By Anna Tassou
Business Development (BD) professionals help the pharmaceutical and biotech industries stay at the cutting edge of research by determining which technologies are worth acquiring or selling. Rutgers iJOBS hosted a panel on December 10th, 2025, featuring PhD scientists who have transitioned from the bench to business development. Each panelist shared their unique trajectory into business development, the realities of their day-to-day roles, and offered practical advice for students interested in pursuing careers in business development. This blog gathers the panelists’ insights and highlights the key takeaways for PhD trainees considering a future in BD.
Nicole Vega-Cotto, PhD, a Business Development Manager at Evotec, earned her PhD in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry from Rutgers University, where she also participated in the iJOBS program. Early in her career, a GenScript recruiter contacted her about a Technical Account Manager position. Although she is very passionate about teaching and originally imagined a career centered on teaching, she discovered an unexpected passion for business development. She, however, still loves teaching at Union County College and continues to do so on the side.
Dr. Vega-Cotto described her role as a technical account manager as a combination of sales and science. She reviewed incoming scientific project requests, evaluated and generated quotes, to support life science researchers. She mentions that the transition involves a steep learning curve, but she quickly adapted and became interested in the rapidly evolving world of technology. After two years, she transitioned into business development at Evotec, where Business Development (BD) executives are typically responsible for strengthening partnerships, supporting conferences, generating and qualifying leads, and assisting clients in navigating Evotec’s drug discovery capabilities. Now, as BD manager, her work includes managing a sales pipeline and driving new business while expanding the company’s presence across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Her work involves constant networking at regional biotech events and national conferences, as well as managing the full sales cycle, from confidentiality agreements and proposals to statements of work. She regularly leads scientific discussions with prospective partners, hosts scientific lunch-and-learns, incubator office hours, and lab tours, and participates in matrix collaboration across different internal teams.
Her advice for breaking into the Business Development field was to be genuine and believe in the technology that you are “selling”. Understand your market, clients, and competitors. Be persistent; many connections take time to nurture, and contracts often take longer to finalize. Be prepared for travel, which requires effective time management. More importantly, “Build and expand your network, and don’t be afraid to leverage it!”
Shan Wan, PhD, Business Development Transactions at GSK, earned her PhD in Molecular Biosciences from Rutgers. Dr. Wan’s entry into BD began during her graduate school years through a Tech Transfer Internship at Rutgers, where she gained knowledge of patent law and business development negotiations. She later became a Licensing Assistant at Princeton University and returned to Rutgers as a Licensing Associate and, later, Assistant Director of BD while earning her MBA. She later moved into industry, first joining Century Therapeutics as Senior Director of BD and now serves as Director BD (Transactions) at GSK.
As director of Business Development (BD) for Transactions at GSK, Dr. Wan’s role centers on leading deals, including drafting term sheets, negotiating with partners, and ultimately closing the deal, while also co-leading due diligence efforts alongside the company’s search and evaluation teams. Her daily work involves close collaboration with legal and commercial colleagues within a tightly coordinated deal team, as well as extensive input from subject-matter experts to review and negotiate deal terms. She emphasized that her transition to a large pharmaceutical company involves internal negotiation, which accounts for more than half of the total negotiation process. The transaction work tends to come in waves, with periods of intense activity followed by less intense periods, requiring flexibility and strong time management.
Her advice for scientists aspiring to transition into a Business Development career is to find an internship opportunity to get hands-on experience. There is no formal training for BD; however, business and legal education, as well as relevant work experience, can be beneficial. Additionally, she recommends attending local BD-related networking events and considering alternative career paths, such as R&D, consulting, or finance, to facilitate a smooth transition into a BD role.
The next speaker, Nihar Kinarivala, PhD, Associate Director, Business Development Search & Evaluation at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), earned his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Texas Tech University and completed his postdoctoral training in oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering. He transitioned into management consulting, where he worked with biotech and life-science companies on drug pricing and early-stage clinical strategy, which then led to a BD role at BMS. His first role at BMS involved reviewing portfolios and allocating resources across programs, and he later joined the Search & Evaluation team.
He emphasized the importance of networking and advised approaching people with the mindset of wanting to learn something from them, for example, by understanding what their day-to-day role entails, rather than just contacting them to ask for a referral. He highlighted the importance of gaining hands-on experience, such as an internship or part-time role, to build expertise before transitioning to a Business Development role. As an international scientist, he also provided valuable guidance for other international scientists, for example, getting an idea of a company’s sponsorship timeline and prioritizing those discussions early on in the interview process, as well as figuring out which companies and which roles might be willing to sponsor a visa, which is where networking and interacting with others in the field is essential.
Dr. Kinarivala also talked about the transferable skills a PhD can offer when transitioning to a Business Development role. However, he pointed out the importance of gaining an understanding of the financial aspects of drugs when coming from a bench background. He mentioned that he took Coursera courses to get an idea and highlighted the importance of putting effort into determining what would be required for the role one is pursuing. This includes creating a resume and career profile that better fits that role, ensuring you have the right mindset and skill set.
The last panelist, Arnab China, PhD, works as a Business Development Manager at InSphero. Dr. China earned his MS/PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He held research roles at Thermo Fisher and Carisma Therapeutics before transitioning to Business Development. He now works at InSphero as BD Manager, where his role blends scientific discussion with commercial strategy. He mentioned that his day-to-day work revolves around delivering scientific presentations, consulting with pharmaceutical and biotech clients, helping coordinate projects between U.S. and Swiss scientists, and fostering long-term partnerships.
He emphasized that working as a BD manager at a startup often requires wearing many hats, from scientific strategy to customer engagement. He often must communicate with his colleagues in Switzerland and then coordinate the project between his clients and the scientific team. Therefore, he emphasized the importance of multitasking and mastering one's work. His role involves significant travel, as many, but not all, BD roles do. However, he also emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between pleasure and work travel. He also works from home most of the time, which he admits has been a bit difficult for him as a very social person. Therefore, it is essential to consider all these factors when transitioning from the bench. In addition, Dr. China shares a passion for mentoring and has been connected to many scientists worldwide through a non-profit organization called STEM Peers. This has nurtured his love for mentoring younger scientists, while also helping him with networking. One of the important takeaways from Dr. China is “Sales is not about pushing; it’s about listening”.
The iJOBS seminar concluded with a Q&A session. Here are some of the highlights:
Q: Most of the speakers had received additional education, for example, in finance (MBA). So, which came first: choosing a field and pursuing the appropriate education, or getting an education first, which then led to their current position?
A: The panelists agreed that choosing the field should come first. None of them pursued an additional degree before entering business development. Instead, they explored BD through internships, consulting experiences, or on-the-job exposure, and only later sought additional education or training to strengthen their skill set. Overall, they emphasized that a PhD equips scientists with the ability to learn quickly and develop critical thinking, making it easier to pick up financial or business concepts once the career direction becomes clear.
Q: What are the entry-level roles that are appropriate for PhD grads to be considered if they are interested in working in a similar area/company?
A: While entry-level Business Development roles in bigger pharma companies are rare, the panel highlighted several accessible starting positions for post-PhD scientists. These include roles such as Technical Account Manager, Licensing Assistant/Associate, and Application Scientist, all of which offer sales experience alongside a strong scientific background. Many BD professionals also begin their careers in R&D or management consulting roles, then transition internally or externally as they gain more experience in business development.
Q: Do you miss academia with wet lab work, or is your current position your real passion?
A: No! All panelists expressed that they do not necessarily miss bench work because they still deeply engage with science through discussions, evaluating mechanisms of action, scientific presentations, or partnership development and networking.
This article was edited by Junior Editor Janaina Cruz Pereira and Senior Editor Joycelyn Radeny.