On April 22nd the MCB Industrial Affiliates Program hosted its 9th bi-annual symposium bringing together industry companies and the MCB community for mutual benefit. The event featured a panel of industry experts from Amgen, Calico, Eikon, Eureka, Nura Bio, Pionyr, Scribe, Tenaya, and Thermo Fisher.
The symposium began with a panel of 9 company representatives answering questions from undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs facilitated by MCB Co-Chair David Drubin. The engaging discussion covered topics such as the current job market climate for those looking to enter industry, how to make yourself stand out when applying for positions, and how much freedom an industry scientist has in intellectually driving a project or research direction, among many others.
The second half of the event transitioned to breakout sessions where students and postdocs were able to move into smaller Zoom rooms with companies of particular interest to engage in a smaller group setting for questions and network.
MCB Co-Chair Iswar Hariharan made closing remarks at the end of the event thanking all the industry partners for their valuable perspective and advice which was a tremendous benefit to all students, postdocs, faculty and staff in attendance. The department is looking forward to the next MCB Industrial Affiliates Program symposium this fall and hopes to host it as an in-person event.
To learn more about the IAP program or participate in future events, please visit our website at mcb.berkeley.edu/iap.