7-Week Topics in Life Science Industries and Non-Academic Careers for PhDs
Date and Time
Non-academic careers in life science are rapidly becoming the norm for Ph.D. scientists in the biomedical science space. Even with this new reality, we still often hear that well-worn cliché, “if my academic research career does not proceed as planned, I can always go to industry." With little to no industry experience, postdocs often wonder: What is “industry”? How does it work? How is it different from my academic research? And where would I best fit in?
The business of science/medicine is both diverse and complex, and it is often assumed that researchers just “know” what “industry” is, how it works, and what opportunities exist within the life science commercialization space as well as how their skills and experience align with an organization’s needs.
This 7-week survey course--which will meet Saturdays, Noon-2:30 pm, April 24-June 5--offers an insight into a variety of life science company types and explores each from the point of Business model overview; Organizational structure; Operations overview; Career summaries. It will be taught by Dr. Steven Munevar and will begin by reviewing the points above for various types of life science organizations and then compare specific companies within a given space. The types of organizations we will be focusing on include:
- Pharmaceutical companies (pre-IND)
- Pharmaceutical companies (post-IND)
- Biotechnology companies
- Medical device companies
- Contract research organizations (CRO’s)/service providers (consultants, intellectual property)
- Life science start-ups
- Industry panel discussion with people who have made the transition
The goal of this program is to provide participants with an introduction to life science industry as well as highlight organizations across the life science commercialization space. Further, we will discuss where and how Ph.D. and MD scientists may fit into different types of organizations and survey the general skills desired by different industry positions. The program will be a mixture of in-class lectures, industry speakers, and networking opportunities.
Instructor Bio
Dr. Steven Munevar is a multidisciplinary professional and founder of the life science technology development and commercialization firm, Munevar & Associates, Inc. He is an avid supporter of the entrepreneurial space serving as a regularly invited mentor and speaker to programs such as the New Science Symposium, the OneStart Healthcare Accelerator, and is the founder of the ongoing event and networking series, Science Shaping Our World-SHOW. Dr. Munevar is also the founder of the non-profit virtual research incubator, the Helix Bioscience Institute-HBI as well as serving as an advisor to various companies and boards.*
**No prerequisite industry knowledge or experience is required. **