Commentary: Attitude adjustment: Educating PhD scientist for business careers
Authors: S. Schuster
Year: 2011

The US production of PhDs in the life sciences goes far beyond the replacement needs in the academy. According to the National Science Foundation, the US graduated slightly more than 7,600 PhDs in the life sciences (agriculture and biological sciences) in 2006 [1], and the annual full-time academic employment in these fields is likely less than 2,000 nationwide. Not counted here are the PhD graduates from other countries, estimated at 56% of the nearly 200,000 postdoctoral fellows in US laboratories [2]. Moreover, the slow growth in academic institutions, a predicted decrease in federal research spending and state support, and a trend to use more part-time and adjunct teaching faculty hardly provides optimism for a robust growth in academic demand any time soon. Even employment in the life sciences industry is soft, but it at least offers some growth potential as the economy strengthens. In sum, however the picture is grim. So if we are at all concerned about the job prospects of our PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, it is time we take seriously the need for changes in educational models. The PhD graduate from a US research academic institution who has worked 5–7 years to solve a combination of laboratory and computational problems after an indepth classroom experience is likely superbly trained in at least a subset of the life sciences and the underlying methodology and thought processes required to perform high level research. What is less uniform are the requirements to develop written and verbal communication skills—necessary for either an academic or industry career. Even greater variability exists in the extent to which PhD students understand the processes, strategies, and challenges (either technical, financial, or regulatory) of the life sciences industry. However, what is shocking is the degree to which US PhD students and postdoctorals lack even a primitive understanding of the roles they might play as scientists in the industry that are not research. In our recent survey of US postdoctorals, 96% said they were interested in research careers in industry—precisely the category in which about 4% of the jobs exist! The interest in business areas such as operations, marketing, quality assurance, production, project management, strategy, intellectual property, and clinical and regulatory affairs—where there are numerous jobs for PhDs—hardly exists compared with the holy grail of ‘‘research.’’ The problem, therefore, is not just a lack of education to develop essential skills, but the lack of even the most rudimentary or realistic knowledge of opportunities beyond research within the industry. This is not a problem of ability, capacity, or lack of resources. Our students are smart and can work hard and learn. As educators, we are the ones who must fix this problem. This will not be achieved by pawning off responsibility and creating an occasional seminar or other ‘‘business light’’ cocktail hour and thinking we have done our jobs. With a proper appreciation that learning business skills requires in-depth and focused programs (see the Postdoctoral Professional Masters curriculum at www.kgi.edu) requiring significant time and commitment, and I am confident that the various business schools can work with science faculty to create curricula and cocurricular activities that are appropriate and effective for our PhDs and postdoctorals. A bigger challenge, however, is in faculty attitude. These new educational programs will become relegated to the fringes of our academic enterprise unless life sciences faculty begin to appreciate the role of industry as scientifically valid, high quality and essential to the process of translating basic science for the benefit of society. After doing over 30 focus groups with Postdocs around the country, it is no longer surprising that at least some at every event worry about even having to discuss a career in industry with their advisors. If we continue to repeat the myth that the only good quality research is in the academy, along with the corollary that working for industry is ‘‘selling out,’’ we do no one any service, and we are guilty of the lowest form of ivory tower arrogance. There are numerous exciting, important and fulfilling opportunities for life sciences PhDs in industry—with the vast majority not in research—that should be sought by our students. Being part of the process that delivers a ‡To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: 9096070108; Fax.: 9096078598. E-mail: sheldon_schuster@kgi.edu.