Recently accepted a job offer and am starting next week! I was lucky enough to be sitting on four job offers last week after leaving my startup job because we ran out of money and weren't paying ourselves a salary.

For background, I am a BioML Scientist/Engineer who did a wet lab PhD that I finished in 2025. Worked a part time job in bioinformatics during my first two years of PhD (not much coding/engineering work tbh) which was my only dry lab experience. The rest of my job experience pre-PhD was wet lab R&D and Tech R&D in cell and gene therapy companies.

Became really excited about the market towards the end of my PhD and just did a bunch of projects with LLMs and open-source Bio/Chem models then networked a ton.

Started my last position and just hammered out a ton of work in AI engineering for scientific agents, created a foundation model for hit discovery, and a few other projects in just over a year.

Interviewed at exactly 37 companies over 3.5 months and made it to the final round for 9. Positions ranged from ML Researcher to ML Engineer to AI Engineer and a handful of Product Engineer and Product Manager roles.

All were through applications with no warm intros. Saw that there is a ton of demand across all sizes of companies for these skills. Interviewed at top 5 pharma all the way to brand new startups.

Keep applying and hoping! I will probably make another post about compensation, interview breakdown, etc if there is interest

I heard today that JLabs in San Diego is going to close at an event today. Anyone else have more info?

I applied to a scientist role at Pfizer, got the screening interview and now they sent me an AI fluency exam through their AI recruiting tool. Has anyone done this? The screening interview didn’t go that well, I was missing some of the experience they wanted. I haven’t heard anything back until this. It feels like they want free labor to train the AI tool on my approach to science even though I didn’t make it to the next round.

I am an American in my early 30s with an MSc in biology (molbio) from a European university. Lived in Europe for an additional 3 years after getting my degree and got a bit of work experience as a lead biotechnologist at a biotech startup, where I designed and executed experiments to improve the yield of a bacterial product. I then got a temp QC lab tech job at a chemical company in another European country. I had moved to that country for my partner and found that the job market was dead, so I had to take whatever I could find.

After the temp job ended and my relationship also ended, I spent a few months job searching there and found almost no job openings to even apply for, so I decided to cut my losses and move back to the U.S., living with family temporarily. But I honestly don't even know what to apply for. I worked for years as a technical writer before getting my MSc, and then I have about 2 yrs combined experience in biotech R&D and quality control post-master's. I've already sent out almost 200 apps for random jobs in QC, biotech R&D, and technical writing, but no interviews except a phone screening for a scammy job at Eurofins that doesn't pay a living wage. I have made it very clear on my resume that I am a U.S. citizen and don't require sponsorship. But I am also applying almost exclusively to jobs out of state because there's nothing in my immediate area and I can't afford to move without a job lined up, so that can't be helping.

Any advice? I just need a paycheck and stability right now so I can start to get my life back on track. I feel very lost and hopeless. I often feel like I ruined my life by choosing a field with few and low-paying jobs, then made it worse by moving around Europe for my partner and not being able to build solid work experience.

Hello,

I don't know if this is the right place to post this. I just started working for Natera and was supposed to be hired as a clinical data operator (checked all the contracts and offer letter I signed to make sure it was stated). After orientation and on the first day I was assigned as a runner and have been doing runner tasks. I asked my supervisor and he said that I was assigned runner and to ask HR.

I don't know how to approach this properly. I don't want to lose the job or ruin my chances of becoming a permanent employee even if I'm no longer able to be a CDO right from the jump.

Hi everyone! I graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry in May 2026, and today I had my first interview since then, for an entry-level Associate Scientist role at a process chemistry company. I’d love some outside perspective.

How it went:

• It was a video call with a scientist from the team. A second team member joined but mostly listened.
• She spent about 15 minutes presenting the company.
• Then I had about 15 minutes to present my undergrad research (a multistep organic synthesis project) and discuss it.
• She asked me 3 questions, mostly about troubleshooting I did in my project and about reagent safety. I felt good about my answers.
• At the end, they asked if I had questions. Honestly, I was nervous and only asked whether there would be a follow-up. She said the next step would be an in-person interview, about half a day, and that they’d reach out within a week.
• I sent a short thank-you email the same afternoon.

My questions for you:

1. Is it a good sign that she described the next round, or do interviewers say that to everyone?
2. I didn’t ask any real questions at the end. How much does that hurt?
3. What usually happens in a half-day on-site for an entry-level chemistry role? Lab tour, more presentations, meeting the team, technical questions?
4. If I don’t hear back within a week, when and how should I follow up?
5. Any general tips for someone fresh out of school going into their first on-site?

Thanks in advance. I’d appreciate any advice!

To those of our compatriots in Europe, how is the job market in Europe, specifically for Regulatory affairs? I know the world economy is exploding, but are you happy with your career and the type of work you do over there?

What are they building out there in Des Plaines, Illinois?

What do they do?

Why are they building it?

What's their process like?

Any construction updates for their new site?

Thanks all

Anyone here work in Process Improvement? I just discovered this as a job function. I've been targetting project manager roles but my experience is more closely related to just fixing broken systems because I absolutely hate inefficiency. I didnt realize this was an actual job because it's something I just naturally do.

I noticed that most process improvement jobs are in manufacturing (with lean six sigma certs usually) but I never worked in GMP, barely even touched GLP. My background is research and analytical assay development (non-PhD).

Has anyone worked in Process Improvement for research or preclinical/early stage operations? Do these jobs even exist? If they do, can I pick your brain on how to position myself for these roles? I'm not opposed to getting a six sigma certification but I'm not sure how useful it would actually be, especially because I have an MBA, and I dont plan to work in manufacturing.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

Looking for some advice on how to handle two opportunities in parallel.

* Option A (CRO): Recruiter reached out saying they are prepping paperwork and will send a formal written offer tomorrow afternoon.

* Option B (Big Pharma): Final interview is scheduled for this Friday for a Senior role.

The Big Pharma Senior position is definitely my top choice, but I want to keep the CRO offer strategically as a solid backup without risking losing it.

A few questions for anyone who has navigated a similar situation:

1. Stalling Strategy: How many days can I realistically extend the offer review process after I receive it tomorrow without appearing uncooperative or playing games?

2. Notifying the Recruiter: Should I email my recruiter for the Big Pharma role before Friday's interview to let them know I have an incoming offer, or bring it up right after the interview?

3. Title vs. Pay vs. Commute Trade-offs: The Big Pharma role comes with a Senior title, whereas the CRO offer is non-senior / standard level. Big pharma role is 6 figures (120k) 15 minute commute the CRO is 85k 10 minute commute, confirmed hybrid.

Appreciate any advice!

Hi!
Was wondering if anyone had any tips or insights from their experience with Merck’s interviews for postdoc positions.
Would also love to know how you found working at Merck if you’re willing to share as well :)
Thank you!

hi, i get my pfizer panel interview for the R&D program next week; i am a post-grad with a background fully on wet-lab. any tips for the interviews? any suggestions on how telling them my story? i am the first of my family to go through all of this job market and that is one of my very first corporate interviews :)

Curious whether anyone who's been laid off has used this strategy. Given the current market, is it advisable for someone with 5-10 years of Pharma experience across R&D and Clinical Research to take a contractor role? I've heard many stories of people getting hit up on LinkedIn with contract roles (myself included) that pay anywhere from $40-$50/hour for what should be at least a $ 125K+ position (if it were an FTE). I have a couple of friends mulling over offers, given they've been searching for 6+ months. Granted, both are closer to 10 years of experience and were previously making well over that amount ($150K+). I know the market is terrible, but is this what it has come to? On the flip side, they've both been rejected from other FTE roles and been labeled as "over-qualified" by recruiters. Fun times!

Hello everyone. I am 18 and it is my last year of highschool. I was considering industrial biotechnology as my collage major. I wanted to get some insight regarding job opportunities and the sector overall. Thank you

Hi everyone,

I left academia two years ago when funding ran out right as I was finishing my postdoc. Since then, I’ve been applying for jobs daily. I’ve had numerous interviews and repeatedly made it to the final stage, only to get rejected at the very end.

Frankly, I feel like I'm losing my mind. I’m in my mid-30s, my savings are gone, side gigs are tough to come by, and I’m back living with my parents. As a bench scientist, I worry my lab skills are rusting, it’s been so long since I’ve been in a lab that my confidence in basic bench work is shaken.

I’ve also tried pivoting into other areas like Medical Affairs. I’ve had several final-round interviews there too, but the result is always the same: final round, then rejection.

I try to stay current in my field, but the constant uncertainty makes me question if continuing down this path is still worth it. I’m working out, going to therapy, and on medication, but it’s hard to pull yourself out of a hole when every effort feels like a dead end.

I don't know what else to do or how much longer I can sustain this. I’d really appreciate any advice, perspective, or honest feedback from those who have been through similar post-academic job searches. Please be kind.

I am currently a Postdoc, and interviewing for a contract position at Sanofi (6 month with possible extension to 1 year). Is it ok to take a contract position? What are the chances of finding something permanent at Sanofi after a contract position? Thanks!

Hey all!

I wanted to share my experience searching for jobs as an international PhD grad.
A bit of context: My research spans the domains of protein dynamics, antibody modelling and engineering and more recently, the application of ML/AI methods to solve problems in drug discovery. I was lucky enough to do two internships during my PhD at big pharma so that gave me an advantage in building contacts in the industry.

I have been applying seriously for the last 5 months: basically tailoring my resume and cover letter to every job, reaching out to HMs on LinkedIn, and getting referrals from folks who work at the company.

I have applied to roughly 150 different roles across big pharma, startups and other biotech/AI companies with the above means, and I got the HR/HM screen for about 15 different positions. I advanced to the panel interview stage at 4 places and got one offer: a postdoc position at Amgen.

I was wondering what the typical conversion rate is for a postdoc at Amgen to a full-time position, and whether I should keep applying to other positions in the meantime. Also, how can I convert my panel interviews into actual offers? Thanks!