Jobs
High-Tech Biology
10/03/11 14:35 Filed in: GenomeWeb Daily Scan
Paul Krugman of The New York Times wrote that many jobs for recent college grads are being rendered "obsolete" by advances in technology. Blogger Mike the Mad Biologist envisions that with increasing automation there will be less opportunities for researchers involved in data generation, but more need for those with informatics training on data data analysis. S. Pelech comments that Biology has been primarily a descriptive science and the sequencing of genomes and determination of the 3D structures of the proteins encoded by their genes has really just carried on this tradition. However, he envisions that we are at the brink of a major paradigm shift in which molecular and cellular biology are on the verge of becoming much more constructive and predictive, and this will spur on innovation and creativity that can truly transform health care and many diverse industries including those for food, clothing, shelter and energy production. Such a biorevolution will be achieved by a work force of scientists that will require a lot more training than what we actually typically offer today. Read More...
A Return to Decency
20/05/11 23:57 Filed in: GenomeWeb Daily Scan
William Deresiewicz at The Nation wrote that because there are too many PhDs for the number of academic jobs available, they are "cheaper to hire and easier to fire, and save institutions money. Dr. Deresiewicz suggests that tenured professors need to speak out and spear-head initiatives to create better opportunities for new faculty with longer term prospects. S. Pelech comments that it is untenable that university or government lab positions could or should be available for the vast majority, and that industry has to be able to employ these highly trained and skilled individuals. Academic institutes and government agencies should be facilitating the ability of entrepreneurial professors to create companies rather than erecting barriers that stifle such activities, for example, on the basis of conflict of interest. Read More...
Trim or 'Fatten' the Pyramid?
02/11/11 13:58 Filed in: GenomeWeb Daily Scan
Blogger Jennifer Rohn at Mind the Gap summarized a recent round table discussion that highlighted significant structural problems and instabilities in the academic workforce, and differing opinions on how to deal with the issue, including restriction into entry, training graduates better for industry or encouraging early academic career retirement. S. Pelech concurs that there are too many scientists at present and we are training new investigators at a faster rate than ever before, which is exacerbating the problem. However, the solution is not to encourage early retirement of senior scientists, but rather to increase in private-public partnerships to foster the growth of jobs in the biotech/biopharma industry. Read More...
Cuts at AstraZeneca
03/02/12 18:28 Filed in: GenomeWeb Daily Scan
The Wall Street Journal reported that AstraZeneca announced that it will be eliminating 7,300 jobs by the end of 2014, which will bring the company's total jobs cuts during the past five years to about 30,000. S. Pelech comments that the AstraZeneca's announcement is symptomatic of recent trends with several other major pharmaceutical companies, and it is likely that many of these jobs will ultimately be re-directed to emerging opportunities in Asia. He questions the wisdom of AstraZeneca instead to forge virtual alliances with small biotech and university-based researchers to help fill its drug pipeline. Read More...
Extended Employment
14/03/12 18:33 Filed in: GenomeWeb Daily Scan
Virginia Gewin in Nature suggested that "academics who delay retirement could create roadblocks for early-career researchers." Graeme Hugo at the University of Adelaide in Australia told Gewin that more than half of the academic workforce is over 50 years old, but while around 40 percent of that workforce may retire in the next decade, the vacated permanent posts are being divided into contractual, non-tenure-track jobs. S. Pelech comments that the current supply of academic scientists is probably optimal for the good of the general public at present and in the near future. He points out that more experienced active scientists should be better at undertaking and successfully completing more challenging research projects than junior investigators, and also be better educators with their more extensive knowledge-base. Read More...