How I Found Opportunities and Built Job Search Resilience through Conversations with Alumni

Immediately after accepting the offer to what will be my first job post-Ph.D., I messaged my alumni mentors to share the good news. They have been giving me their wisdom, resources, and support since we first met at Duke alumni events such as the University Program in Genetics and Genomics (UPGG) lunches and mixers funded by The Graduate School’s Professional Development Grant. Without their help, my job search would have been much more winding. Here are three lessons I learned from UPGG alumni lunches and mixers that accelerated my career development.

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Lesson 1: Genetics and Genomics scientists take on all kinds of careers.

Alumni lunches and mixers allowed me to learn about diverse career paths ranging from grant writing consulting (Dr. Katharine Korunes) and data science (Dr. Charles Hall) to advancing research at institutes and companies such as the NIEHS (Dr. Abee Boyles), RTI International (Dr. Dana Hancock), and BioNTech (Dr. Sarah Mudrak). I had never heard of phrases like “business development,” “corporate development,” and “operational strategy and feasibility” until I met UPGG alumni in these careers—Dr. Manuel Valdés (Senior Director of Business Development, Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Limited), Dr. Christina Markunas (Executive Director of Corporate Development, Merz Aesthetics), and Dr. Nicholas Rizzo (Associate Director of Operational Strategy and Feasibility, Precision For Medicine). When they explained that their jobs let them leverage their scientific expertise, research experience, and communication skills in the business context to help groundbreaking technologies reach the people who would benefit from them, I realized that these careers may be a good fit for me.

Lesson 2: Job search with more intention and less fear.

Besides introducing their current jobs, the alumni also shared their career journeys. Hearing their stories motivated me to job search intentionally and proactively, without the fear of rejection. Many alumni highlighted the power of networking. I learned from them that networking presents the opportunity to get to know genuinely interesting people both professionally and personally. It does not have to be a cold, transactional chore. Over time, hearing what other professionals do at work and which skills and qualities make them good at their jobs helps me identify which skills and qualities I need to build, as well as the type of work I would like to do. 

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In the application stage, hearing the experiences of UPGG alumni indirectly taught me to be less fearful. If it took these brilliant, resourceful, and successful alumni a significant amount of trial and error to find the right job, I should not be discouraged by rejection.

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Lesson 3: We can trust our alumni mentors, because they were once in our shoes.

While it is true that I could have simply searched online for information on career options and job search tips for biomedical Ph.D. graduates, alumni lunches and mixers are special because they foster a sense of trust. In a relaxed environment, over food and drink, I felt safe asking any question I was curious about, without worrying about how ignorant I appeared. I often asked the alumni to explain the basics of their job, as well as their day-to-day. Because our Ph.D. experiences likely had some similarities, I would also ask them to compare their job to being a Ph.D. student. I even felt comfortable asking about their work-life balance and how they managed life outside of work, such as childcare. The candor of the alumni helped me further decide how I want my post-Ph.D. life to look. Because they were once in our shoes, the alumni understand where we tend to struggle and often have the best answers to our questions and concerns.

I am grateful to each alum at each lunch and mixer, especially the alumni with whom I was able to form lasting connections. They kindly mentored me during my post-Ph.D. job search, teaching me how to craft my application, referring me to open positions, and encouraging me along the way. As a new alum, I would be honored to pay it forward and help current students in any way I can. Please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and invite me to a future lunch or mixer!

AUTHOR

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Raven Luo-LeBlanc, Ph.D.

Recent Ph.D. graduate, Genetics and Genomics

Yanting “Raven” Luo-LeBlanc entered the cell and molecular biology Ph.D. program in 2020, affiliated with the University Program in Genetics and Genomics, and just completed her Ph.D. in Dr. Craig Lowe’s Vertebrate Genetics Lab in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology in the School of Medicine. Her Ph.D. research focused on highly divergent genomic regions underlying human-unique traits. Post-Ph.D., Raven joined New York University’s Technology Opportunities and Ventures as a life sciences licensing associate, where she manages the commercialization pipeline for a diverse portfolio of cutting-edge technologies to help bring these innovations to society. Outside of science, she enjoys art, music, food, running, and rock climbing.