Reflecting on A2i’s Industry Insights: A Gateway to Industry Success

As we wrap up another successful series of A2i’s Industry Insights, it’s a great time to reflect on the invaluable knowledge and skills shared by our industry partners. This bi-monthly series of talks, led by A2i industry partners, aims to provide graduate students with the tools they need to excel in their careers and make a successful transition to industry.

This spring, we were fortunate to have eight engaging sessions from companies and alumni from Parker-Dewey, BASF, Eastman, ParkerLORD, Nephron Pharmaceuticals, Intel, and BD. These sessions covered a wide range of topics essential for career readiness, including micro-internships, communication and teamwork, navigating the transition from academia to industry, the power of LinkedIn and networking, industry job functions and roles, preparing for interviews, professional development, corporate culture, leveraging your graduate school experience, and current issues in bioscience management.

One of the highlights of the series was the emphasis on micro-internships (students and employers). These short-term, hands-on experiences provide students with valuable insights into various industries and help them develop essential skills that are highly sought after by employers.

Communication and teamwork were also highlighted as critical skills for success in the industry. The series emphasized the importance of effective communication, both within teams and with external stakeholders, and provided strategies for enhancing these skills.

Navigating the transition from academia to industry can be daunting, but the Industry Insights series provided students with practical advice and resources to make this transition smoother. From understanding industry job functions and roles to preparing for interviews, the series covered all aspects of the transition process.

Overall, the Industry Insights series has been instrumental in preparing graduate students for successful careers in industry. We are grateful to our industry partners for their valuable insights and look forward to continuing this partnership in the future for another series this Summer as a collective effort across our A2i academic partners.