRecruitingandAdmissions, RadySchoolofManagement,UCSanDiego

SylviaNorman,PhD (S) Founder,MolecularDiagnosticConsulting

Howard(Hao)Pan,PhD (H) RegionalAccountManager,NanostringTechnologies

JulioUnamuno (JU) CEO,LabFellows

How do grad students/postdocs prepare for Business & Entrepreneurship during their grad

student/postdocyears?

K:Theycanpreparethembyattendingnetworkingeventsandtakingpartinleadershipopportunities.

J:BytakingpartineventssuchasUCSDentrepreneurshipchallenge

S: Theycangetbusiness&entrepreneurshippreparationbynetworkingevents suchasorganizedby

SanDiegoBiotechnologyNetwork.

H: By going out to networking events and network with business companies by highlighting the

importanceofyourwork

JU:Headvisedtotakeadvantageofbusiness&entrepreneurshipresourcesavailableinSanDiegoand

getstartedwithbusinesswithoutwastinganytime.

What kind of resources are available for business& entrepreneurship if a grad student or postdoc

wantstogetstarted?

K:ThereareseveralresourcesavailableinandaroundSanDiegoincludingJLABSincubators,whereby

payinganominalfeepermonth,theycangetaccesstolabspaceandequipment.Theseincubatorsare

excellentresourcesforbusinesstogetstartedinanindustrysetting.GenerallyhavinganapprovedSmall

BusinessInnovationResearch(SBIR)grantisanexcellentstartingpointtogetintoJLABSincubators.

J:SanDiegoentrepreneurchallengeisanimportantresourcetogetstartedwithyourideathatcanbe

expanded with SBIR grants later. Having anMBA degree will tremendously help during the business

startup.

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S:Thereareseveralresourcesavailableincludingherownconsultingagencythathelpacquirefunding

andresourcesforstartupcompanies.Forfemaleentrepreneurs,HeraHubisawonderfulangelinvestor

fundingresource.

H: He suggested to make use of networking opportunities to put out your idea and network with

companies.Inaddition,tomakeuseofavailableopportunitiesintheSanDiegoarea.

JU: Make use of all the wonderful opportunities available in the area including his own company

LabFellowsthatprovidesnecessaryresourcestostartnewbusinessandexpandexistingbusiness.

NotesduringopenQ&A

• Make use of all the available resources and do not get disheartened by the risk involved in

business&entrepreneurship.

• BusinessincubatorwithpotentialcanbelaterfundedbyJLABSwithproperagreementsinplace.

• Networkingeventsarekeytosuccessinindustryincludingbusinessstartups.

• Assoonasyouagreatbusinessidea,startworkingonyourbusinessteame.g,whatcanIdoand

whowilltakecareofresourcesandwhowilltakecareofmarketingetc.

• Convincing investors iskeyforbusinessstartup,therefore, improveyourcommunicationskills.

MBAdegreecanbehandyforthatandalsoforteammanagement.

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Panel8

IntellectualProperty&SciencePolicy

Moderator:ElisaLazzari

GarrettAnderson,PhD,JD Associate,WilsonSonsiniGoodrich&Rosati

MartinEllinger,PhD ScientificAnalyst,Morrison&Foerster

JaneMoores,PhD AssistantViceChancellor,OfficeofInnovation& Commercialization,UCSanDiego

ShannonMuir,PhD SeniorProgramAssociate,CaliforniaCouncilon ScienceandTechnology

This panel featured a variety of professional figures working in intellectual property law, technology

transfer and science policy. Garrett and Martin both work at private law firms in the process of

preparing patent applications, but at different levels. As Scientific Analyst, Martin provides scientific

expertiseandassistsinthepatentprocess,workingwithpatentattorneys.Thisisanentry-levelposition

that does not require a law degree or passing the California Bar exam to start. Garrett works as

Associate (a position that requires a law degree), and is involved in patent drafting, negotiation,

conformity to intellectual property regulations, and he is in direct communication with the clients.

Jane’sprofessionalprofileattheUCSDOfficeofInnovationandCommercializationcanbedescribedasa

mediator, between UCSD research groups, law firms and national and foreign patent offices. She

supports the licensing and transfer of UCSD innovations and knowledge to commercial use while

ensuringproperintellectualprotection.Shannonworksinsciencepolicy,asSeniorProgramAssociateat

the California Council for Science and Technology (CCST), a non-profit corporation that provides

scientificadvice topolicymakers. ShewasaScience&TechnologyFellow inSacramentoduring2014-

2015andworkedwiththeSenateHealthCommittee.Herdutiesincludedthepreparationandanalysis

oflegislationpassingthroughthecommittee,andmeetingwithlegislativestaff,constituents,advocates

andlobbyiststoreviewbillsanddiscusshealth-relatedissues.

ForpostdocsandgraduatestudentsinterestedinIPlaw,panelistssuggestedtofirstconsiderwhattype

oflong-termpositionisdesiredandtoconductresearchonpositionsavailablewithindifferentfirms,as

somepushPhDstoeventuallyobtainalawdegree,whileothershavestableanalysttracks.Speakwith

individualswithin law firms and recruiters about the environmentwithin each firm. A lawdegree (3

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yearsfull-time,4yearspart-time)isnotrequiredtoenterthefield,butisessentialtoclimbwithinthe

firmhierarchy, inordertoprogress fromentry levelpositions likeScientificAnalyst toanAssociateor

Partner.

Technology transfer positions do not require a law degree but some industry/business experience is

highly appreciated. For more exposure to technology transfer, a limited number of internships are

availableatsomeinstitutions.Ifyouareinterested,inquireatlocalTechnologyTransferofficestosee

whetheran internship ispossible. TheLicensingExecutivesSociety (LES)alsoofferssometraining for

technologytransferprofessionals.

Ifyouwould liketopursueacareer insciencepolicy,availablefellowships includetheAAASandCCST

fellowships, andmanyprofessional societies also sponsor fellowships inWashington. Fellowsserve a

year-long assignment in one of the branches of the government or associated agencies. AAAS

fellowships are restricted to U.S. citizens or green-card holders,while CCST does consider H1/J1 visa

holdersaspotentialcandidates,ifasponsorisavailable. Nopriorexperienceinpolicyisrequired,but

involvement inpostdoc/studentorganizationsoradvocacygroups isbeneficial:youcandemonstrate

thatyouareinterestedinmakingdecisionsforcausesorgroups.

Regarding challenges faced during their careers, panelists in law and tech transfer agreed that the

schedule isverydifferentfromacademia:muchmoreflexibility isrequiredandprioritiesoftenchange

fromdaytoday.Onemustrespondtoneweventsastheyoccur,eventhoughstrictdeadlinesmustbe

followed.Unforgivingenvironmentsforfailureinpatentlaw:ifyouworkwithasmallstart-upcompany

asaclient,mistakescanleadtothefailureofthecompanyandlossofjobs.Onthepositiveside,always

learningandinvolvedinnewandexcitingtechnologies,avarietyandconstantchangeofprojectskeeps

things interesting. In tech transfer, finding an agreement that works for everyone and getting a

successfullicenseinplace,ensuringanideagetstomarket,isverysatisfying.

Insciencepolicy,thepaceoflegislativeactionisoftenfrustratinglyslow,andthefailureofbillscanbe

disheartening. Even with this pace, science policy experts pose an important role in informing

lawmakersaboutscientific issuesanddetermining theappropriate response toandregulationofnew

technologies and events. This is critical not only to the future of scientific research, but also in

determininghowtechnologiesinfluencesociety.

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Future career prospects in patent law include staying within the firm as either a patent scientist /

scientific analyst, or getting a law degree and becoming an associate and potentially a partner. In

addition,analystsandlawyersmayalsoworkdirectlyinpatent/innovationofficesofclientcompanies

toprovidelegalguidance,orworkforauniversity intellectualproperty/techtransferoffice. Venture

capitalistsalsoincreasinglyneedintellectualpropertyexpertsonstaff.

Techtransferprofessionalsmayalsoswitchbetweenacademiaandindustry,andmayconductlicensing

forbusinesses,scoutfortechnologies,ordoconsultingwork.

In science policy, career options are not limited to government entities; professionals frequently find

positionsinnon-profitorganizationsinvolvinggovernmentrelations,sciencediplomacy,fundraisingand

advocacy. Science policy experience is also valuable in lobbyist firms, particularly in the biotech

industry,andmanypolicyexpertsserveasconsultants.