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I'm actually waiting to find out whether I got a position in a biochem lab ( ) but I'll definitely check those out, since even if I did it would only be for a year. I've been looking nationwide, but generally only on the ACS career search and whatever companies websites I could think of (Coherent needs EEs).e: I have some experience with nanomaterials, gimme a job 
majestic12 fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Jul 14, 2011 |
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Jul 14, 2011 04:25
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Hey thread, I'm a postdoc at a big pharma company. My project is crystallizing membrane proteins. You didn't think this thread was going to get less depressing, did you?
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Jul 16, 2011 07:05
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Appachai posted:Hey thread, I'm a postdoc at a big pharma company. My project is crystallizing membrane proteins. You didn't think this thread was going to get less depressing, did you? Also, you can't drop a bomb like that without following it up with some stories. Also, outside of BigPharmaChat thread is really not that depressing, at least most people seem to have jobs.... Check out the lawyer thread for depression. The first post literally says no jobs, become an alcoholic, die alone.
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Jul 17, 2011 10:32
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seacat posted:Industry has postdocs? I thought that was a strictly academic rape thing. We usually have a couple post doc floating around at my company as well. They do the exact same work as a full time employee, so I think it's basically a fancy way of saying you're a contractor or a temp. It's typically a 2 year stint and I'd say about 50% of then end up with a job offer at the end.
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Jul 17, 2011 12:04
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I graduated May 2010 with a BS in biochem and molecular biology and since I needed a paying job(a chemical education research project) while in school ended up with no undergrad research experience in my field. I found nothing and then finally managed to get a temp position in an R&D chemistry lab, which I've been doing for 8 months while I continue to look. Well, I had an interview a few weeks ago and it went well with the lab manager and the one post doc. Tomorrow I am meeting with the PI and his nurse for an interview and I really want this to work out. Can anyone offer any tips for the interview? Thanks.
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Jul 17, 2011 14:07
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MentalStaples posted:... Can anyone offer any tips for the interview? Thanks. I think that it's important to ask the PI about their research and about what kind of projects are going on in the lab. PIs love talking about themselves, and I think that it will help a lot if you can hold a conversation about the work. Good luck, I hope you get the job.
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Jul 17, 2011 16:59
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seacat posted:Industry has postdocs? I thought that was a strictly academic rape thing. My main source of gloom are my human membrane proteins which don't express well, are a bitch to purify, and don't crystallize. There have been around 15 human membrane proteins solved ever. Around 2 out of ~20 I got were able to express >1mg/L culture after nearly 2 years of optimization.
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Jul 17, 2011 19:21
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Appachai posted:Hey thread, I'm a postdoc at a big pharma company. My project is crystallizing membrane proteins. You didn't think this thread was going to get less depressing, did you? High five, fellow membrane protein attempted crystallographer!
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Jul 18, 2011 03:24
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Eunabomber posted:High five, fellow membrane protein attempted crystallographer! Hey, want to go tp ray stevens' house later?
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Jul 18, 2011 04:03
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Appachai posted:Hey, want to go tp ray stevens' house later? Pfft, GPCR'S? Transporters/ion channels are where it' at yo.
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Jul 18, 2011 05:51
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Eunabomber posted:Pfft, GPCR'S? Transporters/ion channels are where it' at yo. I think ion channels are the coolest, but since this is bfc I'll just say that GPCRs are considered a lot more important by pharma
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Jul 18, 2011 06:19
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You know, as loving pathetic as my company is sometimes and as crazy as some of the big-pharma stories can get, I kinda like it when things go right. Yay for two cancer meds getting approval!  Of course, that doesn't change the layoffs, but at least I got to see us actually make a little progress for once. 
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Jul 18, 2011 14:10
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Appachai posted:I think ion channels are the coolest, but since this is bfc I'll just say that GPCRs are considered a lot more important by pharma I know:( Guess what I have the least amount of experience with... A little shop talk, have you tried any Cell Free expression systems? It appears from the literature that people have had more success using CF systems to express GPCR's now. Not in mg quantities, but still pretty promising.
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Jul 18, 2011 18:57
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Sundae posted:You know, as loving pathetic as my company is sometimes and as crazy as some of the big-pharma stories can get, I kinda like it when things go right. Yay for two cancer meds getting approval! Congrats! Nice to see something other than reformulated acid reflux meds being made.
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Jul 18, 2011 18:59
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Eunabomber posted:I know:( Guess what I have the least amount of experience with... Yes and in fact the director of our department invented the systems that promega sells. We don't use them at all. I know a guy in Kurt Wutrich's group tried 22 different GPCRs and not a single one of them could bind ligand after CF expression. In general it seems like the technology is not quite there compared to something like sf9 or pichia. There are a few papers from the membrane structural genomics groups that also show limited success on a broad scale. If you take a look here: http://www.mpdb.tcd.ie/PickStat.asp and choose view by expression system (XRD as technique). You'll see that there isn't a single membrane protein structure from cell free expression. If you want we can go chat in the biochemistry thread in Academics Appachai fucked around with this message at 20:59 on Jul 18, 2011 |
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Jul 18, 2011 19:59
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Hahaha, I can't believe how spiteful the owner of my company is. We had a small site where they asked for modest raises, and didn't receive them. Four out of five of them left, and the company has to fly out people to work there. There is no way in hell the cost of per diem, hotels and flights are cheaper than giving already trained employees a small raise.
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Jul 21, 2011 01:46
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Ok, how long do the labs you guys work for take to hire people? I ask because I just received an invitation for an interview with a firm that I applied to LAST OCTOBER. Not that I mind (I've luckily been on a streak in the past few weeks), but that was nine months ago. Crazy.
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Jul 26, 2011 21:56
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I had an interview at a place 8 months after I applied. It seems like here it takes less than 2 months.
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Jul 26, 2011 22:04
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We just had a position open up, so we've started hitting up the people we interviewed on campus last fall.
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Jul 26, 2011 22:40
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I applied in August 2007 for my position, interviewed in late September, had an offer by early October. (Started in late January '08.)
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Jul 26, 2011 23:06
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If an analytical lab monkey position wants a writing sample with the application, it should ideally be a short report and interpretation of lab results, right? They don't give any indication of what they're specifically looking for in the posting, but I guess as long as it demonstrates "excellent analytical, written [and verbal] communication skills" ...?
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Jul 28, 2011 03:25
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Write about how verbal communication skills are impossible to demonstrate with a writing sample
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Jul 28, 2011 04:11
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Make sure to run it through google translate a few times as well. Really it sounds like they want to make sure you are proficient in english.
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Jul 28, 2011 04:56
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Solkanar512 posted:Ok, how long do the labs you guys work for take to hire people? We hire within a few weeks of the posting, but apparently we subject our prospective employees to a kobayashi maru of some horrifying 6 hour personality profiling which probably turns away our best candidates. Apparently there are questions like "Would you rather shoot your mother, child, or yourself in the foot?" and you will get pushback on each response. I am pretty convinced that if all the acquired employees had to take that route the number of employees that would remain would be in the single digits out of about 300. Corporate HR is loving insane. Not because of failing the personality tests, but scientists rarely jive well with rigid metrics based on "soft" responses, especially when said results seem so judgemental. Guess who's going to management training next month! Edit: Also I'm asking my head of R&D to give me a completely absurd capital budget on my birthday, hooray! Apparently it is somewhere around 60-75% of the entire quarter's expenditures. My field is not cheap  I inspire incredibly smart researchers and give them top of the line equipment and support to help them get the job done but holy crap our overhead feels like the most unorganized thing ever. Bastard Tetris fucked around with this message at 09:28 on Jul 28, 2011 |
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Jul 28, 2011 09:20
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Been at least a day since I bitched in this thread! Here's what's been missed... Thursday last week: My department shuts down all the lights in the lab for cost savings, tells us to use flashlights. Friday: Legal department gets them turned back on, calls management (paraphrased) a bunch of retarded fuckwits, begs us not to sue them. Monday: A project of mine is rejected because we come in at 3.8 cents per dose in manufacturing costs, and the business guys want < 3.0 cents per dose. Oh and they never bothered mentioning that they paid $300,000 to generics company to develop the drug at the same time as us, and when the generics company failed at it, the business guys charged off the $300K against our project so that it wouldn't affect their budgets. We would be close to, if not under, $0.03 if you exclude the $300K charge. Meanwhile, the biz guys have decided to go with the generics product (which isn't stable!) because if they cut the generics project, it makes them look bad while cutting our project us makes MY group look bad.  Yesterday: Company (bring your own food) Picnic to celebrate our great earnings in 2Q 2011. Today: A large meeting to discuss layoffs due to our poor earnings in 2Q 2011. My company is a deaf, blind, and partially-retarded hydra, and the heads all hate each other too.
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Jul 28, 2011 13:46
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Sundae posted:Yesterday: Company (bring your own food) Picnic to celebrate our great earnings in 2Q 2011. My fiancee thinks your lab is now worse than mine, thanks buddy!  So during the meeting, did you guys discuss how awesome the picnic was?
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Jul 28, 2011 15:44
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Sundae posted:Thursday last week: My department shuts down all the lights in the lab for cost savings, tells us to use flashlights. Did they provide miner's hats?
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Jul 28, 2011 16:17
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Solkanar512 posted:My fiancee thinks your lab is now worse than mine, thanks buddy! Glad to help!  The meeting is at 2:00, so we'll find out! I didn't go to the picnic for two reasons, one being that I refuse to attend company events that require you pay for yourself, and two being that I used it as a half day so I could stand in line at the DMV for the whole afternoon instead. quote:Miner's hats? That would have been hilarious. I'd have absolutely broken the no-photography rule and taken pictures of a lab full of miners in lab-coats. Really though, it wouldn't have been a good photograph. It'd be basically me wandering the lab taking pictures, and maybe the janitor with his headlamp mopping the floor. There aren't many people in the lab these days. At least I got a real drug through before the company collapsed. I was worried that my entire "legacy" would be lovely rip-offs of drugs we already made or patent-attacks on other companies' drugs.EDIT: Oh for gently caress's sake... I just got an e-mail from my manager demanding to know how my project ended up $300,000 over budget.  (See previous post by me.)
Sundae fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Jul 28, 2011 |
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Jul 28, 2011 16:29
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A note to non-QC/QA folks: Don't start political pissing matches with members of QA. Just don't. The "surprise" internal audit you face will be brutal. We will yell at you for every stupid thing you did and we know had to cut corners to meet deadlines. We'll cc the reports to everyone that might be concerned about that three letter agency that is your client. Seriously, don't gently caress with us. That is all. Solkanar512 fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Jul 28, 2011 |
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Jul 28, 2011 17:56
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I love you, you spiteful son of a bitch. Come start a company with me.
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Jul 28, 2011 18:25
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Sundae posted:I love you, you spiteful son of a bitch. Haha, sounds great! What I forgot to mention is that the air conditioning in that specific lab has been broken for a week, so all the temperatures are screwed up. Yay for being cheap!
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Jul 28, 2011 18:33
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And for today's lunchtime lecture: Graphic Descriptions of the Various and Disgusting Symptoms of Food Poisoning. 
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Jul 28, 2011 20:27
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Bastard Tetris posted:Edit: Also I'm asking my head of R&D to give me a completely absurd capital budget on my birthday, hooray! Apparently it is somewhere around 60-75% of the entire quarter's expenditures. My field is not cheap Want a new LIMS? I'll take that increased budget off your hands! Lyon fucked around with this message at 00:25 on Aug 1, 2011 |
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Aug 1, 2011 00:03
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Looks like Merck will be laying off 13,000 employee's worldwide... awesome! On a funnier note - I just found out today that we just rehired a guy that we fired (straight up fired, not laid off) a few years ago as a technician. This guy was a PhD level senior scientist, and is now working a job that requires an associates degree - it's at least a 7 level demotion. I can't imagine how desperate you must to go back to the place that fired you, and take that much of a hit to your pride and salary.
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Aug 2, 2011 22:17
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Hey there's an xray crystallography job at pfizer here in town... Is a pfizer job better than just staying a postdoc? I'm pretty sure someone was telling me they sold off their nmr instruments in anticipation of closing the place Appachai fucked around with this message at 07:25 on Aug 3, 2011 |
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Aug 3, 2011 07:21
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gninjagnome posted:On a funnier note - I just found out today that we just rehired a guy that we fired (straight up fired, not laid off) a few years ago as a technician. This guy was a PhD level senior scientist, and is now working a job that requires an associates degree - it's at least a 7 level demotion. I can't imagine how desperate you must to go back to the place that fired you, and take that much of a hit to your pride and salary. That's not funny, that's like the definition of 
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Aug 3, 2011 07:39
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Appachai posted:Hey there's an xray crystallography job at pfizer here in town... Which town are you talking about? Groton? Sandwich UK? The answer matters an awful lot. (Wait, no it doesn't. The answer is AHAHAHAHAHA stay away.) If you're in Sandwich, that's either a dead job posting or a moron who hasn't heard that they laid off 90% of the site and are keeping just a core staff until they can find a buyer. Edit: Calling the HR rep posting the job a moron, not you. I mean in terms of the many deaf/blind heads of the PFE Hydra. If it's Groton, the site will last, but it's uncertain in what form. I'm suspecting project-management for overseas CRO/CDO work. La Jolla is anyone's guess. If you're at any other site, let me know and I can (maybe?) give you more of a run-down on it. General outlook is not good, though.
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Aug 3, 2011 13:58
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So now that my boss is gone (the guy who ran QMS), we have new folks signing our quality agreements with our clients. The last contract signed was missing four out of nine pages and had an effective date of one year before the document was even signed. But it's all good! We clarified what we would and would not cover in an e-mail a few days later! 
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Aug 3, 2011 15:35
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Sundae posted:La Jolla is anyone's guess. It's La Jolla. From people I've talked to they are on their >170th wave of layoffs (waves are every 2 weeks). I'm not sure I would enjoy fearing for my job every 2 weeks, then again they could always fire us at nvs at any time as well. I was thinking about applying to the xray crystallography positions at heptares and emerald biostructures but I feel like I don't really want to live in either location. If I did get an offer it may give me some leverage to get hired on here though...
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Aug 3, 2011 15:47
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That sounds about right; La Jolla is still working on the layoffs from 2004, from what I've been told, and nobody is sure what's actually going to happen with the site itself. Any PFE site you work at will be the same way. You will be constantly fearing for your job no matter which site you work out. The only difference is whether you worry every two weeks or every six months. Any job is better than starvation of course, but if you can find something elsewhere, take it. The golden era of PFE is long gone.
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Aug 3, 2011 16:44
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