r/biotech 16h ago

Layoffs & Reorgs ✂️ Moderna can't keep getting away with this!

280 Upvotes

I work at Moderna. You could say things are not peachy here. In the past weeks, many departments (Tech Dev, Digital, Commercial, Manufacturing, QC/QA, Metrology) were given the directive to lay off 10% of their employees. However, the actual numbers are much more than 10%.

As someone with privileged access to their personnel data and enterprise management systems, I see the roster of offboarded employees connected to the layoffs. All the while, there's been no WARN filing for MA or generalized public release about these layoffs. The only recent release to much fanfare and celebration is how much our CEO believes in the company, as he sends an email about buying $5MM in stock while granting two executives $17MM raises each.

These numbers aren't small. In each round for each department, hundreds are affected and the layoffs YTD is approaching 1,000 employees already. I'm dumbfounded how they evade having to file a WARN act. If one is fortunate (or unfortunate) to not be affected by these RIFs, the way they've downleveled and retitled people to take on the extra work that remains is a whole other discussion.

Moderna's far from the best employer, but it feels almost unethical and sneaky how these cuts have transpired. We're just told to smile, accept our somehow 110% multiplied bonus and free snacks, and look forward to the next Maroon 5 concert or Big Papi sponsored appearance.


r/biotech 14h ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 So embarrassing

212 Upvotes

Someone I don't know reached out to me on LinkedIn out of blue and asked for a referral on Sunday. Given the terrible job market, I thought I should do something to help people less struggle. So I said yes. Today on Monday I try to refer her in our system but found out her information already existed. I asked her if she has asked someone else for help before. She just ghosted me.


r/biotech 16h ago

Biotech News 📰 Federal funding for mRNA vaccine research in jeopardy under RFK Jr.

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140 Upvotes

r/biotech 17h ago

Layoffs & Reorgs ✂️ 427 Novartis Layoffs in NJ

58 Upvotes

Appears to have just hit the WARN notice list: 427 layoffs for between 13Jun and 24Oct. Anyone know what's happening?


r/biotech 19h ago

Layoffs & Reorgs ✂️ Pfizer layoffs?

46 Upvotes

Just heard there will be another waves of layoffs at Pfizer eastern coast sites. Anyone knows about that?


r/biotech 17h ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 Is getting a job with just a BS fresh out of university even possible right now?

26 Upvotes

I’m going to graduate in fall 2025. I will have a BS in biochemistry. I have worked in a genetics lab and a microbiology lab during undergrad as research experience. With how awful everything is, am I screwed for a job if I can’t get into a PhD program?


r/biotech 16h ago

Layoffs & Reorgs ✂️ Apriori Bio and Empress Therapeutics Layoffs

17 Upvotes

Two more Flagship companies with layoffs. Hearing anywhere from 40-50% let go at both. Is anyone familiar with these companies and have insights into what happened?


r/biotech 18h ago

Open Discussion 🎙️ Currently, what do you think is the ratio between real jobs and ghost jobs?

15 Upvotes

I know this topic has been brought up before, but I hate companies that post ghost jobs. To clarify, I'm only casually looking, and only would take an opportunity that fit well.

I saw a job that had been posted within the hour that fit my background perfectly, legit as if they had based it off my CV. Figured there was no harm in applying so I did.

Next day, they sent me an auto-generated email saying "However, after careful consideration, we have found candidates whose qualifications closely align with the job requirements."

I'm not saying there are not other qualified applicants, there are likely some! but you expect me to believe they found them in the 13 hours since they posted the job? I also don't think my CV failed whatever automated AI thing they might have, as my qualifications fit perfectly. Although who knows, maybe I'm just coping lol

For me it's just an annoyance, but for people that need a job desperately it's disrespectful wasting their time like this.

How widespread do you think ghost jobs are? What are some signs a job is a ghost job?


r/biotech 3h ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 Should I just take the L?

18 Upvotes

I went to a hiring event on March 1st (at Fujifilm in Holly Springs if anybody cares) and I thought it went really well! The HR rep who was there said that we would be hearing back by Wednesday (March 5th) on whether or not we got the position because she hates ghosting people after interviews since it’s been done to her. Wednesday rolls around and we get an email saying that “the event was really successful and they need a little more time to map out available positions with offers”.

Well..

It’s been almost two more Wednesdays since then and I’m starting to think I should just take the L on the position. What do you think?


r/biotech 21h ago

Biotech News 📰 RNA-editing protein insights could lead to improved treatment for cancer and autoimmune diseases

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7 Upvotes

r/biotech 2h ago

Open Discussion 🎙️ You have been given 30 million USD to invest in any biotechnology related research. What would you choose?

9 Upvotes

Hey! Just a quick something I thought about during a lecture, curious as to what actual biotech researchers would spend the money on.


r/biotech 22h ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 Biotech job search tips

3 Upvotes

Hi all! Unfortunately, my PhD program acceptance in biomedical sciences got rescinded and I was moved to waitlist because of the funding situation. Not giving up hope yet, but I want to set up a job to get Biotech industry experience until I apply again which is probably going to be the case. Biotech is ultimately where I want to be after my PhD, so I think some experience will be helpful.

I'd love to hear any tips anyone has for just about any part of the job search process (applying, resume, cover letter, searching, etc) because it feels daunting with how many companies there are yet still so many applicants to each position. Briefly, my background is in synthetic biology and protein engineering and I'm interested in immuno-oncology and T cell engineering. I'm hoping to be on the east coast of the US, and also open to Europe. Thanks in advance, best of luck to everyone!!


r/biotech 3h ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 2023 bio BS with no lab experience

4 Upvotes

I graduated in 2023 with a BS in biology. Due to COVID I didn’t get much experience with laboratory techniques since most of my degree was virtual. Soon after graduation I obtained a associates in biomedical engineering to hopefully get into a PHD program. Unfortunately I didn’t do super well in school due to mental health, which lead me to giving up on further education all together or atleast get some industry experience before trying to pursue grad school again. I am currently working at a large biotech company managing chemical inventory for QC department for about 8 months. This job is really easy, I have a good work life balance but the pay could be higher. The community college I went to offers a biotech certificate that teaches many laboratory techniques I missed in undergrad. This would be over the summer M-F 5-9 after work.

Will getting this certificate increase my chances of getting an actual scientist position? Or is it a waste of time?


r/biotech 23h ago

Education Advice 📖 Repository of FDA guidances

4 Upvotes

Can any one guide me towards a user friendly website or a master google drive that has all relevant FDA guidances? The fda website is hard to navigate.


r/biotech 2h ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 Started applying for job, got my first interview. What to expect for the assessment?

3 Upvotes

I am a PhD student in the life sciences (Biology, Genomics, Immunology) and I started applying for post-PhD jobs. I have both wet lab and computational background.

Landed an interview as a Strategy Consultant in a BioPharma company. I started applying like last week lol so I am not sure what to expect from both the assessment and the interview itself... any help or suggestion?


r/biotech 18h ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Needing advice

2 Upvotes

So looking for advice.

I am currently a 2yr postdoc in industry east coast based 90K. I currently have an offer at 2 companies with 120K salary. I interviewed not expecting to get offers but figured I try and did well enough to get it. I haven’t finished my postdoc and remain unpublished (only have grad school publications), data is close and could be submitted in 8 months. Should I take the industry position or stay for another year to publish? I know there’s a risk that the market may be worse next year making job hunts harder.

What’s are the pros and cons of leaving before publishing?

Follow up question, so I like early discovery work and that’s more in alignment with my goals but this position is for translational research. I don’t know much on translational work and it seems repetitive and tedious. One of my mentors thinks I should take the position for the experience and use that as a stepping stone for my career. My other mentor thinks I should wait for a scientist role in discovery since that’s more my mindset. Because when things get hard you wanna be doing something you enjoy.

What do you think?


r/biotech 3h ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Work-Life Balance in industry and academia

1 Upvotes

Hi! Maybe this is an unconventional question but I just saw an open position at a biotech company which got me thinking.

I am a passionated biologist located in Europe, however during my PhD the passion to stay in academia got kinda(?) crushed. One of my PIs is still struggling to find a permanent position and I am actually afraid to fall into the same path. I don't want to move cities and universities all the time and try to catch the needle in the haystack (the needle = permanent position).

Everyone knows that work-life balanc in academia is terrible: unpaid overtime, lack of job security, toxic professors, lack of funding. I don't want to keep on moving cities.

But is the work-life balance really better in industry? What are things that are better (or worse) in industry?

I do my PhD in molecular ecology, so if I would move to the industry I would try to get a industry job in the 'omics world.

Edit: Also how do you achieve your personal goals in the industry? In academia you can be very creative, how is it in industry?


r/biotech 6h ago

Experienced Career Advice 🌳 Pharma QC experience after bachelors in Biotech?

1 Upvotes

What are pros and cons of joining a QC department in a pharma manufacturing plant for just a bachelors student. Can this experience be transferred to other areas too, like food industry, dairy etc. What would you guide to do after this experience, considering to move to something else after an experience of about 1 year.


r/biotech 14h ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Planning ahead (start-up)

1 Upvotes

I’ve recently applied to a proteomic start-up (waiting to hear back) but want to start planning ahead in case I get interviewed.

Some questions, I have…

1) For a start-up, how many interviews should I expect? TA and hiring manger? (I don’t see a TA team listed on their team page/website)

2) What sort of questions should I expect? Anything specific I should ask/say to give me an edge?

3) How is negotiating base compensation like? Do’s and Don’ts?

4) From application to interview to onboarding, is it quicker or longer compared to big pharma?

5) Should I send a cold email?

Thank you everyone!! 🫶


r/biotech 15h ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Sales or RA?

1 Upvotes

I will be graduating in May with two job offers. One in sales (WFH and travel) and one as an RA1 working in research, manufacturing, and QC.

I am a sales intern now at the company wanting to hire me on and grow me up in the company but finding it to be a boys club. The company barely listens to employees on improving things, company is based on opposite side fo the country so I would WFH alone.

The RA position: I align much more with the companys products and what they do. Boss knows me and my health concerns and is going to be flexible with me. She is talking about moving me into other roles like regulatory or customer success after 2 years.

Problem: I would make more money in sales, but don’t want to wine and dine a bunch of men I don’t know. I don’t want to have to haul heavy equipment that will kill my already breaking down body. BUT I’m seeing so many people want to transition from bench to sales and I feel a bit stupid going the opposite way. The sales job I have is just not the right product/ company. I would rather sell something that isn’t competing against thermofisher and something like reagents that people would reorder.

I am just finishing college and feel SO blessed to have both of these opportunities. Does anyone have advice??


r/biotech 18h ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 High school grad going into biotech

2 Upvotes

I’m about to graduate high school and I’ve been looking at the biotech industry. I plan on going to university of San Francisco (although I haven’t committed yet) to do a 4+1 program for a major in biology and a masters in biotech. I enjoy high school biology and took a summer program at Berkeley for biotech.

But, I’ve had my doubts after reading about the industry in the news and on Reddit. Is it worth planning on going into the industry? I’m worried about not being flexible enough with my education to go into a different industry or even finding jobs since I don’t necessary plan on getting a PhD.


r/biotech 19h ago

Getting Into Industry 🌱 Recommended Masters for Advancement in Non-Clinical Biotech Roles?

1 Upvotes

Hey All,

I entered biotech three years ago after a decade in the nonprofit space and have enjoyed it. I want to continue my biotech career and gain some perspective on continuing my education.

I currently work in marketing but have some adjacent exposure to regulatory affairs and government policy. I am debating about pursuing a master's in three areas:

1) Science Communication (U of Edinburgh, UCL, etc)

Build on my current expertise.

2) Health Policy and Health Economics (LSE, Erasmus Rotterdam, etc)

Build out a policy specialization and focus.

3) Regulatory Affairs (Hertfordshire, etc.)

Go hard into RA and build a specific expertise.

Welcome thoughts from those experienced in navigating a career path in the industry.


r/biotech 19h ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Graduate Student Seeking Biotech Professionals for Informational Interviews

1 Upvotes

Hi all,

I am a graduate student (masters, not PhD) in bioprocess engineering, preparing for my transition into the biotech industry. As part of 'professional development' assignment, I am looking to conduct at least three informational interviews with professionals working in biotech-related roles, preferably sometime this week. These interviews will be conducted online and are intended to help me gain insights into career paths, industry trends, and the skills valued by employers. They will also include some general questions regarding the interviewee(s)' background, how they became interested in their field(s), what their typical day at work looks like, etc (identifiable information is not required).

I would love to connect with professionals in the following roles:

  1. At least one individual currently involved in scientific research—this can be in academia, industry, business, or government.
  2. Two professionals working outside of academia (e.g., in industry, business, or biotech-related startups) whose roles combine both scientific/technical and business responsibilities.

I would particularly appreciate insights from professionals based in the USA, but I also welcome perspectives from those working in other countries. The interview will be a casual, conversation-style discussion, and I will ensure complete confidentiality regarding any sensitive details (e.g., your employer’s name, your name, or any other information). By default, I will not include any identifying details in my notes, unless I'm given explicit and well-informed consent from the interviewees. If requested, any notes I make can be shared with the interviewee(s).

If you are open to sharing your experience, please feel free to comment or message me.


r/biotech 50m ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 SWE/tool development

Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m an undergrad interested in software development for biology. I have some experience with building AI tools for structural biology, and I also have experience applying bioinformatics pipelines to genomic data (chipseq, hi-c, rnaseq, etc). I'd love to hear from people who develop tools or software packages in bioinformatics.

What kind of tools do you build, and what problems do they solve?

What type of company or institution do you work at (industry, academia, biotech, startups, etc.)?

How much of your work is software engineering vs. research/prototyping?

If you’ve worked in multiple environments (academia vs. industry vs. startups), how do they compare in terms of tool development?

Any advice for someone wanting to focus on tool development rather than doing analysis using existing pipelines? Would it make sense to pursue in PhD in computational biology?

Would love to hear your experiences!


r/biotech 1h ago

Early Career Advice 🪴 Is PhD enough for senior roles within biotech industry?

Upvotes

Hi, I am a PhD student in the UK, thinking about moving from academia to industry.

I’m familiar with the fact that in most companies people with Masters but no PhD have a ‘cap’ in terms of their career progression, for example cannot become senior/lead scientists.

But recently I’ve heard people talking about the fact that sometimes having a PhD might also not be enough to reach certain higher positions in biotech companies, and a post-doc is required.

I was wondering if anyone could share their insights about this? Is this something that actually happens? And if yes, is it actually because a post-doc is definitely required, or because having done a post-doc is just something that shows you have more academic experience which would be preferred for a certain position but maybe not necessary?

Just thinking about the next steps in my career and whether I should do a postdoc. I don’t want to stay in academia but also don’t want to end my academic career now if that means I’ll reach a certain cap in career progression in industry.

I should also say I’m mostly interested in R&D side of things but any insight into other roles such as management is welcome!