Switching from academia to industry - and back (Jeffrey Glennon Ph.D). Lunch seminar, March 13, 2012.

1. Switching from academia to
industry – and back
Networking
Jeffrey Glennon Ph.D.
Assistant Professor,
Department of Cognitive Neuroscience,
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre,
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour,
Jeffrey Glennon Ph.D.
Nijmegen, The Cognitive Neuroscience,
Department of Netherlands
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre,
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour,
Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Email: j.glennon@cns.umcn.nl

2. “Brooklyn is where I primarily developed. I had an
opportunity to make records and perform in clubs
here and there, and I started networking with the
right people in the right places.”
Busta Rhymes

3. “Brooklyn is where I primarily developed. I had an
opportunity to make records and perform in
clubs here and there, and I started networking with
the right people in the right places.”
Busta Rhymes

4. There is no manual on how to work in
industry unlike in the clinic!

5. At what level can you start to make an industry
network?
There is no starting point. NOW is the time to start!
And YOU have to make the network happen. No-one else.

6. Look for, make and be aware of OPPORTUNITIES

7. “He thinks he can use the jail for networking to
be somebody. In that way, he's always
operating.”
John Leguizamo

8. Know what the goal is:

9. Goals in industry are not the same as in academia
(although you might do the same research for a different
objective!)

10. Drug discovery & development

11. The Pharma R&D Process
Research Program Develop Project Registra Product
ment tion

12. How is industry organised? Proof of
Principle
Example of Pharma R&D Safe drug
candidate
In vivo drug
candidate
In vitro drug
candidate
Verified Hit
Robot ready
assay
Target From Target to Proof of
Principle (POP)

13. Public private partnerships
Dutch-based: TI Pharma, TI-Food & Nutrition, CTTM,
etc.
EU-based: Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)

14. Large Pharma vs. Smaller SMEs
Large pharma: you are one small part of a huge process.
Job stability is good. Previously permanent contracts ..
now usually 2-5 year contracts to start with. However
direction of the company, its structure and content can
change rapidly … reorganisations are the norm (every 3-
5 years) … get used to change …
Smaller SMEs (small medium enterprises): you will be a
bigger fish in a smaller pond; have greater impact (both
for better and worse); can rapidly change direction; small
united teams which are working for each other. Less job
stability unless finances are strong.

15. Examples of large Pharma vs. Smaller SMEs
Large pharma: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Roche,
Novartis, Abbott, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol Myers
Squibb, Otsuka, MSD … are often members of EFPIA
(European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry
Associations) – and thus allowed to be in IMI.
Smaller SMEs (small medium enterprises): there’s a lot ...
A lot of start-up SMEs will fail. Some have been set up by
entrepreneurs, some as spin-outs from academia, some
are more-scientifically led and some more business-led;
you actually need both …
Examples: Octoplus, Synthon,Lead Pharma, MobiHealth,
Metris, Synaptologics … look in the bioscience parks,
e.g. in Leiden and the in Mercator centres (Nijmegen)

16. Moving from academia to industry – what should I
expect? What do they want?
Efficient way of working
Good time management
Good project management
Good oversight
Goal-directed

17. Moving from academia to industry – what should I
expect? What do they want?
Working in teams – using & working with talented people
in other fields – realising that your expertise is important
but only one small part of the bigger picture – swallow
your ego – you won’t achieve very much on your own but
you will if you reach out to individuals outside your
discipline.
You will need to push to develop your industry career as
a postdoc – get to know the managers (both line and
content – and show your unique selling point). The line-
between postdoc and groupleader is not as clear-cut in
industry – opportunity …

18. Interview at industry – what should I expect?
What do they want to hear?
Expect to meet people:
At the same level as your proposed function (your
colleagues … they will want to know – are you a good fit?
Can they work with you?)
Your line and content managers – your potential bosses
Will want to know can you deliver? What are your unique
selling points? What do you bring to THEIR team that is
not already their? How do you add value?
Your colleagues who you will be responsible for – can
you win their trust / respect – demonstrate knowledge
(both content and technical) and listen to what they say.

19. What about the science?
Quality scientifically in industry is very high … as it is in
academia …
But: Be careful of intellectual proprerty issues if you want
to publish and come back to academia.

20. What sort of functions are available in industry?
To give the example of pharma:
In vitro and in vivo pharmacologist, bioinformatician,
biostatisticians, molecular and cellular biologists,
geneticists, biochemists, proteomics, technique based
specialists: mass-spectrometry, NMR specialists, organic
(medicinial) chemists, pharmacokineticists, in vitro and in
vivo toxicologists, data managers, IT support, regulatory
specialists, QA-QC specialists, clinical pharmacologists,
medical doctors, project managers, line managers,
department heads, programme managers, business
developers, patent attorneys, financial officers, etc ….

21. Line versus content management
Line managers, e.g. group leaders / department heads
should have strong people skills …
Be able to
- lead
- motivate
- communicate
- set realistic goals for individuals as well as groups
- have good oversight

22. Content management
Project managers / programme (multiple (usually
linked)projects leading to a research programme)
managers which manage content should have strong
strategic skills
Be able to:
- Focus on key content needs and break it down into
steps to get a project done
- Lead a group in a specific direction
- Work with line managers to get their project running
- Motivate groups
- Goal-directed
- Have good oversight
- Keen sense of strategy
- Be able to work together with finance / legal personnel
to help in getting the project / programme done.

23. Ask yourself – what can I give?
If you see networking with industry / or working
their. Think of trading: ask yourself – what do I and
they gain?
"Nobody talks about entrepreneurship as survival, but
that's exactly what it is and what nurtures creative
thinking. Running that first shop taught me business is
not financial science; it's about trading: buying and
selling.” Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop
Do not be overly analytical about this. Go with your
gut-feeling. Can you work with this person? Do you
trust this person? Surviving in industry depends on
a good network

24. In what context should I network with industry?
- Collaborations
- Consortia
- One-on-one
- Personal grants
Make connections!

25. In what context should I network with industry?
- Collaborations
- Consortia
- One-on-one
- Personal grants
- Organise symposia / workshops together
- Contract work
- Contact both those in- and out-side your professional
area (Public private partnerships offices (IMI, Top
Institutes, Agentschap NL, subsidy & valorisation
officers)

26. VERY IMPORTANT!!!
Have a vision of what your
end-goal should be!
Think how are you going to make
that happen.
*** And if you don’t have the
expertise … find someone who
does … either in your company or
in the network of someone who’s
in your network.

27. Be aware of what your own
motivations are
and what those of others are!
- What do they want?
- If you are going to
successfully work in industry,
give them something they
want!

28. Interconnected
circuits define
traits / functions
These are also
relevant to how
you should
behave in
industry!
Taber et al. Annu. Rev.
Med. 2010. 61:121–33

29. Circuit outlined in
RED mediates
executive functions
such as
organization,
planning, and
attention
Taber et al. Annu. Rev.
Med. 2010. 61:121–33

30. PLAN, DECIDE
and DO!
Taber et al. Annu. Rev.
Med. 2010. 61:121–33

31. Circuit outlined in
BLUE mediates
socially
appropriate
behavior, impulse
control, and
empathy
Taber et al. Annu. Rev.
Med. 2010. 61:121–33

32. JUDGE THE
SITUATION. IS IT
APPROPRIATE
OR NOT? CAN I
HELP? WHAT
DOES THE TEAM
AND MY
COLLEAGUES
NEED TO MOVE
FORWARD?
Taber et al. Annu. Rev.
Med. 2010. 61:121–33

33. Circuit outlined in
GREEN produces
motivation by
balancing the
inhibitory input of
the supplemental
motor area with its
own stimulus that
supports
wakefulness and
arousal
Taber et al. Annu. Rev.
Med. 2010. 61:121–33

34. BE AWARE &
MOTIVATED.
If you are not, your
competition will be!
Taber et al. Annu. Rev.
Med. 2010. 61:121–33

35. E-networking
Myspace, Hyves, Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, Google
Wave, Google Buzz, various
blogging platforms…
Do e-networks work for
industry contacts?
Yes and no. Good for initial
introductions. Personal
contact and trust is far more
powerful.

36. When networking with industry
counterparts: make clear next
steps (otherwise the contact dies)
Don’t end with something vague
… “hey maybe we can help each
other out” … end with a concrete
next step … “let’s meet at 12 next
Tuesday to discuss how to
optimise the proposal for your
manager.”
Make an opportunity to meet and
reinforce the collaboration /
network.

37. If at first, you don’t succeed ….

38. Best of luck with building your industry
network !!

39. Questions / advise: email:
j.glennon@cns.umcn.nl