Career exploration initiative bridges academia and industry options
This business trip is an important part of the Center’s outreach and engagement with external stakeholders.
“I think it's good to expose ourselves to different sectors in science because life as a scientist in academia can be very different from life as a scientist in industry or government.”
For Parkesh Suseendran, a Ph.D. student in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and nineteen of his fellow graduate students and postdoctoral associates, they got to experience this firsthand as participants in the Translational Plant Sciences Center’s (TPSC) Career Exploration Initiative.
“I think most grad students don't get to see that difference firsthand like we were able to on these tours,” Suseendran said.
Academia offers the opportunity for pursuing research, but it is not the only avenue that leads to such an end. Many private companies and governmental agencies provide a variety of opportunities for research that may be just as impactful as a university setting.
The career exploration initiative included three private companies and one governmental agency in North Carolina.
“We wanted a diverse selection of tours, so we chose a big company, two startups, and one government organization that fall under the umbrella of plant and biotechnology research,” said Joseph Taylor, Ph.D. candidate in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences who was one of the initiative organizers. The group toured four facilities and spoke with employees to gain a sense of what working in each environment might be like.
“What I found most valuable were the career panels that some of the companies organized for us,” Taylor said. “They generally consisted of several employees in various areas of expertise and career journeys. We were able to ask questions about how to stand out when applying for jobs, and about the differences between working at different types of companies, or internship and collaboration opportunities.”
The companies visited included the following:
Syngenta United States, a 136,000-square-foot facility that includes an acre under glass for the discovery and development of biotech seed technologies
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service, which looks for solutions to global agricultural challenges
Oerth Bio, which researches proteins in plants for sustainability
Verb Biotics, which researches microbiome health
The career exploration initiative has been an annual trip dating back to before the center was created in 2021. This year Taylor, Suseendran, and Ph.D. student Keely Beard, were the organizers. In an effort to expose the center community to a variety of industries and regions, each year the sites are different and often decided by geographic location and type of industry.
“Our students and postdoctoral associates were able to learn about cutting-edge equipment, technologies, and facilities that could be leveraged for TPSC’s research, education, and outreach,” said David Schmale, center director and a professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. “They also discussed plans and strategies for advancing the translational aspects of our center.”
“This business trip is an important part of our center’s outreach and engagement with external stakeholders,” said Schmale, who is also an affiliate with the Fralin Life Sciences Institute.
Not only did the exploration initiative provide a career development opportunity, but it also provided an opportunity to cultivate relationships with Virginia Tech alumni and researchers with similar interests. According to Taylor, Zachary Shea ‘22 helped coordinate the USDA ARS visit, and Nina Wilson ‘17 assisted with Verb Biotics. There were several alumni at Syngenta who were also helpful.
Although the career exploration initiative provides glimpses down possible paths for graduate and Ph.D. students about to launch their own careers, the tours also provide insights into the skills needed for each path.
This proves to be just as helpful to those just beginning their graduate programs.
"I thought that the industry trip was very helpful, especially for me at the start of my Ph.D. program,” said Peter Forstner in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. “It was good to hear directly from professionals what lab techniques are in demand in industry so that I know what skills to work on. Besides just lab techniques, it was helpful to hear what other qualities and soft skills make for good candidates. It was also interesting to learn about the wide range of potential applications in which a Ph.D. in plant science could be used.”