Director of Pre-Clinical Innovation
I am a research scientist who oversees the development of new drugs / therapeutics for rare diseases.
Career Roadmap
Day to Day
I spend about 80% of my day in front of the computer. That time includes analyzing data from research studies, reading scientific literature to think about future experiments and research direction, and generating presentations to summarize data and facilitate conversations with my colleagues and external collaborators. About 20% of my day is spent on the phone managing staff at companies that are running our studies or speaking with my colleagues or collaborators.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Education first, then, start with internships and informational interviews. Before you start job seeking, contact people who have positions you think you might be interested in, now or 30 years from now. Ask them about their jobs and career paths. Do internships, even if just over each summer, to test the waters in a real-life setting and to start gaining experience and building your network. Finally, have experienced eyes critique your resume and don't be afraid to apply.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took: