How to find your place in science through an industry postdoc

Three researchers talk about life in companies and the key to unlocking opportunities

Nature’s 2023 survey of postdoctoral researchers identified a notable gap between industry and academia. Although industry postdocs remain in the minority — only 7% of the 3,838 respondents from around the world reported working in an industrial setting — they reported greater satisfaction and tended to be better compensated. Nearly one-quarter of postdocs in industry reported annual earnings of between US$80,000 and $110,000, compared with just 5% of their academic counterparts.

Whereas global companies such as Google, Honda and Coca-Cola all have postdocs on the payroll, it is pharmaceutical and life-science companies that have been especially eager to embrace this group as part of their workforce. AstraZeneca, for example, employs more than 120 postdocs in 3-year positions across its research and design centres in the United States, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Industry postdocs can learn fresh skills and explore new scientific targets — with some corporate restrictions — and the companies get eager workers who can make important advances in basic science.

Nature spoke to three postdocs who work at large pharmaceutical and life-science companies: Genentech, Merck and AstraZeneca. Although the transition from academia to industry isn’t always easy, and the next step isn’t always apparent, all agree that these positions provided invaluable experience.

ANNIE WOOLVEN: Big company, big opportunities

Systems biologist at AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.

Annie Woolven says a postdoc at AstraZeneca has opened the door to new opportunities.Credit: AstraZeneca

During graduate school at the University of Birmingham, UK, I used analytical chemistry to study metabolomics and metabolism. Among other things, I looked at metabolites in human tears.

That work was interesting, but I never really felt that academia was right for me. Teaching, grant writing, managing other people — there was a lot that wasn’t related to science. I hadn’t necessarily planned to do a postdoc position, but I came across this project at AstraZeneca in Cambridge, UK, that really spoke to me. Because it involved moving from metabolomics to systems biology, I knew that I would gain many new skills. And it would let me see if industry was a good place to do my science.

As a postdoc in the clinical pharmacology and safety sciences division, I’m not involved with pipeline work. AstraZeneca expects us to publish at least two articles in high-quality publications during our time here, so everything has to be releasable to the public. I’m on track to meet those expectations. I have one draft in the works, and I’ll start another paper after I finish some data analysis.

There are advantages to working in a large company. I can learn from people in different parts of the firm; we have Friday talks where in-house researchers from all around the business discuss their projects. But it’s not just about research. People come here to talk about law, policy and entrepreneurship. I’m personally becoming interested in science communication. I know the communications team would answer my questions and help me to explore that career option. If there’s another part of the company that I think is more interesting, I could just get a coffee with someone. I don’t think that could happen in academia.

I led the start up of a focus group of people who work in multi-omics in AstraZeneca. At first it was just postdocs, but it now includes people with other positions in the company. We also invite academics to talk about their multi-omics work. At any stage of your career, building those sorts of network can be helpful.

I’m well-funded and taken care of. I have support when I need it throughout the company, and I’m able to focus on just my research. I have a standard working week. After working practically 24/7 on my PhD thesis, it’s a welcome change of pace.

My three-year contract ends in April 2025. I’m not sure where I’ll be next, but I want to stay in industry. For me, a postdoctoral position outside academia was definitely the right choice.

JOE PARRY: Building a fresh toolkit

Organic chemist at Merck, Rahway, New Jersey.

Joe Parry has become interested in process chemistry during his postdoc at Merck.Credit: Merck Sharp & Dohme

Near the end of my time in graduate school at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, I started craving a change in environment. Up until that point, I had only really known life in academia, where I studied organometallic chemistry. I thought that trying something different would be a great opportunity to stretch myself, personally and professionally. It was the first time in my life that I didn’t have the next several years completely mapped out, which was scary.

I saw that Merck was offering a postdoc position in Rahway, New Jersey, that was loosely related to some of the skills that I had developed at graduate school. I could tell that there was potential for me to gain skill sets. I had never used an ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry machine until I started at Merck. Now it’s a standard tool for my research. The chance to explore different ways to tackle problems was exciting to me. When I reflect on my day-to-day life now, it looks completely different from two years ago.

During my two years at Merck, I’ve become interested in process chemistry, which involves finding practical and efficient ways to produce newly discovered compounds. Using high-throughput experimentation, I can develop innovative approaches to tough problems in chemistry. I hope to continue exploring process chemistry in my next position, hopefully in industry.

I value the community and collaborative environment at Merck. Postdocs here are embedded in research teams, and there’s no project that’s off limits. Postdocs are often given exploratory projects with the hope that the methods they develop will eventually be helpful for developing profitable pharmaceuticals and other compounds.

There’s a misconception that postdocs in industry aren’t able to publish papers, because they’re too busy working on company secrets. In fact, we’re encouraged to publish. Merck recognizes that publishing our work helps to facilitate exchanges with outside researchers and is important for our career development. I have a couple of manuscripts in the works, but it’s too early to discuss the details.