A life science careers blog for early career researchers
This blog aims to inspire early career researchers exploring different career options. We provide interview-based profiles of life scientists working in diverse science-related careers and articles on a broad range of career-related topics, with new content added on a regular basis.
If you are an early-career researcher in the life sciences, navigating the career area of marketing may be daunting. To demystify this career path, we talked to Nadine Thaler, formerly a cancer research PhD and currently working as Team Leader Product Manager Applications at Hamilton Bonaduz AG, a leading manufacturer in life science, automated liquid handling solutions as well as automated sample management systems and, process sensors. In our conversation, she explained to us the process of developing and launching products, challenges, and the rewarding mix of working at the interplay of science and business strategy. Join us as Nadine provides a firsthand perspective on her transition from academia to the career area of marketing.
Links to further resources can be found at the end of the article.
Marketing roles often sound like a black box for PhDs holders considering a career move outside of academia. Could you provide a summary of what marketing is about?
Marketing is a pivotal discipline within a company, primarily focused on incorporating the customer’s voice inside the company, to be market oriented and developing strategies to create solutions and later craft campaigns that effectively promote products and services to the market. Contrary to a very common understanding, marketing goes beyond promotion and the creation of campaigns including marketing collaterals, which are all media and materials designed to support product or service sales. While this is an important component of marketing, it might also include broader tasks such as brand management, listening and analysing customer concerns, performing market research to identify optimal distribution strategies, and collaborating with several disciplines around portfolio management, among other things. The scope of responsibilities varies based on the company’s size, self-perception, and business activities.
If there is a typical day, how does it appear for you?
There is not a typical day for me, and that is the reason I love working in marketing and product management. My day kicks off very early as I need time to focus on important tasks before formal meetings start around eight. Some of these meetings can be with the Research and Development team for alignment, to get an update on ongoing projects, identify potential challenges, and ensure everything is on track. Scheduled one-on-one meetings with my team members to discuss and support them on business cases for potential new products to present to management, review performance figures, assess the need for enhanced product promotion, identify upcoming conferences and events, or discuss recent publications. A fixed component in my daily calendar is a one-and-a-half-hour lunch break to rest my mind. Following this break, my schedule often includes meetings with our colleagues in the U.S. to align and ensure the global availability of all our products. Between all these meetings I have dedicated focus time blocks, to work quietly on my long-term tasks.
How do you work with your team to develop and launch new products?
We do have regular interactions with various departments, and after 5 years working in this area, I believe I have collaborated nearly with every single department in the company. We engage and coordinate weekly with a lot of different disciplines, like R&D, field team and data analytics, and align with business development, scientists in the lab, sales representatives, and customer support colleagues. The interactions are dictated by the stage of the product life cycle and portfolio, whether we are developing something new, maintaining it or removing it from the market.
The process of developing and launching a new product begins either with a new idea or by addressing customers’ challenges and needs. We work closely with our customers, as we aim to gain insights into their daily challenges to identify potential solutions. Once the idea takes shape, we have to do our homework, considering alignment with the company’s strategy, market viability, customer interest, and the timeline for developing or upgrading a new product. In the end, you bring all the information together into a business case, which is the foundation for every product. This is basic homework for a product manager. Upon approval from management, the project is allocated a budget and a multi-disciplinary team. This may include application specialists in the lab, R&D scientists, hardware- and software engineers… it can be a quite dynamic mix.
Can you provide an example of a successful marketing campaign or strategy you have been involved?
Yes, I can think of a project where the objective was to automate a novel technology, and we initiated the process with a thorough exploration of its feasibility. We brought together a cross-functional team, including engineers as well as scientists for in-depth discussions. While a good understanding of the biology was important, the primary focus was first to understand the practical possibilities of implementation. Additionally, we also needed a clear overview of our market and potential customers to build a business case. Given the novelty of the technology, extensive research was done to identify those who could benefit from its automation, discern the specific needs within the community and select the right words to advertise it. This approach allowed us to formulate a well-informed strategy, leading to the successful launch of a new product into the market. The key message here is that you need to work together with the right people in a team. In this scenario, a mix of professionals with the relevant scientific background and engineering expertise.
What are the challenges you face in marketing and product management and how do you overcome them?
It is necessary to swim above the daily tasks, take control of the day, and not merely be reactive to the demands. As you can imagine, this requires a clear understanding of priorities and meticulous organisation. Ultimately, the ideas that benefit the company the most, win, so the ability to identify and focus on the ideas that contribute the most to the company’s growth is the defining factor in effective product management. One challenge is not lacking ideas for potential projects that can benefit the company. Moreover, as product managers, our deep understanding of the products makes other departments reach out to us for insights in certain areas so balancing these demands and identifying and setting up priorities is not easy. Evaluating whether a task is both important and urgent, and deciding whether someone else can address it, it is a constant dilemma.
Most early-career researchers will not acquire any formal experience in business-related topics during their scientific training. How was the transition from academia to your first marketing-related position?
During my PhD, I reflected extensively on my long-term career plans. While observing the daily responsibilities of principal investigators, it was clear that they were primarily engaged in seeking funding and writing grants, rather than the hands-on aspects of laboratory work that I enjoyed the most. Several important moments and discussions influenced my final decision to move beyond academia. However, a crucial conversation occurred on a summer evening with my mother. We were talking about value-added taxes and the fundamental principles behind accounting. She explained concepts that were very difficult for me to grasp. Indeed, I barely understood anything. This conversation made me question the value I could bring to a company if I lacked even a basic understanding of accounting. This made me recognize that my knowledge in biology, while substantial, would have a more significant impact outside of academia if coupled with a basic understanding of business principles.
Fortunately, during that period, I also had a supportive mentor who, while reviewing my CV, suggested considering an MBA if I aimed to transition into industry at some point. Exploring various MBA programs, I felt a bit overwhelmed, particularly due to the strong emphasis on accounting. Reflecting on my conversation with my mother, I decided to proactively address the accounting gap before potentially enrolling in an MBA program. I signed up for a three-month accounting course, dedicating six hours a week during my PhD. This helped me to acquire essential accounting principles and prepared me for a smoother experience in an MBA in Technology and Innovation program, which I enrolled in at the end of my PhD. Juggling the completion of my PhD with all the courses and tests from the MBA was challenging, but it proved to be worth the effort.
While still in the MBA, I read a lot of job descriptions because job titles meant little for me, and I also established connections with recruiters to help identify relevant positions for my profile. I applied for jobs before finishing the MBA and my first job interview was for a project manager role. After two rounds of interviews, HR reached out to me and mentioned that my profile, combined with my personality, would be a better fit for a product management position. They thought I could grow and develop better in this role. At this point, I had already completed the first six months of the MBA, which covered company strategy and marketing topics and based on this knowledge, I thought it could be fun. I accepted the position, read my first book about product management, and started my adventure into marketing. Since my start as Product Manager at Hamilton it has been a great journey to fill my backpack with skills and experiences. Learning from colleagues and mentors was and still is fantastic. It connects theory with best practice on real tasks. To develop in a company is a great chance to handle increasing responsibility step-by-step in a known environment.
As you mentioned, you enrolled on the MBA at the end of your PhD. How did this contribute to your ability to secure your position?
It is not easy to explain the specific impact of the MBA as I do not have a comparison for the process without it. In my case, I found great value in getting the theoretical foundations to better understand my daily work and also provided me with a broader perspective on how regular tasks outside of academia are approached. It also gave me an overview of the different company departments, an understanding of their interactions, and other topics such as why systems like CRM or ERP are needed. Of course, I still had to learn how to do the job itself, but there was no extensive need for an explanation regarding the basics of why this or why that.
There are short certified courses on Product Management, Quality Management, and Project Management covering fundamental business aspects. I think opting for an MBA, with its high cost and extensive workload, might help but it is not necessary. I would say that a short course, combined with self-directed learning to grasp the essentials and become familiar with industry business jargon, is usually enough to make the transition.
As a team lead, you now play a key role in the hiring process. Can you share what are the qualities you appreciate most in candidates during the recruitment process?
On paper, what I look for is a concise, complete, and easy-to-digest application. Given my busy schedule, I review applications quickly, so a well-structured and easily readable document, with a maximum of 2 pages, is what is needed at this stage. There is no need to list all your publications, instead give me an overview of the biological questions you have worked on and the total number. In roles like marketing and product management, where PhD holders may not have extensive work experience, I put significant value on the cover letter. The ‘why’ – their motivation to join us – is the most important aspect when hiring. While a relevant scientific background and communication skills are important on paper, during interviews, it is the combination of motivation along personality that makes a difference.
In terms of skills, in my team, nearly everyone holds a PhD, and what we all share is the ability to present complex scientific results, prepare posters and presentations, answer challenging questions, and identify trends in the scientific community. We do not seek specialists. If we ask about trends in a specific research area and receive a narrow answer based only on the candidate’s PhD project, they may not be the right fit. We look for individuals who attend conferences and are capable of identifying hot topics, new technological developments, and community needs – essentially, keeping up with the latest trends in the field. For product manager roles at Hamilton Bonaduz AG, we test candidates with a business case. This can be a short presentation on how they would approach a presentation for a potential new product. Presenting to the team is a standard practice in many companies hiring for these roles. While it is challenging without formal work experience, you can survive it. Do your homework, understand the company’s mission, and its product portfolio, recent research developments in the field, and know our competitors. You have to show that you have dedicated time to educate yourself.
What do you like the most about your position?
It is the blend of scientific and business perspectives that truly fascinates me. Being closely connected to science – still analysing raw data and reading publications – but with the business aspect. Working with a motivated and interdisciplinary team of people creates a very enriching atmosphere where you are supported to learn and grow a lot. I can really say that I love my job, and honestly, I never thought that I could have a position like this in the private sector while I was pursuing my PhD. Unfortunately, such roles are not often highlighted during our academic training and there are limited opportunities to explore what else we can do beyond the classical academic path.
What advice do you have for early-career researchers considering transitioning to the private sector?
Many times, we see these breaks in the CV after the PhD contract ends. Use this break wisely, invest in courses, or engage in self-learning with books and online resources. Make the most of your time, try to identify career areas that might be a good fit for you, and build some knowledge. I attended one of the first career workshops you delivered, and I still remember you saying ‘Do not give up and ask for advice’. This is true. Many former academics are happy to help as they know that the transition is not easy. They are willing to advise and help you, and eventually, one company will give you the first chance. Transitioning to industry involves a substantial amount of work. It does not come for free, it is a steep learning curve that requires significant investment in time and effort. Building an understanding of new processes, learning how companies operate, and grasping the ins and outs of the job, particularly, how the company functions, was the most significant challenge for me. It is really learning an entirely new job. You have to be eager to learn and not hesitate to seek help and advice. If you feel uncomfortable asking questions, you might be in the wrong company and team, and frustration can set in quickly.
Nadine can be found on LinkedIn.
Career information related articles
Our career area information pages ‘Career area: Sales and marketing’ and ‘Technical support, application science and product management’ include further links and resources related to this career area.
