Chicago area biotech/pharm jobs? (Ohio, Dakota: find a job, university, pharmacies)

[Euroscience]

Dear Chicago community,

I will be moving to the United States from Europe soon, so I am trying to figure out where exactly. I have a graduate degree in the biomedical/life sciences and am looking for a career in the biotech or pharmaceutical industries. Academia might be an option, too, but only if I don't find a job elsewhere.

What draws me to Chicago is the fact that I am very familiar with the area and have friends there, so the transition would be easy. However, I will have to move without a job (no one hires people from overseas) and I know that Chicago is not the life sciences hub, especially not compared to Boston, San Diego, San Francisco and the like.

So, does anyone have any input on how realistic it is to find a biotech/pharm job in Chicago? I'd be willing to first accept any job just to support myself, but obviously I didn't go to college to end up as a Starbucks barista. Would you advise me on doing the move to Chicago? Or better go elsewhere first and then relocate to Chicago once I have an established career?

[chet everett]

There are signficant efforts in biotech / pharma research in the area -- Northwesten , Rush, and University of Chicago all run top tier research health centers. Similarly Abbott Labs, Baxter Healtcare and a about a dozen other pharma / healthcare firms have active drug and diagnostic testing programs, mostly in Lake Co.

If you don't get specific you won't land a job, but if you do have experince and credentials that match the needs of the organizations here you can do very well...

[Euroscience]

Thanks for your input! It's nice to hear that there are quite a few companies in the area. Chicago would definitely be my fav place to move to...

Originally Posted by chet everett

If you don't get specific you won't land a job, but if you do have experince and credentials that match the needs of the organizations here you can do very well...

Well, I just graduated and can imagine several career paths, be it lab-based research or more of an administrative position. That depends more on what kind of jobs are available than on my personal preferences. I have mostly lab experience though, so I guess that's my safest bet and I can still move up the food chain to administrative jobs later on.

[whakru]

Originally Posted by Euroscience

Thanks for your input! It's nice to hear that there are quite a few companies in the area. Chicago would definitely be my fav place to move to...



Well, I just graduated and can imagine several career paths, be it lab-based research or more of an administrative position. That depends more on what kind of jobs are available than on my personal preferences. I have mostly lab experience though, so I guess that's my safest bet and I can still move up the food chain to administrative jobs later on.

Congrats on graduating and welcome to the US! I work in this industry and there are quite a few options for you here. Almost all the big pharmas are north of O'Hare and the are some smaller med device and/or biotechs in the western burbs. Most of your research will be in the city.

It can be difficult to break into the big pharmas so I suggest you look at some of the temp agencies like Adecco, Manpower, Kelly Scientific, etc. That is usually the best way to get your foot in the door.

Good luck and DM me if you need any more info.

[Euroscience]

Originally Posted by whakru

Congrats on graduating and welcome to the US! I work in this industry and there are quite a few options for you here. Almost all the big pharmas are north of O'Hare and the are some smaller med device and/or biotechs in the western burbs. Most of your research will be in the city.

It can be difficult to break into the big pharmas so I suggest you look at some of the temp agencies like Adecco, Manpower, Kelly Scientific, etc. That is usually the best way to get your foot in the door.

Good luck and DM me if you need any more info.

Thanks! So you think Chicago is a feasible option for me? Or am I going to have much better chances to get my foot in the door if I move to San Diego or Boston?

[linicx]

Please be aware that popular American cities are like movie stars; there are many subtle differences between them. Boston, San Diego, San Francisco, NYC, Miami. Dallas, Denver, NOLA, Indy, are very different cities than Chicago. This city is the dominate city in the Midwest beginning east of Ohio, north to the Canadian border, south to the tip of Illinois and ending west of the Dakotas. It is thousands of acres of land that is primarily dedicated to farm crop and livestock. The Chicago area (Chicago and Cook County) cover 1000 square miles or more. There is a far more competition for one job in Chicago than elsewhere in the state due to the fact people from three states are fighting for one job in Chicago. Also worth noting is the unemployment rate in Illinois is still high. I expect it to stay this way until Spring. Without a job or any benefits I can see where you might need $15000 US annual income until you find your job.

I cannot speak for Chicago. There are companies in other areas in Illinois that routinely hire Ph.D graduates in Europe and India for research, vacancies, or to fill newly created positions. There are also vendors that sell their products to hospitals and pharmacies that are not located in Chicago.

The Midwest, and particularly the State of illinois, is very divided. Chicagoans generally dislike everything in the Midwest because it IS NOT Chicago. Midwesterners aren't particularly fond of Chicago because it IS Chicago. It is an interesting place to live especially if you like to watch American Politics.

[rca215]

I definitely think your odds would be much greater in Boston (Genzyme, Biogen, Novartis, Shire, Vertex, some Pfizer, some Sanofi, tons of smaller companies), the Bay Area (Roche/Genentech, Biomarin, Abbott diagnostics, Elan, various other big pharma and tons of startus) and the stretch around Philly/Northern NJ (Merck, J&J, Pfizer, some Sanofi and Roche, I think some AstraZeneca, BMS if you go into Connecticut).

But Chicago does have its fair share of pharma/biotechs (Abbott, Takeda, Astellas, Lundbeck, Hospira). They tend to be in the northern suburbs and make for a fairly miserable commute from the city, in my opinion. There are very few smaller biotech companies around Chicago. A new one is expanding here recently (forget the name but I'll look it up) but they are an extreme rarity compared to what you'd find in Boston and California. It is the lack of smaller biopharmas, plus my desire to stay in Chicago for the near-term, that led me to leave that industry. I would hate to work for a bigger pharma company.

One option to keep in mind is professional services. Biotech/pharma companies are huge consumers of services from a variety of types of companies, such as management consulting, marketing/advertising, event management and others. These types of firms, particularly consultancies, tend to have more flexible locations (meaning, live in Chicago but work with clients in New Jersey) and have offices all over the place. They might also be more likely go through the effort needed to employ a non-American, visa-wise. Just make sure you're interested in that type of work. I hated it.

[Euroscience]

Originally Posted by rca215

I definitely think your odds would be much greater in Boston (Genzyme, Biogen, Novartis, Shire, Vertex, some Pfizer, some Sanofi, tons of smaller companies), the Bay Area (Roche/Genentech, Biomarin, Abbott diagnostics, Elan, various other big pharma and tons of startus) and the stretch around Philly/Northern NJ (Merck, J&J, Pfizer, some Sanofi and Roche, I think some AstraZeneca, BMS if you go into Connecticut).

Thanks. That's what I wanted to hear. Or maybe not because I would prefer Chicago over the Bay Area or Boston a lot. People also talk about San Diego a lot, is that even better than the Bay Area?

Originally Posted by rca215

and have offices all over the place. They might also be more likely go through the effort needed to employ a non-American, visa-wise. Just make sure you're interested in that type of work. I hated it.

I'll probably have a Green Card so the visa should not be a problem. I just wanted to see where I have the best chances of finding a job in my area of expertise.

[Toroid]

Originally Posted by Euroscience

People also talk about San Diego a lot, is that even better than the Bay Area?

No.

That said there really aren't any areas in the US where big Pharma is a great option.

[rca215]

San Diego has a decent start-up community and some R&D arms of big pharma (in addition to Scripps and other academic research), but I think it is much smaller than SF and Boston and the Philly/NJ stretch.