My industry PhD
“I learned many things about life in industry, which I would not have learned at the university.“
Mark Zimmer (pseudonym), now lab head at a pharma giant, steered his PhD in industry. He told us why he made this decision, how he found the PhD position, and what distinguishes an industrial PhD from an academic PhD.
Why a PhD in industry?
It was clear during my studies that I was aiming to leave academia and have a career in industry. I like research, but I prefer the applied side of it.
How did you find a PhD position in the industry?
Well, it was a coincidence. I talked to the company at a job fair and asked if conducting an MSc or PhD thesis there would be possible. I was told that it is indeed possible in principle. As the Technical University, where I was studying then, was not allowing for external MSc theses, I decided to wait until graduation. I then applied at the company and asked if I could start a PhD project. Lucky me, they were just about to write out an MSc project in precisely the same field as I already did my MSc thesis. They feared the project might be slightly too challenging and time-consuming for an MSc student, so they were happy to expand it to a complete PhD project. The right man at the right time, so to say!
Just deciding to do a PhD in industry… You need a connection to the university as well to get a degree in the end. How did it work?
The first few months, I started working as a PhD student without officially enrolling at any university. During those months, we searched for a professor at the university to support the project. We decided on a professor who had experience in supervising external students. We met two or three times before I enrolled at the university to agree on the project and the conditions.
How did your academic supervisor benefit from the cooperation?
We agreed that my work would be published so that he would also have his name on the publications. Furthermore, other PhD students from his lab were allowed to use the company’s equipment. So they could measure samples for free.
In my case, both my industrial supervisor and the academic professor were actively involved in the project. On a day-to-day basis, I have been working with my industrial supervisor, but I met the academic professor every 2 to 3 months. I went to the university from time to time, participated in his research group seminars, and presented my work there.
I could talk about everything I worked on with the professor in a private setting. He signed a confidentiality agreement with the company. I had to be much more careful with the group members in what I shared. In my presentations, the names of the specific projects I worked on were covered with black boxes. By not being able to share all the information about my research, I could not expect such a lively and in-depth discussion about my work as I would have as an academic PhD student.
If you like to be pampered, an industrial PhD might not be for you
Overall, did you feel well supported?
Yes, for me, it was sufficient. I have to say that I have been fortunate with my industrial supervisor. He himself did his PhD in industry years before and did not have a good experience with his supervision so he actively wanted to give me a better experience than he had. He encouraged me to have contact with my academic professor and show face at his research group during the three years.
Overall, I think you get less supervision if you do your PhD in industry compared to academia. Finishing your PhD is significantly in your own hands- probably your industry colleagues don’t mind if you write and defend your thesis or not. And, you do have less contact with other PhD students, so peer pressure does not exist. Hence, if you like to be pampered, an industrial PhD might not be for you. But for me, it was a great fit as I am able to motivate myself and enjoy this degree of independence.
You say that finishing your PhD has been mainly in your own hands. How did you balance your own PhD project with other company aims?
For the first 1 to 1,5 years, I was only working on my PhD. When I started to have results and could publish part of the research, I also got some other projects to work on. Those projects were still sufficiently related to my PhD, so it did not distract me too much.
You could publish and present at the university…What really distinguishes an academic PhD from an industry PhD?
My PhD was very structured, as you might expect it to be in a large pharmaceutical industry. Before I started, we had a plan with milestones and stayed with the agreed plan. Of course, if something had not worked as expected, we would have had to adjust the plan, but we would not have adjusted without necessity. Therefore, I did not have the “academic freedom” you might experience at the university. However, I also did not have to deal with a professor who constantly changed his mind on the project.
A great advantage was that I could build a network in academia and industry.
Would pursuing an academic career after your industrial PhD still have been possible?
Yes. I published during my PhD, so I could have started an academic postdoc quite quickly if I had wanted to.
They paid me slightly more than you would get in academia.
What about your contract? Was your salary much higher than a typical University PhD salary?
I had a three-year contract with the company, and they also paid me. They paid me slightly more than you would get in academia, like 80-85% of an E13 position.
You stayed at the same company after finishing your PhD. Was it difficult to negotiate a better salary after you finished?
No, I even think it was easier than it would have been for outsiders. My PhD contract ended after three years, so they had to offer me a new contract. I was again at the negotiation table, but by then, I knew more about the salary structures within the pharmaceutical industry. I was also aware of the upper salary limits the company would pay me. Having this inside information helps to negotiate for a good salary.
You finished your PhD just over two years ago. What has happened since?
I first stayed in the company working as a scientist, and 8 months ago, I took on a lab head position, leading my own team. Of course, being a team leader is totally new for me, so it is a new challenge for now. Let’s see what the future brings!
If you could go back in time, would you still have opted for a PhD in industry?
Yes, it would still be my first choice. It is more applied research, and I learned many things about “life in the industry,” which I would not have learned at the university. I feel it prepared me well for my current and future career.
Are you interested to learn more about this topic? You might be interested in our interview with Valentina Cassinelli, who did her PhD at baseclick.
Our workshop The academic track gives you an orientation about the academic career, tackling questions like where you can do a PhD and postdoc. You can find many more career and science communication workshops in our full programme.