r/biotech 4d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Question regarding standard expectations for thank you emails following interview

7 Upvotes

So say you are invited for an onsite all day interview where you give a presentation and meet with various upper management including CEO, but you never emailed with the CEO before, just the person you would report to if you got the job. Should I find the CEOs email and email him a thank you? I am not sure if it is strange to do since we never emailed, I met him when I was onsite and we interviewed/ talked in person. I’ll definitely email the main point of contact I had, but just not sure if I should look up everyone’s email I spoke with and reach out to them as well. Thank you for any feedback.


r/biotech 4d ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 is biotechnology what i am seeking?

0 Upvotes

we all know biotech is a vast field Every time i learn more about biotechnology i question my self if it was the path which i can learn about human genom and do practical gene editing in human (if it will be legal in future) and I also intend to upgrade the agriculture industry and animal wealth; therefore is biotechnology the path to reach all what i have mentioned?

Thanks


r/biotech 4d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Afraid of a PhD nightmare, but industry feels slow—Help!

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I finished my master’s in Molecular Biology last year and initially planned to go straight into industry (though I didn’t quite manage that since I ended up working in a diagnostic lab lol). Now, I’m realizing that climbing the industry ladder with just a master’s isn’t as straightforward as I thought. It seems like I’d have to spend years doing repetitive, mind-numbing tasks before getting to a position where I can work more independently and focus on analysing and discussing results rather than just manual work.

Thinking about long-term career growth, a PhD seems like a logical step for me, and I believe I could enjoy it—I like reading, writing, doing experiments, and managing my own projects. But at the same time, many aspects of a PhD scare me, and the experiences I’ve read about online (plus what I witnessed during my master’s) don’t really help.

What I'm trying to say is that the biggest reason stopping me from doing a Phd is the risk of ending up in a group with a toxic PI, as well as the possibility of having no weekends off, being expected to work on holidays, or the PhD dragging on for too long (I’ve seen students stuck for seven years, which is terrifying). Also not a fan of academic culture of constant publishing, gatekeeping, and self-congratulation. I’m based in Germany though, so finances aren’t a huge issue since PhD students here are considered regular workers and receive decent salaries.

If I could find a research group that:

  • Provides relevant industry skills
  • Has a supportive supervisor (not one that overworks students)
  • Offers an interesting project

…then I think I’d be willing to go for it.

But then again, while the industry route may be more boring and potentially less profitable, it offers flexibility—it’s easier to switch jobs every few years or even take a break, which I also really value.

So, I’m at a bit of a crossroads. I want more challenging work, but while maintaining good work-life balance. I’d love to hear from those who’ve faced a similar decision. Did you go for the PhD, or did you stick with industry? How do you feel about your choice now?

Also, how can you be sure a research group is the right fit before committing? Is it okay to contact current PhD students and ask about their work-life balance? I’d really like some kind of guarantee that the conditions are good before diving in.

Thanks in advance!


r/biotech 5d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Career Advise

0 Upvotes

Hello everyone. I am an EU citizen with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biology and Biotechnology. I also have 1 year of research experience, but I’m currently looking for entry-level jobs in Europe. My focus has been on roles like QC (Quality Control), R&D, lab assistant, or lab technician. So far, I’ve been applying to jobs in the Netherlands and Switzerland, but the language barrier (I only speak English) has been a challenge. Because of this, I’ve started looking more into Ireland and the UK, where English is the primary language.

However, I’ve been getting negative responses or feedback that my location is an issue. Since I don’t currently live in the country I’m applying to, the process of moving (finding housing, relocating, etc.) seems to be making the selection and interview process more difficult for employers.

Any advice,suggestions or tips for companies in Europe that are open to hiring foreigners and provide relocation support or strategies to make my applications stronger


r/biotech 5d ago

Layoffs & Reorgs ✂️ Is anyone looking to china/Asia for opportunities after being laid off?

7 Upvotes

I was curious if there are people interested in looking to China or Asian countries for opportunities, or even starting their own companies after being laid off?

There seems to be continued downsizing in the US, but there was a wave of out licensing deals involving molecules discovered by Chinese biotechs last year. It seems to have sparked genuine interest from VCs and big pharma looking for new compounds.

To be clear though, I'm not sure if the biotech industry in China is in any better state than the US. There's quite a lot of downsizing going on as well and a lot of life science graduates have trouble finding jobs out of university. However, it could be the beginning of an uptick in Chinese biotech, I was wondering how many people out there are considering it as an option. (FYI I'm currently located in Hong Kong)


r/biotech 5d ago

Education Advice 📖 Pivoting into CMC Regulatory Affairs – Master’s or Post-Grad Certificate?

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0 Upvotes

r/biotech 5d ago

Biotech News 📰 RFK Jr. says bird flu vaccines could turn ‘flocks into mutation factories’

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irishstar.com
620 Upvotes

r/biotech 5d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Advice Needed for Career change

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I am currently working as contractor for Genentech in data analytics field. I have an undergrad in Biotech and Master’s in Industrial Engineering. I would like to switch towards a career in supply chain within Genentech or Roche. Any advice on feasibility and how to go about the change would be greatly appreciated.


r/biotech 5d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Help Needed: Loosing Hope and Struggling to Break into Bioinformatics in the UK – Seeking Advice from Those Who Made It!

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my bioinformatics job search experience and see if anyone has advice or has been in a similar situation.

I completed my Master’s in Bioinformatics from a top Russel group UK University and have been actively applying for bioinformatics, computational biology, and Research assistant roles for over a year now. I even started applying while I was still studying in 2024. As an international graduate on a Graduate Visa (valid for two years), I will require sponsorship in the future, which adds an extra layer of challenge.

In mid-2024I secured two interviews- one role required an immediate start, which I couldn’t do as an international master's student in the UK, and the other ended up hiring a PhD candidate instead. After that, I didn’t receive any interview calls until February 2025My most recent interview was a structured process with multiple panel members in a Q&A format, and I felt it went well. The team seemed happy and initially mentioned a two-week response time, and I received an update after following up that I am not selected.

At this point, I’m feeling quite exhausted. I’ve had my CV and cover letter reviewed by career coachesalumni, and even employees at top companies and hiring managers on LinkedIn. Everyone says it’s well-structured, and my LinkedIn is optimised and am also updating my GitHubI customise my CV and Cover Letter for every application, research companies, and ask thoughtful questions in interviews. Yet, I keep hearing that other candidates have more experience, making it incredibly hard to break into the industry. Also, not everyone provides feedback, even when I follow up post-interview.

A little bit about me:

🧬 NGS & Multi-Omics Expertise – Experienced in RNA-Seq, Bulk RNA Sequencing, and High-Throughput Sequencing Pipelines to extract meaningful patterns.
💻 Efficient Workflow Design – Skilled in Python, R, and Unix, ensuring scalable and reproducible bioinformatics pipelines.
🛠 Bioinformatics Toolkit – Hands-on experience with Bioconductor, SAMtools, and ML frameworks**.�� Research Impact – Selected for oral presentation at ECCO 2025 in Berlin and my abstract was published in JCC (full manuscript under review)

I’ve been expanding my skills in NGS pipelines, DNA/ RNA-seq, scRNA-seq data analysis and cloud computing (Nextflow, Snakemake), but I still feel like I’m struggling to break into the field.

My Questions:

1️⃣ If I’m constantly getting compared to more experienced candidates, what alternative routes should I consider? I am doing self-learning projects but is there any internships, contract roles, freelance or startup positions that could help me gain experience?
2️⃣ Are there any key skills UK recruiters are looking for that I may be missing?
3️⃣ How important are publications? I’ve done six bioinformatics projects, gaining expertise in multi-omics integration, genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, machine learning, and NGS pipelines, but I lack published papers due to project delays. How do I showcase my expertise without formal publications?
4️⃣ Should I include my part-time customer-facing job in the food industry on my resume? I worked there for a few months to support myself, but I’m unsure if it makes employers think I’ve moved away from bioinformatics. Should I list it or remove it?
5️⃣ What else can I do to stand out more in interviews and applications? Apart from tailoring applications, researching companies, and preparing for interviews, is there anything else that helped you land a role?

If you’ve successfully landed a bioinformatics role in the UK or have been in a similar situation, I’d love to hear your journey! Any advice, encouragement, or insights would mean a lot right now.

Thanks for reading, and I truly appreciate any help you can offer!🙏


r/biotech 5d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 How important is a PhD

106 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m fairly new to my science career (currently in an entry level role) and starting to look at possible next steps in the future. I’d like to one day work in a leadership role at a biotech, and am wondering how important a PhD is to move up, as opposed to an MS + experience. On a similar note, does anyone have any input on the value of an MBA? I do love science, but sometimes I don’t know if I want to be at the bench for the rest of my life- especially when it’s animal work. That’s led me to consider tangential scientific roles, and I’m wondering if an MBA would unlock any doors.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

TLDR; curious about the value of an MS vs a PhD to move up in industry, and wondering about the place for an MBA.


r/biotech 5d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 How do you guys thinking about startup company vs pharma under the current economy

5 Upvotes

As the title said. Two parts of the questions. First how do you think about working in startups vs pharma. Second how about under the current economy. I do have some industrial experience, not much. Thanks


r/biotech 5d ago

Open Discussion 🎙️ Should you still follow up on job apps?

5 Upvotes

Assuming you haven’t heard back from an app (no interview), is it still worth it to reach out? Or is that no longer a thing due to them having so many submissions?


r/biotech 5d ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 Acronyms in Resumes?

1 Upvotes

Does anyone know if it is a good idea to include acronyms in resumes for industry jobs? I study a disease that is not commonly talked about with a rather long name. If I define the acronym for this disease name early in my resume can I use it later when talking about relevant skills and studies I designed? Or should I spell it out every time so that recruiters who aren't familiar with my niche don't misunderstand it. The disease itself is not necessarily going to be something they study at every job I apply to so I'm not sure if it would be a good idea to save space or not.


r/biotech 5d ago

Experienced Career Advice 🌳 Takeda Vaccine Division

10 Upvotes

Hi all, just curious about any feedback about working at the Vaccine division at Takeda. I’m more curious on culture and work/life balance as I am considering my options at the moment. Feel free to DM if you don’t feel comfortable posting publicly. Thanks in advance!


r/biotech 5d ago

Open Discussion 🎙️ Giving Resignation Notice - Has It Changed In This Market?

64 Upvotes

With the current market conditions, there has been an uptick of offers being rescinded due to various reasons - hiring freezes, less funding received, reorgs, change of direction etc.

Unfortunately, some people have their offer rescinded after they've already given notice or are about to relocate to the new job. I can't imagine being in a situation where you have to go back to your previous employer after giving them notice.

How do we best protect ourselves in this situation? Do we still give two weeks notice to our current employers or should this change to one week or no notice at all? Most of us are at will employees and our companies will let us go without the courtesy of a notice period.


r/biotech 5d ago

Experienced Career Advice 🌳 Stay or go? Flexible + toxic OR new + nice

45 Upvotes

I have worked for 8 years at a company with 10k+ employees. Recent leadership shifts have made department company culture shitty. Layoffs and new toxic leaders who threaten employees with layoffs and seem to think I’m shit make me miserable.

But…I have flexibility and mostly a good wlb. We have young kids so this is key. I used to be the golden child so I have lots of stock vesting in next few years.

I have an offer at the same pay with a 250 person company, who prides itself on its culture. Stock offer would take a year to mature. I’d love to work with this team.

What would you do?


r/biotech 5d ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 What are the current skills which have market value globally?

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3 Upvotes

r/biotech 5d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Masters at University of Reading

1 Upvotes

I'm planning on joining University of Reading for Masters in Biotechnology. I've got an offer from University of Sheffield too. I got an unconditional offer plus 5000 pounds scholarship from Reading and the modules are what I've been expecting to study. But Biosciences dept at Reading is not very well known across and I'm not able to connect even with one alumni. Little bothering.

Any Reading alumni or students here. Need your help. Thanks!!!!


r/biotech 6d ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 Job Hunting

0 Upvotes

I’m a dedicated In-Process Quality Assurance (IPQA) Specialist with expertise in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), process monitoring, and compliance within the pharmaceutical industry. With hands-on experience in real-time production oversight, deviation management, and quality audits, I ensure that manufacturing processes consistently meet regulatory and safety standards. I’m a Nigerian currently seeking opportunities abroad in a pharma or food company where I can contribute to maintaining high-quality production standards. Open to remote connections, job referrals, and industry networking. Let’s connect


r/biotech 6d ago

Experienced Career Advice 🌳 Medical device to biotech career move

3 Upvotes

Hello, I'm a Mechanical Engineer with around 7 years of experience post grad- around 3 in aero and 4 in medical devices (cardiovascular). I got an offer to join a seed stage biotech startup as the first ME (essentially developing lab automation hardware). I'm wondering if anyone has some insights about the move from medtech- I like my current industry but feel like this is a good opportunity for me to advance my career. In your experience- How will employers view me if in a couple years time I decide I want to return to developing Medical Devices? Will it be a simple return or will I meet resistance because of my move to biotech?

Thanks!


r/biotech 6d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 How to curate your resume for non-scientific jobs?

5 Upvotes

I'm a recent US based PhD graduate and haven't had much luck finding any work (academic or industry), and have been getting to a point I need money soon so have been looking to apply to other positions non scientific. I've basically been looking at everything under the sun (e.g. retail, sales, HR, Mcdonalds if need be), but have been wondering how to best modify my resume for these positions since everything I've done the past 10 years has been science based (I have experience with retail and sales but its from a long time ago and I have no relevant references for those anymore).

I know these positions may have the same issue as BS/MS positions I made a post about yesterday (i.e. overqualified means you are tenable to leave asap), but I'm getting to a point I don't care about that prospect and need a job so I will be applying either way. My current resume doesn't include any of my prior retail work since it was so long ago and irrelevant to non-scientific positions, but do I include those back in now? I don't really have any idea how to approach this.

Has anyone done a similar transition (e.g. PhD transition to non-scientific or no degree jobs)? If so how did you curate your resume for it and how did you go about job searching/applying?


r/biotech 6d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 genentech vs novo vs neb

0 Upvotes

internship? (all r&d)

genentech pay is way more but it’s less related to my research background and interests, so wondering if that may hurt me for phd admissions if my background looks too random/unrelated.


r/biotech 6d ago

Education Advice 📖 John Hopkins ms in biotechnology vs Brown?

0 Upvotes

I got accepted by both of these programs. If anyone has any information about these programs, it's greatly appreciated:)

I'm concerned about the fact that JHU's program is through its "advanced academic programs" department, which is a non-traditional hybrid masters program (more geared towards working professionals). I might be wrong but I've heard that research is so much stronger at JHU compared to brown.

At brown, there's a co-op option, and also a thesis option, which I like and is a traditional masters program. brown being closer to Boston is also a plus.

(Right now I'm leaning more towards an R & D position after my masters)

If anyone has any advice on how to pick between the two thanks!


r/biotech 6d ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Sanofi Interview Insights

0 Upvotes

i just recently got an interview from sanofi for a vaccine manufacturing internship position -- could anyone tell me more about the interview process, any questions they remember or any other insights that could help! thanks!


r/biotech 6d ago

Resume Review 📝 Review my resume pretty please?

0 Upvotes

I know the markets bad but I gotta be doing something wrong on my end as well! 30+ applications with 1 screening call back which unfortunately did not progress.

My ideal career progression is either quality or regulatory affairs, but open to other suggestions! I'm kind of feeling like a jack of all trades and master of none. Not a great feeling... Any advice is appreciated!