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I am a biomedical scientist, with special interest in the field of immunology. To put it simply, I like knowing about how the immune system works. Why do immune cells react a certain way during a disease? How and what controls their reaction? This was what I studied as a PhD student before my internship with Clueo Clinical.
“I felt so glad to finally meet people who have a first-hand understanding of what it is like to be successful in both academia and industry, yet also empathize with the challenges in transitioning into industry.”
While I enjoy research very much, my path after completing PhD has not been very clear to me. I am aware that not all PhD graduates need or can end up being professors, and one of the options I hear about increasingly is the option to become a scientist in the industry.
But, even after knowing about this option for 3 to 4 years, I still have one big question: how do I get there? Also, what is it about working in the industry that is different? What are all the different roles for a scientist in the industry? Which companies are good? And many other questions.
This was the start of my journey with Clueo Clinical.
As I was scrolling through LinkedIn, I found Dr Sue nguyen’s profile and noticed that she was starting a company called Clueo Clinical and was recruiting interns.
Upon browsing through Clueo Clinical’s website a little more, I realised that this was exactly what I needed as an academic scientist with little exposure to careers beyond academia. I was drawn by Clueo Clinical’s visison to help educate students and young professionals like me to understand about science in the industry, but importantly to help them transition!
This was why I volunteered to intern with Clueo Clinical as I wanted to be part of that change as well.
“One of the specific benefits I gained from my internship was the insight into the clinical research industry.”
I wanted to do something entirely different from my scientific career so far where I could be more involved in connecting with stakeholders directly, to practice communication skills with customers and learning how to strategize how to best reach the target market.
One of the things I did was to help Clueo Clinical understand our target market better. I created a survey to understand the current struggles of STEM students and academic researchers in navigating through career decisions. While reaching out to them, I had the opportunity to practice representing our brand as well, and more importantly, to actively hear from them directly what help is most needed to help them launch their desired career.
One other thing that I learned was to engage leaders of different organisations and societies to be involved in distributing the survey to their student cohort. Through this, I was able to extend my professional network greatly.
One of the specific benefits I gained from my internship was the insight into the clinical research industry. The team at Clueo Clinical allowed me to participate in different parts of their signature Industry Bridging Program so I could learn some of the key aspects of clinical research.
Most importantly, I am grateful to have met the team at Clueo Clinical. They allowed me to try new ideas, as well as supported me to help my ideas come to fruition. I felt so glad to finally meet people who have a first-hand understanding of what it is like to be successful in both academia and industry, yet also empathize with the challenges in transitioning into industry.
Through this experience with Clueo Clinical, I know that this is only the start of my career journey.
Megan Soon
Megan is a biomedical scientist with expertise in immunology and infectious diseases. She is completing her PhD that uses the latest wet-lab single-cell technology to deepen our understanding of the immune system, in the hope to develop personalized therapy.
Megan’s background in academia has provided her insights into the gap between academic research and industry opportunities. She has a strong passion to bridge this gap and help others do so too. Apart from research, Megan is also always keen to educate and inspire others in the field of science.
