Exploration Program for Industry Careers

Postdoctoral fellows and graduate students often have little exposure to career paths outside of academia. SPAC and the Office of Career Development address this issue by offering events to educate about all potential PhD career paths, including biotech industry careers.

The new Exploration Program for Industry Careers (EPIC) takes this one step further for those curious about careers in Industry. In addition to career workshops and events at the FHCRC, EPIC features site visits to area biotech companies, providing an in-depth look at industry careers. The program will also give participants networking opportunities, which will help in setting up collaborations and in current and future job searches.

Based on successful programs in Massachusetts and California (See Nature Biotechnology 28, 625-6; 2010, Nature 478, 277; 2011, Nature 480, 576; 2011), the goals of EPIC are to allow participants to make informed choices about future career options, and provide them with the tools they will need to be successful as they enter the job market. Programs like EPIC have many benefits to both postdoc/student participants and companies, including:

Update 11/27/2012: Addendum to application instructions with further information on writing biosketch

Announcement 10/30/2012:

EPIC is now accepting applications for the 2012-2013 academic year. All current FHCRC graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and medical fellows are eligible to apply for this program. 

Application deadline: Nov 30, 2012

The application process involves a biosketch, and information submitted in your application will be available to companies whose site visits you attend as part of EPIC. For this reason, please read the application instructions carefully before beginning your application. Applications can be submitted any time before Nov 30. There is no advantage to applying early, so please take your time on creating a good biosketch. More information on this process, and a sample application, can be found in the instructions. 

Link to application:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFVOcG5RZ1BXdWtmRmt3RkxNZUtoV1E6MA#gid=0

Please direct questions about the program or application process to Shannon Dennis at smdennis@fhcrc.org.

FHCRC Postdocs/students: More information on how to apply for this program will be posted here and advertised to the FHCRC postdoc/student listserv. If you are not on that mailing list and are a FHCRC postdoc or graduate student please contact Karen Peterson (kpeterso@fhcrc.org). Additional questions/comments? Contact the program coordinator Shannon Dennis, smdennis@fhcrc.org

Companies: If you are a company interested in being part of EPIC, please contact Shannon Dennis at smdennis@fhcrc.org