In the spring of 2022, 34 PhD students from a range of academic disciplines at Penn participated virtually in Career Services’ PhD Career Exploration Fellowship (CEF) program, where they were matched with a host organization to learn about different careers beyond the professoriate. Lenitza M. Nieves López, a PhD candidate in Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, was placed as a Fellow with Janssen’s Immunology Translational Sciences team. Read about Lenitza’s experience in the CEF below!
Describe your experience working with your host:
During my initial meeting with my host, Sheng Gao, from Janssen Immunology Translational Sciences, we discussed my interests, career plans, and expectations from the program. He then scheduled at least 6 informational interviews with scientists in different roles within Janssen that matched my career interests. We also had bi-weekly meetings where we would discuss the informational interviews and my career plans and how to achieve them. My host was great! I am very grateful for this experience and his commitment to the program!
What did you learn from this opportunity (about yourself, about career fields, the job search, etc.)?
Before starting the fellowship, I knew I wanted a career in the pharmaceutical industry but did not know much about the different non-traditional roles for PhDs. By meeting with several scientists at Janssen, all with different roles and career paths, I was able to learn more about their careers, how their roles contributed to the company’s projects, and their unique career paths.
How does your CEF experience benefit your future career plans?
The CEF workshops provided me the necessary skills to advance my job search, improve my resume, networking skills (in person and through LinkedIn), and better market my multidisciplinary background. Through the informational interviews with different scientist at Janssen and the weekly meetings with my host, I learned which skills where most important to succeed in a career in industry and how to better develop them.
What was the most valuable part of your CEF experience?
The most valuable part of my CEF experience was learning more about how to conduct informational interviews and how beneficial this can be when exploring careers. I learned that most scientists in the pharmaceutical industry are open and willing to share their experiences and career paths. This experience also expanded my network since some of the scientists I met through the program connected me to additional colleagues who shared my career interests.
Top reason PhD students should apply to the CEF:
The CEF is an excellent opportunity to learn more about a career outside of academia. Whether you are unsure or want to learn more about a career path, this program is excellent. The informational interviews are a great way to learn more about non-traditional PhD roles and improve your networking skills. In addition, the workshops offered through CEF are very helpful in helping you reflect about your career paths and how to better market your skills and background when searching for your next step in your career. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this great program! I highly recommend it!
