Career Advice

At the 2025 Society for Neuroscience , ALA BioPharma Hosted a Satellite Session that was geared toward scientists looking for work in these very uncertain times. At the start of my career, I had a great deal of freedom conferred to me by my mentors, who held the door wide open for me and many others in Drug Discovery by supporting our own labs and fostering collaboration across internal and external academic and NIH labs. I have done, and will continue to do my best to pay this support forward. I know that my other panelists feel the same way.

Dr. Cooper shared her journey from mouse to human and from opioid to cannabinoid research, zigzagging among multiple points in the US. Dr. Compton discussed how he accidentally fell from Pharmacology into Toxicology, now a scientific leader in this space. Dr White spoke on his path from Spanish to Pharmacology to NIH section leader, and Dr. Smith spoke on the ins and outs of a Molecular Biophysics to Psychiatry Career in Academia to Industry. Dr. Calderon-Gutkind walked us through her career from Clinical Pharmacy to Chemistry to FDA Pharmacologist. Dr. Elmore discussed his path from academic to industry radiochemistry across the Atlantic. Dr. Rocha showed her path through 3 continents, from Medicine/Anesthesiology to Research Pharmacology to Regulatory Affairs.

I’d like to summarize some of the key points from our speakers:

• A career is a journey that doesn’t necessarily moves in a straight line.

• Do what you love but be open to something that you might love even more.

• Be an Independent Decision-Maker.

• Don’t hold yourself back or allow others to do so.

• Actively seek Collaborations and Partnerships, and they will find you.

• Make your own path – you can’t expect it to be there waiting for you.

• Get to Know your Global Colleagues and work with them when feasible.

• Do not underestimate the importance of Training and Experience.

• Network, Network (also, Network)

• Publish ~ Your career progresses best by clearly communicating your work.

• Take Chances. The worst that can happen is that you LEARN from it.

• A PhD or MD is not the end of the line, unless you want it to be!

• You can’t plan for every bump in the road, but you can always prepare for opportunities.

• Oftentimes, it’s a matter of Chance (and you will be ok with that).

• Science is Science There is nothing to stop you from moving from Bioscience to Astrophysics, for example, and vice versa!

• We believe in Science. We believe in YOU!