Life Outside Academia – How does training need to change for

non-academic careers?

Presenter: Mary Jeanne Kallman, PhD, DSP

Kallman Preclinical Consulting

Greenfield, IN 46140

maykall76@gmail.com

Current Statistics• US Bureau of Statistics, May 2014• Average salary = $90,160

• Atlantic Monthly Article, April 2013 & NSF• 16% of STEM PhDs go into academic jobs within 3 years after

graduation• 44% of STEM PhDs go into postdocs• 37% no postdoc and no job (maybe underemployed)

• Ratio tenure faculty positions vs part-time adjunct faculty• Private colleges – 50% Tenured – 50% part-time• Public colleges – 64% Tenured – 46% Part-time

• Since 2000 – 300% increase in part-time faculty, decreasing tenure-track positions

• Trend toward reduction in tenured positions with more service responsibilities, deteriorating resources and facilities, and stagnant wages

• Part-time adjuncts make minimum wage or less with no benefits

Non-academic Jobs for PhD Scientists• Some of the best opportunities are for MD/PhDs

• Pharmaceutical Industry/CROs - Project Management, Lab Management, Clinical Trial Oversight, Regulatory Submissions, Marketing, Client Interactions

• Science Writing

• Research Support or Grant Administration

• Continuing Medical Education

• Medical Information Scientist

• Bioethics

• Entrepreneur

• Science Policy

• Technical Transfer - Patenting, Intellectual Property, Legal Opportunities

• Science Librarian

• Science Museum Management

What Training Programs Can Do To Support Non-academic Options• Choose part-time faculty wisely to provide diverse job experience

• Seek opportunities for interdisciplinary training –bio-statistics, drug development , combination of laboratory techniques, MD/PhD programs

• Teach m0re in vivo work to pair with popular in vitro technical work (drug registration still largely depends on in vivo data)

• Teach regulatory process for new drug registration with an emphasis on issue resolution

• Advocate for more resources from federal and university alternatives for funding (especially to include student travel)

• Find secondary mentors in non-academic environments to match with students (some professional societies have these opportunities within their activities) and seek short term lab experiences even if for no pay

• Teach translation of techniques and how to strategically determine translation

• Make students aware of available free Webinars and opportunities for certifications – DABT, DSP, and others

• Talk about all types of job opportunities not just academic

• Make students aware that writing and presenting are the #1 skills regardless of the job and #2 is scientific logic/strategic thinking. Make sure that they make every effort to present and publish with diverse feedback in the protected learning environment

• May have to reduce acceptances to training program if placement cannot be solved

Sources of Information on Alternative Careers

• Journal Articles, NSF, Science, Chronicle of Higher Education and others

•Make available information on where to search for these non-traditional jobs

• Your past graduates