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Amateur Sketch posted:Has anyone else had to deal with lab renovations? I just got to design my own 2800 sq ft analytical lab. It's amazing, but the down time was a pain in the rear end. My advice is to think it through and set it up right the first time. Inertia will set in very fast and you'll be locked into decisions you made on the fly while moving. Think all that poo poo through ahead of time.
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Jun 27, 2014 00:15
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I now work at a CRO doing analysis of bio materials and drugs. I was hired in as an analytical chemist working under a PI. I'll be aliquotting and filling out paperwork 99% of the day, but at least I get the chance to train on modern mass spec equipment. The work so far is about 20% tissue work, 70% plasma, and 10% other poo poo. Whats the typical pay for a analytical chemists right after college? I was hired in at a salary that I suspect is the same for other analysts, but low in general for the field.
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Jun 27, 2014 05:11
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TheSpartacus posted:I now work at a CRO doing analysis of bio materials and drugs. I was hired in as an analytical chemist working under a PI. I'll be aliquotting and filling out paperwork 99% of the day, but at least I get the chance to train on modern mass spec equipment. The work so far is about 20% tissue work, 70% plasma, and 10% other poo poo. Whats the typical pay for a analytical chemists right after college? I was hired in at a salary that I suspect is the same for other analysts, but low in general for the field.
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Jun 27, 2014 12:07
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Aagar posted:I'm obviously happy with the raise regardless, but I'd be miffed if the company was passing off a cost-of-living raise as giving me a big reward for a good job done. I don't think you can be miffed unless your company actually gives cost of living increases every year, or is contractually/legally obligated to give cost of living increases. Mine doesn't, so if we get an annual raise, it's because of performance, even if it ends up being at or below the rate of inflation.
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Jun 27, 2014 13:04
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Has anyone transitioned from working in research to working in a pathology laboratory for a hospital? I might have an opportunity very soon to make the jump and I'm wondering what experiences people have had? Going from microbiology to a general path-lab. I know working in a pathology is more rigid, shift work, follow SOP to the letter compared to research which is more relaxed and more experimentation. I think I might be looking at a possible pay decrease because of the fringe benefit taxation if I go to the pathology job. But at the same time there is more room for mobility, also overtime and the biggest advantage is job security which research doesnt have.
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Jul 11, 2014 16:35
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Dik Hz posted:It depends on your location. BFE will pay $15-20/hr to starting analytical chemists. RTP or NYC is probably more like $25-30/hr starting. Here's the ACS report: C&EN Starting Salaries for Chemists I get a $40k salary which is pretty much standard for grads without experience. Luckily I work with a PI who does a large amount of method development and validation, so I will get a large amount of useful experience in that at least.
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Jul 12, 2014 18:20
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The wrrld izza vampiyah.
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Jul 13, 2014 03:53
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I had a colleague mention a while back the existence of 600 Da cutoff centrifuge filtering systems. So very low weight cutoff centricons. Looking around Fisher and VWR (as well as googling) so far I haven't been able to find anything smaller than 1 kDa. Does anyone know of a manufacturer for sub 1000 Da centrifuge filters? I am trying to separate culture supernatants that may or may not contain a ~880-1200 Da polypeptide pheromone signal from small organic acid / sugar metabolites. (The polypeptides are generally heat stable and resistant to many proteases so not going that route yet).
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Jul 14, 2014 14:45
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Breaky posted:I had a colleague mention a while back the existence of 600 Da cutoff centrifuge filtering systems. So very low weight cutoff centricons. Looking around Fisher and VWR (as well as googling) so far I haven't been able to find anything smaller than 1 kDa. Why can't you just order it chemically synthesized from someone like genscript? Also, regarding those filters, generally you want your protein to be 2-3x above the MWCO to avoid just embedding it in the pores of the filter. It turns out the process used to make these filters gives you quite a distribution of pore sizes, so it's likely that you will be losing most of your sample if you're right on the lower edge. Have you considered something like size exclusion chromatography? Appachai fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Jul 14, 2014 |
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Jul 14, 2014 17:56
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Appachai posted:Why can't you just order it chemically synthesized from someone like genscript? We don't even know if that's what's responsible. Being able to separate any potential pheromone signal from standard organic acid metabolites and media components would be a good start though. It's unclear if it's a pheromone signal vs the presence or absence of some other media component.
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Jul 14, 2014 18:06
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Breaky posted:We don't even know if that's what's responsible. Being able to separate any potential pheromone signal from standard organic acid metabolites and media components would be a good start though. It's unclear if it's a pheromone signal vs the presence or absence of some other media component. I see. It seems like a good case for using chromatography to find active fractions from sec, then using some other types of chromatography to separate active components of those fractions.
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Jul 14, 2014 18:09
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Appachai posted:I see. It seems like a good case for using chromatography to find active fractions from sec, then using some other types of chromatography to separate active components of those fractions. That will be what happens after using broad cutoffs most likely. Don't have a great HPLC setup here and before I look into potentially buying columns / trying buffer systems I at least want to have a better idea of what I'm trying to separate. Only thing I know right now is that it's not ethyl acetate extractable. Edit: And yeah, if we do think it is one of the potential pheromones we might try your 1st suggestion. This is the very beginning steps.
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Jul 14, 2014 18:12
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Just found this thread today. Wish I had found this thread before I decided to get my M.S. in Pharma Lab Monkey.
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Jul 18, 2014 18:11
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To be fair, I have been working for biotechs/pharma for ~ 10 years in preclinical research and it is pretty relaxed (and I have no idea what the other people in the thread are talking about). While I would rather be independently wealthy and not need to work, as jobs go it is not bad. There is a lot of freedom since you are essentially in charge of your own schedule. Don't have time to run a Western or RNA isolation or whatever because your friend is in town and wants to go out to a 3 hour lunch? Just run it tomorrow or next week!
Pain of Mind fucked around with this message at 06:19 on Jul 19, 2014 |
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Jul 19, 2014 06:16
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You are receiving this broadcast as a dream...We are transmitting from the year one nine... nine nine ...You are receiving this broadcast in order t
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I wouldn't say all pharma is terrible, it seems to depend on what part of it you work in. I work in GMP analytical support and the job is stressful, bosses are always yelling about having projects done on time or else were going to loose revenue for the quarter, most of the chemists I ask in my department say they regret their career choice. Also the paper work is loving endless. Our research departments in contrast are much more laid back however and the chemists don't seem to regret their career choice. You can tell something is different and maybe even wrong when every single person who's transferred in from a research department left within two years.
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Jul 19, 2014 11:41
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Pain of Mind posted:To be fair, I have been working for biotechs/pharma for ~ 10 years in preclinical research and it is pretty relaxed (and I have no idea what the other people in the thread are talking about). While I would rather be independently wealthy and not need to work, as jobs go it is not bad. There is a lot of freedom since you are essentially in charge of your own schedule. Don't have time to run a Western or RNA isolation or whatever because your friend is in town and wants to go out to a 3 hour lunch? Just run it tomorrow or next week! I totally agree with this. It seems to be the Development people that are having the most trouble.
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Jul 19, 2014 16:31
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I had heard that R&D people had pretty tenuous jobs though. For example if you're in neuro and the company decides cancer is where it's at this year, you and your whole division are out on the street. Is that an unrealistic caricature?
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Jul 19, 2014 19:32
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KernelSlanders posted:I had heard that R&D people had pretty tenuous jobs though. For example if you're in neuro and the company decides cancer is where it's at this year, you and your whole division are out on the street. Is that an unrealistic caricature?
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Jul 19, 2014 21:09
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KernelSlanders posted:I had heard that R&D people had pretty tenuous jobs though. For example if you're in neuro and the company decides cancer is where it's at this year, you and your whole division are out on the street. Is that an unrealistic caricature? However, if you're in a place with few biotech jobs, you're hosed. Because when you get laid off, so do your coworkers, and you have to all compete for the same few jobs. Long story short, live in RTP, New Jersey, or wherever in Cali has jobs.
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Jul 19, 2014 21:26
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KernelSlanders posted:I had heard that R&D people had pretty tenuous jobs though. For example if you're in neuro and the company decides cancer is where it's at this year, you and your whole division are out on the street. Is that an unrealistic caricature? Yes and no. Like the other guy said, you won't see a drastic shift (likely) from a single-focus company. However, big pharma R&D (what little is left) does cut whole functional areas depending on their core competence flavor of the month, so you can see it there. You can also see it at smaller scale, too. A company may announce that it's no longer going to work on statins, beta blockers, etc, and you can still have whole departments get wiped that way too. The same thing applies with contract work. (We're going to contract out all work on __________ products. Bye, anyone working on it.) quote:I totally agree with this. It seems to be the Development people that are having the most trouble. Speaking as someone in development / manufacturing support, it certainly feels this way to me. The closer you get to the end project, the more ridiculous the time constraints/demands get.
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Jul 19, 2014 23:25
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Dik Hz posted:Long story short, live in RTP, New Jersey, or wherever in Cali has jobs. Add Boston to that list for sure. Most of the big pharma have opened giant research buildings there in the last 2 years.
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Jul 20, 2014 07:46
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I got a job as a grunt at a CRO pretty recently. I'm on the fence on whether or not I can call it a real career though. The pay is mediocre, the raises are low and sparse, and I don't have a biology/chemistry background so I'm not really sure where things would go. The low end tasks are starting to get boring to me, but there doesn't seem to be much of an incentive for me to step up and take on more challenging work within the company. Is that just how CROs are?
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Jul 20, 2014 22:02
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Zerstorung posted:I got a job as a grunt at a CRO pretty recently. I'm on the fence on whether or not I can call it a real career though. The pay is mediocre, the raises are low and sparse, and I don't have a biology/chemistry background so I'm not really sure where things would go. The low end tasks are starting to get boring to me, but there doesn't seem to be much of an incentive for me to step up and take on more challenging work within the company. Is that just how CROs are? That's how the CRO I worked for was. Barely making ends meet, pretty old lab equipment, lack of resources to do things better/cheaper. CROs in the US are a dying breed due to price and skilled competition from China. So to answer your question: Yes
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Jul 20, 2014 22:16
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Ok, here it goes: I've been out of school since 2009; I studied Forensics, Chemistry, and Medical Anthro. I am considering continuing schooling this Fall 2014 or Spring 2015, at least in certification for something like Pharmacy Tech or Phlebotomy. Currently, I work for a billing department and absolutely hate it. I hate myself, as well, because I don't necessarily have a solid end-goal in mind. I know I like repetitive, detail-oriented work, where I can handle myself and take care of duties assigned. I've been trying to figure out where I could fit best and I'm not sure if it's confusion or something more, like depression. I do love lab work and am in Central NY state nearby several hospitals (Upstate, Crouse, and St Joseph's); not sure how to actually go about getting into this kind of work once more. I do apply via their sites but it's sparse hearing anything back. I don't mind low pay, and I'm not bored easily, so grunt work would be an all right start. Any help on where to begin would be kind of nice, not sure if someone here would have some tips?
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Jul 22, 2014 09:34
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Yargh posted:Ok, here it goes: Sounds like quality control would be perfect for you.  It's the perfect mix of detail-oriented labwork that you seem to be good atThe pay isn't great initially, especially for microbiology, but improves significantly over time if you play your cards right. It's also typically known as a gateway position to other field -- I started with people that now do R&D, management, sales, field engineering, large amount of other stuff. Did you actually finish a degree/what was it in? You do generally need a bachelor's in science, preferably chem. Sorry to say but if NY is anything like DFW your chances of getting into hospital labs are practically nil without (a) a BS in clinical lab science or at the very least an AA in medical technology and (b) a connection on the inside. I work in manufacturing and love it very much but have been trying to get into my wife's hospital lab for years for the amazing pay and bennies without much success, even though I know what instruments they use and can take them apart and put them back together blindfolded. Again this might vary from hospital to hospital but most of them just have that stringent educational requirement. Hopefully you have a manufacturing hub within commuting distance. Try looking at entry-level lab tech jobs. The pay is vomitacious but it does get better if you have a brain and develop skills well.
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Jul 22, 2014 12:28
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Yargh posted:Ok, here it goes: Alternately: Drug screen lab.
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Jul 22, 2014 12:33
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Yargh posted:Ok, here it goes: Sup capital region goon! If hospital lab work is anything like pharma lab work often you need a inside man to get a job anywhere (then again that's the norm all over). I know several of the pharma companies are looking for more bench chemists. I know my place is looking for ~30 people now, most in HPLC or QC positions.
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Jul 22, 2014 12:42
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Yargh posted:Ok, here it goes: Assuming you mean the Syracuse area, since all 3 of those hospitals are located there, plenty of entry level lab positions open up, mostly for the reasons Dik Hz states. Most of them are listed on the job sites like monster.com etc. They vary greatly among the different industries though. Anecdotally, I work in Syracuse doing analytical chemistry, specifically gas chromatography. I started in 2006 at $11hr and currently maxed out at $18.50. This may not be the norm however since my lab is extremely small consisting of 3 people covering 2 shifts. I would suggest looking at some of the smaller firms in the area if you have trouble with the hospitals. Syracuse has a bunch all over. Since you stated you were interested in continuing with school, check out SU's career website. If you get lucky you can land one of their bio or chem lab positions(make sure to filter out the student only stuff). The pay sucks but you get x number of free classes per semester. Check into SUNY ESF which is located on SU's campus for environmental lab related stuff. Same deal with the free classes.
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Jul 22, 2014 21:47
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Thank you for the kind, thorough replies! It definitely helps narrow down how to go about things, and pick a starting point - very grateful. Syracuse Uni and SUNY ESF would be school's I'm looking into, and the classes info helps, Farside! Analytical Chem or QC could definitely work. Especially QC. I appreciate it.
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Jul 24, 2014 07:50
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I'm leaving a health related graduate school program and trying to get a job in the laboratory/science world to use my undergrad biology degree. I did some research in undergrad with Daphnia, but I'd be willing to branch out into other areas. I'm starting the process of applying to the few jobs that I can find. I'm in the greater milwaukee/madison area. Any tips or tricks to looking for these kind of jobs? Any useful websites?
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Aug 18, 2014 19:09
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I'm another lab rat who just found this thread and could do with some career advice. I completed my Master's in chemistry last year (while working part time) on a topic unrelated to my job. It was a GC and LC MS based project looking at the phytochemicals in honey. It was really interesting and I got to spend lots of time in the field but I don't think I can commit to continuing it into a PhD at this point. I work at a small private forensics lab in New Zealand. My routine work is going to former clandestine methamphetamine labs and taking surface swabs for the purpose of either characterizing how badly a property has been contaminated or for validating the work of the decontamination contractors who cleaned it up. We've got a single GC/MS which myself and our other technician run and maintain. I write up the reports and give decontamination recommendations for private clients and local government bodies. Other poo poo I'm regularly involved with is aggregate identification and chloride penetration in concrete, alloy and stainless steel grade identification by XRF, random SEM based jobs and identification of timber preservative treatments. These are pretty ad hoc and are usually for civil litigation purposes. I've given evidence in court relating to this side of things twice now. The meth lab stuff is what occupies most of my time though with 3 or 4 site visits most weeks. I've been here three years now and the pay is alright but I don't want really want to make a career out of going to meth labs. But, I'm not sure where to take my career from here though. Are there any goons from the U.K. who can shed light on while type of job I'll likely end up in over there? I've got a British passport and would like to spend some time working overseas. I had an interview with a science recruitment company when I was over there earlier this year and they thought I would easily find employment but I'd rather not end up in a repetitive sample prep/HPLC farm role.
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Aug 19, 2014 02:02
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I did a very similar thing. Check out reed.co.uk and monster.co.uk for jobs you like and prepare to be utterly apalled by the number of applicants (100's for every half decent job in any decent size city) and the abysmal pay. £ - Nz$ is about 1:2 but you'll get maybe 20% less after conversion than an equivalent job in NZ. Which recruitment company was it because most are pretty bad and will say anything. Cost of living is roughly equivalent except for London which is insane. Zone 2-3 you'll be paying $Nz 1200/month for a small bedroom in a large sharehouse (often 5+). Upsides are its really easy to travel Europe and there is real career progression after a few years. Plus the girls love the kiwi accent so there's that. Oh and you cant work in a medical lab without a NHS recognised BMS degree, which you cannot get in from a nz degree.
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Aug 19, 2014 14:07
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Cheers for your advice, Saros! The recruitment company was VRS (http://www.vrs-uk.net/) who seem to specialize in chromatography based roles. They advertise a fair few technical sales roles with good salaries. Whelp, it sounds like i'm gearing up for a few years of poverty but I might still get laid so at least there is that.
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Aug 21, 2014 00:26
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On the off chance someone wants to get out of the lab - we have an open contracting position for someone to help with our quality investigation program within our pilot plants. You'd need experience with pharmaceutical API processing or experience with investigations (doesn't need to be on the process side, current person worked in an analytical lab, and ran investigations there). It's a 2 year contract with benefits in NJ. It's a pretty good job, not too stressful. Message me if your want more information.
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Aug 21, 2014 11:36
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Just a reminder that working in quality is pretty awesome.
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Aug 21, 2014 11:50
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The position isn't in the quality group, you'd still report into someone within the pilot plant group (and get to work with me!), but you'd be working really closely with the quality group. It's not a bad way to get some experience and contacts if you're thinking to go that way (or if you just want to get your foot in the door at a major pharmaceutical company). I actually think it's a pretty cushy position if you're at all organized. Edit: Oh, and if people are curious about that end of the business, or moving out of labwork, I'm happy to field any questions. gninjagnome fucked around with this message at 12:10 on Aug 21, 2014 |
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Aug 21, 2014 12:04
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Rozz its probably not so bad on the chem side but over in bio/pharma is a loving wasteland. Too many graduates and the jobs are all moving out of the EU. Speak German? If so Germany is the place to go. I think i'm in the wrong industry.
Saros fucked around with this message at 13:36 on Dec 8, 2014 |
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Aug 21, 2014 12:43
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Solkanar512 posted:Just a reminder that working in quality is pretty awesome. You just became my best friend But I gotta comment (warn?), it is very company-specific. There are plants where people listen to quality, and there are plants where it's an afterthought. Most businesspeople push the latter... until they get hit with a lawsuit. (decided to edit out the details for personal protection).
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Aug 21, 2014 17:24
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Amateur Sketch posted:Has anyone else had to deal with lab renovations? Not renovations, but I moved into the aftermath of a lab that moved into a renovated area. They thought the space was so big compared to their last one, but there was no space to slide in more -20 or -80Cs, another badly needed 4C, or enough power outlets. For some reason, there are a ton of whiteboards with marker rails mounted on the walls that keep me from maximizing wall space used, and it's really frustrating. all I can think of is, you don't have to fill all the space with shelves or benches right away. I feel like that stuff could have been added on and been a hell of a lot easier and neater. .... I can't put metro shelves anywhere. I really want/need more shelf space. So, I have some needs. Is there a book/website that anyone would recommend about grants, grant writing, anything related to grants? I got a lab manager position a while ago, and it's kind of a sink or swim situation. I was only a lab tech in research labs before, and I think I'm barely okay. So far, no one has come to me and said, "Christ, you're terrible", probably because they're glad someone else gets to chase down orders and paperwork for them. We're going into grant territory now, and I've never had to do grant work and I'm slightly wigging out.
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Aug 25, 2014 21:00
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What's a good way to learn about Analytical Service, Industrial Process QC, and Environmental Laboratories? My company just released a new product aimed specifically at small to medium sized laboratories and these are the primary target demographics. I get the general idea from working in the LIMS space for a while now but if I want to read more specifics are there any good forums/blogs/information sites in these areas? I guess really Analytical Service and Industrial Process QC labs are pretty straightforward for the most part but I'm a bit out of my depth with these Environmental Laboratories. I guess when it comes down to it they are all samples in -> results out but I would love to read up a bit more on this subject. Any recommendations for places to read up on general lab processes but also the business side of these labs as well?
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Sep 16, 2014 05:07
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