When I first started my PhD program I was driven by my desire to learn more about neuroscience, pursue translational research that could eventually help people, and contribute to our growing knowledge of the brain. As I progressed through my program, I started to think more about my career after earning a doctoral degree. I first focused on the type of academic career track that would best suit me, but I began to realize that the life of a typical academic did not appeal to me. Although I did enjoy learning about new scientific discoveries and felt an immense sense of pride in being part of that discovery process, I realized I did not want to continue bench work as a life-long career. Unfortunately, I had a limited grasp of careers available to Ph.D. graduates and no idea for how best to make the leap from academia to ‘alt-ac’ careers. I did know that I wanted to find a career that matched both my experience as a trained scientist and my desire to promote new scientific ideas.
I decided to pursue an internship with OTT because it seemed to align with my interests and desires in a career. The internship program provides insight into and hands-on experience with the daily activities of professionals in the technology transfer field. As an intern, I have learned how to apply my scientific knowledge and my critical thinking skills as a scientist in the business field. The program also allows me to foster new and old skills that would make me a much better candidate for an industry position after I graduate in ways that I would have never been exposed to in the lab. Finally, one of the most valuable aspects of the internship has been the chance to network with professionals in tech transfer as well as others outside academia. Overall, the internship has provided an avenue to learn more about an exciting career that allows me to use my scientific training and promote scientific discoveries.
–Yvonne Ogbonmwan