Biotechnology - Planet’s Next Big Opportunity, NOT for Scientists???
Amit Kumar Singh
Friday, 29 June 2007 23:40 UTC
Biotechnology, the Science of Future
Biotechnology is playing role from cancer medicine to bio-fuels. Governments are investing more and more every year in biotechnology sectors. Biotechnology companies are booming and people are playing millions.
But where academic scientists are benefiting in this scenario?
Most of the scientists work hard for a living.
During the postdoc, we are likely to teach, do the experiments that requires checking in at all hours, publishing research and writing grants – for a salary that may not exceed $43,000. The length of the postdoc career is also increasing every year. You can’t start a family. It’s really tough.
Managers are stealing power from scientists and building an accountability culture that “aims at ever more perfect administrative control of institutional and professional life. The result is an “audit society, in which each indicator is invested with a specious accuracy and becomes an end in itself. (Peter A. Lawrence, Nature 422, 259-261, 20 March 2003)
Therefore, I am just wondering that how the Next Big Opportunity, Biotechnology, will help the academic scientists.
All comments are welcome.
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Replies
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Hi Amir,
I’d say that it really depends on where you work and what you aspire for your life. Maybe $43,000 is enough for your needs.
Academia is more and more a matter of passion over possessions. This is at least the impression I get from the various people I contact.
I have professors that are outstanding engineers and prefer to do research and teach instead of going industrial, which only shows that they are more interested in the science than the money they could be making elsewhere.
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Sorry Amit, I misspelled your name.
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I think scientists should get a MBA and join the management process. Unfortunately, very few people have the mind set of both. It also takes a lot of working experience to gain an edge in business.
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Hi Ricardo,
I think you are right.. Science is all about passion.. n we do it because this is the only thing we know best…But recently one of friend who is currently doing Sr. Postdoc send me a quote..
”Once a Postdoc, Always a Postdoc”
Which was based on the facts that even after having quality publications, he couldn’t find a faculty position.. and again applying for another postdoc.. because his previous contract is finishing..
I don’t know how long he can go like this?
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Ada, thanks for your reply. Your idea is good… but just wondering that how successful people are in this kind of career change?
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