4 ms·

>If you did a PhD in Biochemistry, you could make $100-200k a year plus stock working 40-50 hours a week at most working for Pfizer in Cambridge MA instead of e

>If you did a PhD in Biochemistry, you could make $100-200k a year plus stock working 40-50 hours a week at most working for Pfizer in Cambridge MA instead of earning around $60k working 50-60 hours as a Postdoc at a regional Boston based program like BU or Northeastern - you have to pay the same amount for rent and groceries, but you earn half as much and work much longer hours. I was recruited pretty heavily relative to my peers, when I finished up my biochem PhD. Clearing $100k was actually a pretty tall order without a postdoc. There are jobs out there, and I managed to get one of them, but they were very competitive. With a postdoc, $150k was on the low end, but also still competitive. Basically no one is hiring at $200k in biotech, beyond director roles.

alephnerd 3y ago
> I was recruited pretty heavily relative to my peers, when I finished up my biochem PhD When? Your numbers don't make sense in the late 2010s to present. Even my friends working as Sr Associate Scientists (BS only) for employers like Pfizer or Biogen are earning $100-140k base after barely 2 YoE, and younger friends and family of mine are getting $100-110k base for new grad roles now
- COGlory 3y ago
  Last year. Take a quick look at Indeed: https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=structural+biologist&l=Boston%2C+MA&from=searchOnHP&vjk=aba81afe2ed957ae https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=structural+biologist&l=Boston%... Amgen, Senior Scientist - $125-$150 UCB, Scientist I - $96-$125 Noblis, Molecular and Cellular Biology Specialist - $109,100 to $190,900 with 8+ years of relevant experience. Actalent, Sr. Engineer of Internal Cell Culture Development and Manufacturing - $80-$115
  - alephnerd 3y ago
    $16k PhD stipend in 2024?!? Which program did you do your PhD at!!!! Even UCSC has a stipend of $24k, BU a stipend of $27k, and UIUC a stipend of $25k. No offense, but it's sounding like you attended a non-target program. At that point it absolutely makes sense to switch to software. Also, you may need some hiring mentorship. Indeed is not the best platform for roles. Also, Assoc to Sr Assoc is just 1.5-2 years so you are absolutely going to break $100k in 2 years
    - COGlory 3y ago
      I was at an R1, public land grant university. By the time I realized how insane it was, I was close enough to graduating that I just decided to stick it out. I wasn't a great undergraduate and didn't have the background I'd have liked for the field I went into. I took a gamble on myself and it paid off, but yeah, there are some PhD programs out there that do pay a bit more. However, I am aware of a couple that actually paid less.
      - alephnerd 3y ago
        There are hundreds of land grant programs ranging from Tier 1 programs like UCB or UMich to regional state schools UAlaska Anchorage. Just saying "R1, public land grant university" isn't relevant. > I wasn't a great undergraduate and didn't have the background I'd have liked for the field I went into That was your problem. Not "H1Bs" or "foreign" researchers. UC Berkeley alone can graduate around 700-800 Bio and bio related undergrads (MCB, Chemistry, etc) a year. Let alone the dozens of other similar programs (UCs, UMich, UW, Big 10, Ivies, etc) That said, with your background in structural bio you will do well in the bioinformatics and potentially even ML space, and will probably be able to realize some actual changes that you wouldn't be able to in the more traditional and hierarchical system that exists today in Life Science research.
        COGlory 3y ago
        >Just saying "R1, public land grant university" isn't relevant. There are 146 R1 universities in the United States. There are about 35 in the western half of the United States. There are no R1 universities in Alaska. There are 105 public R1s. R1 universities are widely considered the top tier for PhDs. In my field, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to get hands on training with a new, otherwise inaccessible technique. I did well, and like I said, was recruited heavily. This included turning down a job at the premier institute in Germany where this technique (cryo-electron microscopy) was basically developed. My PI was prestigious and well respected in the field. His previous students went on to ultimately take director positions at places like Pfizer. Yes, I could have taken $30k/year to go a school on the California coast, but it'd have come out to about the same once you adjust for cost of living. >That was your problem. Not "H1Bs" or "foreign" researchers. $16,800 is not significantly less than what other PhD programs I looked at were paying. Low 20s was pretty common. From what I remember, Cornell was paying like $24k/yr at the time.

alephnerd 3y ago

> I was recruited pretty heavily relative to my peers, when I finished up my biochem PhD When? Your numbers don't make sense in the late 2010s to present. Even my friends working as Sr Associate Scientists (BS only) for employers like Pfizer or Biogen are earning $100-140k base after barely 2 YoE, and younger friends and family of mine are getting $100-110k base for new grad roles now

COGlory 3y ago
Last year. Take a quick look at Indeed: https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=structural+biologist&l=Boston%2C+MA&from=searchOnHP&vjk=aba81afe2ed957ae https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=structural+biologist&l=Boston%... Amgen, Senior Scientist - $125-$150 UCB, Scientist I - $96-$125 Noblis, Molecular and Cellular Biology Specialist - $109,100 to $190,900 with 8+ years of relevant experience. Actalent, Sr. Engineer of Internal Cell Culture Development and Manufacturing - $80-$115
- alephnerd 3y ago
  $16k PhD stipend in 2024?!? Which program did you do your PhD at!!!! Even UCSC has a stipend of $24k, BU a stipend of $27k, and UIUC a stipend of $25k. No offense, but it's sounding like you attended a non-target program. At that point it absolutely makes sense to switch to software. Also, you may need some hiring mentorship. Indeed is not the best platform for roles. Also, Assoc to Sr Assoc is just 1.5-2 years so you are absolutely going to break $100k in 2 years
  - COGlory 3y ago
    I was at an R1, public land grant university. By the time I realized how insane it was, I was close enough to graduating that I just decided to stick it out. I wasn't a great undergraduate and didn't have the background I'd have liked for the field I went into. I took a gamble on myself and it paid off, but yeah, there are some PhD programs out there that do pay a bit more. However, I am aware of a couple that actually paid less.
    - alephnerd 3y ago
      There are hundreds of land grant programs ranging from Tier 1 programs like UCB or UMich to regional state schools UAlaska Anchorage. Just saying "R1, public land grant university" isn't relevant. > I wasn't a great undergraduate and didn't have the background I'd have liked for the field I went into That was your problem. Not "H1Bs" or "foreign" researchers. UC Berkeley alone can graduate around 700-800 Bio and bio related undergrads (MCB, Chemistry, etc) a year. Let alone the dozens of other similar programs (UCs, UMich, UW, Big 10, Ivies, etc) That said, with your background in structural bio you will do well in the bioinformatics and potentially even ML space, and will probably be able to realize some actual changes that you wouldn't be able to in the more traditional and hierarchical system that exists today in Life Science research.
      - COGlory 3y ago
        >Just saying "R1, public land grant university" isn't relevant. There are 146 R1 universities in the United States. There are about 35 in the western half of the United States. There are no R1 universities in Alaska. There are 105 public R1s. R1 universities are widely considered the top tier for PhDs. In my field, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to get hands on training with a new, otherwise inaccessible technique. I did well, and like I said, was recruited heavily. This included turning down a job at the premier institute in Germany where this technique (cryo-electron microscopy) was basically developed. My PI was prestigious and well respected in the field. His previous students went on to ultimately take director positions at places like Pfizer. Yes, I could have taken $30k/year to go a school on the California coast, but it'd have come out to about the same once you adjust for cost of living. >That was your problem. Not "H1Bs" or "foreign" researchers. $16,800 is not significantly less than what other PhD programs I looked at were paying. Low 20s was pretty common. From what I remember, Cornell was paying like $24k/yr at the time.