iJOBS Blog

By Chris Lowe Kenilworth, NJ – On April 29, 2015 30 iJOBS participants from both Newark and New Brunswick campuses had the opportunity to tour Merck’s Kenilworth facility and learn from a panel of experts from many different walks throughout the company. The theme of the day was “A view from inside pharmaceutical development: perspective on career paths” and it certainly delivered on both counts.

As part of the iJOBS Career Panel Series, on April 14^th 2015, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Biogen and NPR sponsored the Scientific Writing and Journalism career panel held at Rutgers University, Newark campus. I was excited from the moment I found out about this event. Science communication is something that has always been in the back of my mind, but I didn’t quite know how to pursue it. Writing about science for the general public is something that you are not trained for during graduate school, not even while you are a postdoc, unless you learn it on your own.

With the successful first year of the Rutgers Interdisciplinary Job Opportunities for Biomedical Scientists (RU iJOBS) coming to a close, one of the events I wanted to commemorate was the very first iJOBS Annual Symposium held last April 20, 2015 at the Busch Student Center in Piscataway.

On Tuesday April 21^st 2015, iJOBS and BioNJ sponsored the Life Sciences Talent Network Career Fair at Rutgers University, Piscataway. More than 30 companies were represented and I was there, early in the morning. It was my first attendance to a job fair ever! I was more excited than nervous. This was the opportunity to really make sure I connected with people and companies that I am interested in, and to make sure that my resume ended up in their hands.

When we attended the iJOBS informational meeting, one of the main things Dr. Alder drew our attention to was the mysterious SciPhD program. We knew the dates and times, and that somehow the program would benefit us. When registration opened, all 70 spots were filled, despite the multiple Monday night/all-day Sunday schedule and no promise of free coffee. I’m not sure what everyone expected of the program, but my friends and I prepared mentally for 40 hours of unremitting lecture.