Hosted by Janssen
Describe your experience working with your host.
I was hosted by Janssen’s Immunology Translational Sciences with Dr. Sheng Gao. I met with Sheng one on one every 2 weeks and he set up various informational interviews based on my career interests. We were able to follow-up after my informational interviews to discuss and expand on what I learned and he was very willing to answer all of my questions and give me tips for future interviews. He was an amazing host.
What did you learn from this opportunity (about yourself, about career fields, the job search, etc.)?
Going into this experience, I knew that I wanted to enter industry following my PhD. I learned about future career paths after joining as a scientist and ways to navigate away from bench science and into other areas of the biotech industry. I also learned and greatly improved my ability to network and do informational interviews.
How does your CEF experience benefit your future career plans?
The CEF expanded my professional network and made me more confident in reaching out to individuals in other companies. This will hopefully help me in finding a job after I finish my degree.
What was the most valuable part of your CEF experience?
For my final CEF interview, Sheng met the director of gene therapy (my field) within Janssen and was able to set up a meeting for us! I was then able to reconnect with the director at a conference in person a few weeks later. This was such a valuable connection to form and I was so surprised and impressed with how well this came together!
Top reason PhD students should apply to the CEF:
Getting comfortable networking and practicing what questions to ask in informational interviews! The CEF was a truly valuable experience and I highly recommend!
