Senior Scientist Encourages You to Start the Job Search Early

Name: Pietro Cocchiara (he/him)

PhD: Molecular Pharmacology, University of Glasgow, 2024

What was your main area of research?

My area of research was drug discovery. I was trying to understand if a specific hormone called adrenomedullin, that we produce naturally in our body, is able to interact with a specific protein called CXCR4. This could help in understanding how to possibly treat diseases that are caused by an increased production of CXCR4/adrenomedullin (in particular immune system related diseases)

What is your current job?

I am a Senior Cellular Pharmacology Scientist at Sygnature Discovery in Glasgow, Scotland.

I work with clients who ask our company to carry out specific experiments or generate cell lines to use, since we have the experience and the expertise to do so. I also take part in some internal research and development projects, mostly for assay development. I manage scientists and coordinate projects, as well as lab maintenance. I also write research proposals and business proposals for clients to satisfy their goal.

The best part is learning something new constantly and being exposed to many different projects.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

I found it online, I applied and after a few rounds of interviews, I got the job! I looked at the company website regularly to see if there were new openings.

PrePhD research assistant ➡️ PhD researcher ➡️ Postdoc ➡️ Senior Scientist

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

It was a hard decision.

What pushed me away from it was the need of publishing to (hopefully) arrive at a permanent position at some point in the future and the constant anxiety of getting grants to pursue your research.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

Networking is important. Knowing the right people and coming from famous labs can help you to land a job in industry.
Think about what to do after your PhD before it ends, because it takes up to a year to find a job outside academia.
The earlier you leave academia, the easier it is to get accepted in industry, with better career prospects, rather than spending years and years as a postdoc before moving away from academia.

Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?

I am an expat, so the ability to travel and change many places helped me in boosting my career.