Careers outlook broadens for biotech professionals

A range of employment opportunities is opening up for fledglings of the biotechnology industry as well as for young entrepreneurial scientists returning from overseas.

Jeremy Wurm, Managing director of Brooker Consulting said for scientists returning to Australia now there is an industry to come back to, but ten years ago there wasn't.

He said that Australian salaries are lower than overseas, but scientists are offered equity in the company, which can be a huge bonus if a company with the potential of, for example, Cochlear or Resmed, goes public.

"There is an emerging biosciences sector from CSIRO and university spin offs," said Wurm.

AusBiotech's Dr Shanny Dyer said the industry is growing and the dynamics and the types of employment are changing, so that previously a job in the market meant Research and Development, now it means marketing, accounting and legal.

As one of the organisers of the 'Careers in Biotechnology' event, Dyer said that it provided an opportunity for students to meet and network with professionals.

"It had an enormous response," she said. Over 150 students registered to hear leading business development managers, consultants, as well as patent attorneys from the industry.

Jacinta Flattery-Obrine, associate at Baldwin Shelston Waters, said there are some opportunities in the legal area for those post-graduates who do not want to pursue academia.

These legal avenues included patent examiners in government, house counsellors in a particular firm managing a portfolio, or patent attorney in a firm.

"Eventually if you become a partner in a firm the pay is better but it doesn't come without putting in the hard-yards," she said. The minimal requirement is a masters or PhD degree or experience in the industry as well as passing the exams put out by The Institute of Patent and Trademark Attorneys.

"It is growing, but it is still a small industry so there aren't many jobs for patent attorneys," she said.

"It's jungle warfare. It's dog-eat-dog out there and there aren't enough dogs to go around," said Wurm, who recruits in the healthcare, human services, academia and biotech arena.