Name: Jan Lui (he/him)
PhD: Biomedical Sciences/Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, 2011
What was your main area of research?
PhD: I studied human neocortex development, and how molecular and cellular mechanisms that distinguish it from the mouse could explain our large brain size.
Postdoc: I studied how the activity of cortical neuron cell types contribute to different behavioral task signals, linking molecular and systems neuroscience.
What is your current job?
I am an Associate Director at BioMarin Pharmaceutical in San Rafael, CA.
I lead a drug program for a rare genetic epilepsy/intellectual disability and leverage external collaborations to move the drug program along to the clinic. I am accountable for managing the scientific activities, the budget, and communication throughout the company to ensure that everything is in place to put the drug into people, and that the eventual product is commercially viable.
The best part of my job is that the drug I am making has the potential to seriously transform the lives of some very disabled kids.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
I talked to an old friend who began working there. He referred me through the system, and advocated for me to be hired.
PhD graduate ➡️ 3 year postdoc in PhD lab ➡️ 6 year postdoc in new lab ➡️ Senior Scientist at BioMarin ➡️ now
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia? Was this a difficult decision or one you felt came easily?
I was not successful in finding an academic position, and it was a very difficult decision at the time to feel "stuck" looking for industry jobs in the Bay Area because I was geographically restricted. In hindsight, this switch opened up an entirely new dimension to my life and learning. There are many frustrations in industry, but I love the core of the job. I make drugs that help really sick people with rare diseases have better lives.
What are three pieces of advice you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
Be confident that your rigorous scientific training and presentation skills will translate to any situation outside of academia where you need to be logical, critical, and have good judgment.
Be aware that industry is a combination of being a business and altruism. There are a lot of non-scientific things that have to support the work, and so a general understanding of how companies operate to make a profit and make a product is useful.
Shallow connections are not so helpful, but people who you really know well at the company can tell you a lot about the inner workings of the job, and what is being looked for. This is going to be different on a case by case basis.