DEB Career Trajectories

Since the mid-1990's, we've seen DEB students increasingly pursue careers in the biotechnology industry. We have over 300 alumni and about 60% have opted to pursue careers in the private sector, primarily within biotechnology companies, but also in law and consulting. About 40% of DEB alumni have pursued careers in the public sector, which includes work for government research organizations and regulatory agencies, as well as faculty positions at research universities, comprehensive colleges and community colleges. 

DEB training focuses on instilling transferrable professional skills related to biotech leadership, entrepreneurship, project management and scientific communication. There are additional important general skills for CV prep, interviewing and negotiating salary that we touch on lightly, but recommend that students seek out campus resources focused in these areas to prepare for job-seeking.  The Internship and Career Center and GradPathways both offer general skills training and professional development resources that may be helpful.

In addition, national science organizations have developed career exploration resources that can help doctoral students find career niches that suit their interests and maintain professional profiles.  The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) hosts the myIDP career exploration web portal and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) hosts the SciENcv biosketch building platform that is compatible with federal funding agency requirements.