Career Development
Bo Tokarski, PhD, MBA
Manager, Analytical Chemistry
Charles River Laboratories Ashland LLC
Ashland
Students making the transition from academia to industry are well-trained scientifically, but they typically have limited business acumen, not having developed business-related decision making skills during their undergraduate and/or graduate education. Decisions concerning what is best not just for the science, but also the business as a whole, need to be considered in an industrial setting. This interactive symposium aims to provide prospective industrial scientists the chance to learn about science in the context of business, where business decisions directly impact how the science is able to be conducted. Attendees will learn about the "business" of industry, broken down into three main considerations: Safety, Compliance, and Financial. Foundational information for each of these three categories will be presented, followed by examples of real-world scenarios that require a decision that impact all three considerations in some way.
Attendees will initially be engaged through an interactive presentation focused on providing context for business decision-making in a pharmaceutical industrial setting. Breakout groups will then be employed to engage in conversation regarding decision-making for real-world scenarios that impact Safety, Compliance, and Financial aspects for a company. Hard skills including business management and decision-making needed for supervisory roles in pharmaceutical industry will be better developed.
Undergraduate and graduate students seeking better understanding of the intersection of business and science in industry will benefit most from attending this session.