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#CareerFocus – Clinical Trials Administration

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2. My Career Story As another cohort of final year undergraduates prepare for their last exams, the next question usually is ‘What next?’ Postgraduate degree? Job? The transition from student to employee can be something of a mystery therefore our focus during #MyCareerStory is to shed some light on different career paths – paths well trodden as well as the road less travelled. We will be inviting professionals from a variety of disciplines to share their stories. In today’s article we discuss with Abiola Owolabi about developing her career in Clinical Research.

APH: Can you tell us about your educational background and career progression to date?

AO: Following my GCSE and A levels in the sciences, I chose a Biological Sciences degree, because of the wide spectrum of subjects it offered – biotechnology, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology and statistics.

I have worked in clinical research for over fifteen years. Initially starting out in a forensic laboratory, I soon moved into the clinical research laboratories rising to managerial level before I discovered my main gifting was in clinical trial administration.

I am a highly motivated and disciplined individual, who loves to be organised and solve problems.

I have worked for clinical research organisations, such as Chiltern, Quintiles, inVentiv Health Clinical, Richmond Pharmacology, Retroscreen Pharmacology as well as  pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies such as Bristol Myers Squibb, Glenmark, Allergan and currently Biogen.

How did a graduate in Biological Sciences get into the world of clinical research?

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#PhDChat – My Transition from Industry to PhD

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Thinking about what next for your career or you are in the “i’m not sure”  what or where to go to next in your career? Well our transition reflections are back again! Our previous article showing a successful transition from a PhD to a role in industry spurred many of our readers on towards their search for their dream careers. In today’s article, new PhD candidate  in biomedical science, Ellena Elcocks shares her experience of transitioning from her degree to industry and back to the PhD.

As a failed medical school applicant out of college, I looked to the next necessary steps to get me into medical school via the graduate route. I chose biomedical science and it’s probably the most successful last minute decision I’ve made to date. In 2014 my first round of university ended and I proudly graduated with a 1st Class in Biomedical Science.

I spent the first 2 years of my BSc degree still on track to apply for graduate entry into medicine, and then my final year project began. I was smitten. Research was my jam.

Without meaning to be over zealous, I felt like what I was doing had meaning. My research project was focused at how bacteria in probiotics survive and how it applies in the real world. I was hooked! I started applying for PhDs and before graduating I had secured 3 interviews. Lacking the experience needed, I was unsuccessful with them all and I felt deflated. I went back to the drawing board and started applying to any and all jobs that would keep me connected to research.

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#CareerChat – How to perform well at your next academic interview

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Previously we shared an article aimed at helping graduates prepare and perform at interviews. In today’s post, Emmanuel reflects on his experiences at academic interviews and offers advice for aspiring academics about to embark on this journey.

Before my first academic interview, my experiences of interviews were straightforward (industry and other sectors) – myself, a round table or similar and my interviewers. At those interviews, the questions centered around how much I knew about the company, a bit about me and my experience, why they should hire me etc. My experience of academic interviews was quite different.

My first academic interview was for a research fellowship in Northern Ireland to carry out a project on the molecular detection and distribution of bacteria in the gut from clinical samples. As you would expect, this was a specialised area and the interview format was no different from my previous experiences. It was about the specifics of the research area, my experience and what my technical skills were in relation to what experimentation was required for the position. No doubt, I had done my due diligence; researched my interviewers, the project, the institution, shortlisting plan and salary scales…having worked in industry previously, I went in prepared and the format was as I expected.

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#PhDChat – ‘I didn’t just survive my PhD, I enjoyed it!’

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You’ve done the research, you’ve ‘birthed’ your thesis, the last step between you and your PhD is the much dreaded viva voce exam. You have to sit in a room for a few hours to discuss your research and convince your examiners your work makes an original contribution to knowledge and is worthy of a PhD. In this article, Dr Emmanuel Mogaji reflects on his recent experience of undertaking a viva.

I was given six weeks notice to prepare for my viva. Even though I was quite confident about my research and my thesis, my approaching viva examination appeared very daunting. I reassured myself by telling myself I was going to enjoy my viva and not just survive it. To prepare myself mentally, I read articles and listened to various podcasts available on different websites.

When I heard former PhD candidates reflect on their viva experience, I always had this idea they had just survived it  – akin to escaping from a lion’s den. I didn’t want to be like that, I wanted to enjoy every bit of it. My most important preparation though was reading my thesis from cover to cover.

I reminded myself of the following facts –

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#APHEvents – Networking; A Powerful Tool for Professional Success

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The Aspiring Professionals Hub (APH) recently convened a workshop on networking with delegates comprising, students, University staff, members of public and diplomats who were in attendance at the Educational Forum which formed part of the activities marking the Inaugural Africa Week programme at the University of the West of England, Bristol.

We chose the area of networking as we realise how important it has been in shaping our career journey and is one of our mantras in the Hub.Our goal is simple – to demystify networking and to make it “real” for our audience especially those in the early stages of their career who might not have had the chance to network and for those who have, how to do so effectively.

The key to effective networking is to know what it is and what it isn’t– which we defined previously as ‘the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business’ We took this a step further by defining it as ‘the process of knitting together ideas, people and situations to create opportunity.’ 

Networking is about building relationships. We discussed the importance of networking and offered some tips to get our participants started.

Preparation – you should always be prepared to network and prior to attending an event it is important to ask yourself some questions such as;

o   Who will be at the event and who/what organisation(s) do they represent?

o   Is it a formal or an informal event and if so, how should you cater for your appearance – would you need to wear a suit? Would dressing informally affect your ability to engage with any high profile delegates?

o   What would you consider as personal success for you at the end of the event?

We also stressed the importance of having business cards. These are very cheap to purchase these days and having your role i.e. what you do and what you can offer, your contact details including a phone number and email address which you can be reached on is what you need to begin your networking journey.

 

Finally, we highlighted the importance of follow up. This can be arduous and often easier not to do but when done correctly it is generally seen as a polite gesture and more often than not, people do respond when you follow up after discussing and exchanging contact details with them at events.

So next time, how about a “Hello……, it was nice to meet you at…..”

We had a really interactive audience and enjoyed the activities where our delegates got the chance to plan their next networking activity. Hopefully we have met our mission of ‘engaging and equipping’ a few more professionals who will utilise the knowledge they have learnt for their development.

You can see some pictures from the event here

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Photo credit – Olivia Dixon

To find our more or read our previous articles on networking click here.

If you would like the Aspiring Professionals Hub (APH) to run a similar workshop for your organisation, please contact us – info@aspiringprofessionalshub.com.

Finally don’t forget to join the conversation by leaving a comment, also feel free to share and subscribe to our network.