Jonas is currently working as DISCOVER Trainee Management Human Pharma Operations at Boehringer Ingelheim.
Here is Jonas´ LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-schwickert/
Background and Early Career
1. Can you briefly introduce yourself, your education journey and what you focused on during your PhD or postdoc (or studies)?
I come from Limburg, Germany. I studied molecular cell biology and immunology in Tübingen, and after finishing my master’s, I decided to go for a PhD in cancer biology.
It was important to me to work on something I could really connect with in my daily research. Luckily, I got the chance to do my PhD at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), where I studied PARP inhibitor resistance in ovarian cancer.
I wrapped up my PhD after about four and a half years.
Transition to Industry
2. What motivated you to leave academia and explore roles in industry?
During my PhD, I realized quite early on that the academic career path wasn’t what I wanted to pursue afterwards. I was looking for more security, flexibility in future roles, and a better work–life balance. Around that time, I had already started exploring opportunities outside academia and got involved in an association that organizes job fairs and info sessions where companies can present themselves to students at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD level.
3. Which strategy and factors made your job search for your first industry job successful?
Around nine months before finishing my PhD, I started actively looking for positions in industry. At that time, and still today, I felt that a trainee program was the best possible entry point into the industry, so I focused only on those roles. I applied for two trainee programs at pharmaceutical companies in Germany.
Since trainee programs are typical entry-level positions, I matched about 90% of the criteria: a master’s degree in natural sciences (with a PhD considered a plus), fluency in English (German was a plus but not required), and several other requirements I met, except for international experience. To strengthen my application, I included my certificates in GxP and business-related courses, although I’m not entirely sure how much they helped. What definitely helped was my involvement in the association, where I could clearly demonstrate project management, teamwork, and leadership skills.
I also made use of my network from my PhD years. Some of my former colleagues had already joined the trainee programs at the two companies I applied to, and they gave me valuable insights into the application process, including the interview and assessment center. Of course, given the size of these companies, they couldn’t directly promote my application; but the information they shared was still very useful.
Current Role and Responsibilities
4. What is your current job title, (in which Company and where) and how would you describe your role to someone still in academia?
I’m now at the end of my two-year Program Management One Human Pharma Operations at Boehringer Ingelheim.
As a trainee, you get the opportunity to work in several different departments, in my case, four, and take on real projects, often as the project lead. The first rotation is more like job shadowing, where you learn what a specific role involves. This is especially common during the first rotation, since you’re completely new to both the company and the industry and need some time to get familiar with the relevant topics, workflows, and endless abbreviations.
5. Can you walk us through a typical day or week in your role?
A typical day starts with checking my emails. Since I work in an international company with colleagues around the world, important messages often come in outside my regular working hours. As I’m currently working as a project lead, I check for any updates on my project and prepare for upcoming meetings and presentations with team members, stakeholders, and the steering committee.
On average, I have two to three meetings a day, along with several calls to align on different topics. Beyond my project work, networking is also an important part of my role as a Trainee. I often plan lunch meetings with other trainees or with the management to expand my network, and of course, I also enjoy coffee breaks with colleagues I am working with.
Working hours are usually about eight per day, and on Fridays I finish a bit earlier, since the standard work week is 37.5 hours.
6. What skills from your PhD have been most valuable in your current role, and how did you successfully emphasize them during the hiring process?
The most important skills I gained during my PhD, and which are also essential in my current job, are project management, teamwork, and resilience. One method I found especially helpful during my application process is the STAR method, which provides a clear structure to showcase experiences and skills in a concise and impactful way.
Challenges and Adjustments
7. What was the biggest challenge you faced in transitioning from academia to industry, and how did you adapt to it?
One big challenge I faced when starting in industry was the language. Abbreviations are everywhere, and you have to learn a whole new vocabulary just to follow conversations with colleagues. My recommendation is simple: don’t hesitate to ask your colleagues if you don’t understand something. Everyone knows you’re new, and nobody expects you to know all the terminology right away.
Another difference I noticed compared to my time as a PhD student is the stage of life my colleagues are in. As a student, most of my peers were in a similar situation—PhD students of the same age and life stage, often spending time together after work for a beer or a “PhD happy hour.” In industry, it’s different: some colleagues already have families, others are close to retirement, so naturally the social dynamic changes. It’s not negative at all, it’s just something new to get used to.
Reflections and Advice
8. Looking back, what helped you the most during your transition to industry, and is there anything you would do differently?
As a PhD student, I developed important skills that I use every day in my job, such as self-organization, teamwork, the ability to quickly adapt to changing situations, and staying calm when things go wrong.
9. What advice would you give to current PhD students or postdocs considering a career in biotech/pharma?
If you’re looking for a career outside of research, unfortunately, most companies don’t focus on the methods you used or the papers you published during your time in academia. This can be frustrating, because these accomplishments are such a big part of life in the lab. My honest recommendation is to focus on developing and practicing skills that are highly valued in industry, such as project management, leadership, ownership, and business awareness.
My tip would be to get involved in an association or organization where you can develop these skills alongside your lab work.
11. What possiblities are there for career development starting from your role? What are your next steps?
After a trainee program, possible positions can sometimes be direct leadership roles, but in most cases, they are expert positions. At the moment I am applying for follow-up positions, with the support of my mentor. However, once the program ends, you are fully responsible for yourself, you no longer have the privileges of being a trainee. This means you need to navigate your career independently and actively work on developing and advancing your future path.