NnatureIt is 2023 Survey of Postdoctoral Researchers identified a notable gap between industry and academia. Although industrial postdocs remain in the minority (only 7% of 3,838 respondents worldwide reported working in an industrial environment), they reported greater satisfaction and tended to be better paid. Nearly a quarter of postdocs in industry reported annual incomes between $80,000 and $110,000, compared to just 5% of their academic counterparts.
While global companies such as Google, Honda and Coca-Cola all employ postdocs, it is pharmaceutical and life sciences companies that have been particularly keen to integrate this group into their workforce. AstraZeneca, for example, employs more than 120 postdocs for 3-year positions at its research and design centers in the US, UK and Sweden. Industry postdocs can learn new skills and explore new scientific targets – with some corporate restrictions – and companies recruit enthusiastic workers capable of making important advances in basic science.
Nature spoke with three postdocs who work at large pharmaceutical and life sciences companies: Genentech, Merck and AstraZeneca. Although the transition from academia to industry is not always easy and the next step is not always obvious, everyone agrees that these positions have provided invaluable experience.
ANNIE WOOLVEN: Big business, big opportunities
Systems Biologist at AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Annie Woolven says a postdoc at AstraZeneca opened the door to new opportunities.Credit: AstraZeneca
During my graduate studies at the University of Birmingham, UK, I used analytical chemistry to study metabolomics and metabolism. Among other things, I studied the metabolites present in human tears.
The job was interesting, but I never really thought academia was for me. Teaching, grant writing, managing other people – there were a lot of things that weren’t science related. I hadn’t necessarily planned to do a postdoc, but I came across this project at AstraZeneca in Cambridge, UK, which really spoke to me. Because it was moving from metabolomics to systems biology, I knew I would learn many new skills. And that would allow me to see if the industry was a good place to do my research.
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As a postdoc in the Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences division, I am not involved in pipeline work. AstraZeneca expects us to publish at least two articles in high-quality publications during our time here, so everything must be made public. I am well on my way to meeting these expectations. I have a draft in the works and will start another article after I have completed the data analysis.
There are advantages to working in a big company. I can learn from people working in different parts of the practice; we have discussions on Fridays where internal researchers from across the company discuss their projects. But it’s not just about research. People come here to talk about law, politics and entrepreneurship. I am personally interested in science communication. I know the communications team would answer my questions and help me explore this career option. If there’s another part of the business that I find more interesting, I might just have coffee with someone. I don’t think that can happen in academia.
I led the start of a focus group of people working in multi-omics at AstraZeneca. At first it was just postdocs, but now it includes people in other positions in the company. We also invite academics to talk about their multi-omics work. At any stage of your career, building this type of network can be helpful.
I am well funded and supported. I have support when I need it across the company and I can focus solely on my research. I have a standard work week. After working virtually 24/7 on my doctoral thesis, this is a welcome change of pace.
My three-year contract ends in April 2025. I don’t know where I will be next, but I want to stay in the industry. For me, a postdoctoral position outside of academia was definitely the right choice.
JOE PARRY: Building a new toolbox
Organic chemist at Merck, Rahway, New Jersey.
Joe Parry became interested in process chemistry during his postdoctoral position at Merck.Credit: Merck Sharp & Dohme
Toward the end of my graduate studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, I began to crave a change of environment. Until then, I had only really experienced life in academia, where I studied organometallic chemistry. I thought trying something different would be a great opportunity to challenge myself, personally and professionally. It was the first time in my life that I hadn’t completely planned out the next few years, which was scary.
I saw that Merck had a postdoctoral position in Rahway, New Jersey, that was loosely related to some of the skills I had developed in graduate school. I could tell I had the potential to learn skills. I had never used an ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry machine until I started at Merck. It is now a standard tool for my research. The opportunity to explore different ways of solving problems excited me. When I think about my daily life today, it is completely different from two years ago.
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During my two years at Merck, I became interested in process chemistry, which involves finding practical and efficient ways to produce newly discovered compounds. Through high-throughput experimentation, I can develop innovative approaches to solving difficult problems in chemistry. I hope to continue exploring process chemistry in my next position, hopefully in industry.
I enjoy the community and collaborative environment at Merck. Here, postdoctoral researchers are integrated into research teams and no project is prohibited. Postdocs are often assigned exploratory projects in the hope that the methods they develop will eventually be useful in the development of profitable pharmaceuticals and other compounds.
There is a misconception that postdocs in industry are unable to publish papers because they are too busy working on corporate secrets. In fact, we are encouraged to publish. Merck recognizes that publishing our work helps facilitate exchanges with external researchers and is important for our career development. I have a few manuscripts in the works, but it’s too early to discuss details.