Best states for a medical research scientist

Expert opinions on the best states for medical research scientists

• Are there any particularly good places in the United States for medical research scientists to find work opportunities?

  David Cool Ph.D.

  Professor, Pharmacology & Toxicology; Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Wright State University

  The best place to work is wherever you can get a job. You will learn something new, no matter what or where you start. Colleges and universities employ people every day. However, the jobs there are usually called 'soft money,' meaning that your job ends when the grant runs out. Unless you have become such an expert and so critical to the needs of your PI or the department that they decide they will hire you to work until another grant comes along to pay you. Clinical research is expanding greatly in the U.S. now. Every medical student has to do research, and most large teaching hospitals have a research coordinator that will work to generate grants in the department. This means that lab personnel is required for these positions and valuable to the clinical research team. The clinical trial coordinator is a new and expanding field, becoming increasingly essential to help run even small clinical trials in a small university medical office. Universities are starting to create new degree programs designed to train people to run clinical trials. As one study starts, more will open up and you will have a lot of work to do. Government is also a great place to get a job, but you may have a more extensive hiring process, especially in today's market. However, large numbers of research labs do not work on a military base but, instead, run small projects that are sourced to and for the military. Since these are paid for by government funds, the salaries should be expected to be higher.
  
  Of course, Pharma will be a choice, but this can be even harder to get in the door. Some companies don't advertise, and it is nearly impossible to reach a person in HR on the phone. You send a CV or resume blindly, hoping someone sees it. However, this example may help you think differently about Pharma. Twenty-five years ago, a larger Pharma company discovered that they had 100 PhDs running projects. But these PhDs weren't doing any grand thinking; they were running tests and assays, something any BS degree graduate in biology or biochemistry could do. So, the large Pharma company fired 90 PhDs, hired 200 BS degreed personnel, and let the 10 PhDs coordinate their efforts. They saved more money and made more progress.