Lawrence Fourgeaud, PhD, is a Senior Scientist at Janssen R&D. She received her PhD training in France and came across the pond to California for her postdoctoral work in academic institute settings, ultimately shifting into the pharmaceutical R&D industry after a chance encounter with a former colleague. She can still be found at the bench running experiments, but her role within the company has evolved to include managerial tasks within an interdisciplinary team that is focused on identifying druggable targets for therapeutic applications in human neuroimmunology diseases. 

Can you describe your academic and professional background? What path led you to pursue this field? 

After completing my PhD in Neuroscience and Pharmacology at the Université Bordeaux II in France, I moved to California to pursue my postdoctoral training. First at the University of California San Diego in the laboratory of Dr. Lisa Boulanger, then at the Salk Institute in the laboratory of Professor Greg Lemke. During my postdoctoral studies, I developed my interest and expertise in exploring the roles of immune molecules in brain functions both in homeostasis and disease state of the central nervous system. In 2015, after learning through my network about a position that matched my scientific profile, I decided to transition from academia to the pharmaceutical industry and joined Janssen Neuroscience R&D department in La Jolla as a Neuroimmunology Scientist. I am now a Senior Scientist within the Neuroimmunology team where I lead drug discovery projects and manage a small team of research associates. 

How did you find this particular position, and what was the hiring process like? Is there a typical structure for this in your field? 

While I was already keeping an eye on various industry opportunities in neuroscience, I became aware of my current position after bumping into a former colleague from the Salk Institute that had joined Janssen R&D a few years before. I mentioned to him that I was considering transitioning to the industry and serendipitously they had just opened a position that aligned with my scientific interests and skills. Having a contact within the team made the hiring process easier. Overall, it is fast paced and competitive. The typical steps in the process are as follows: 1) apply online and if possible, have your resume passed to hiring manager 2) get screened by a recruiter on the phone 3) get screened by a hiring manager on the phone 3) get invited for an interview which includes a seminar and a series of one-on-ones with members of the team 4) wait and negotiate if you get an offer. 

Can you tell us about your current responsibilities? What is a typical day or week like in your role?

Currently, I am the biology leader for two projects, but I am supporting several other drug discovery projects within the team. I directly manage the work of two research associates. As I am part of the early discovery research team, the scientific aspect of my work is to some extent very similar to what I used to do in academia. Instead of investigating the functions of proteins of interest in diseases, we have targets of interest. It is the same idea, but the goal of the research is much more focused on finding druggable targets. At my level, I am still very close to the bench even if I am doing increasingly less bench work as I grow within the team and gain a more managerial role. I would say that the biggest differences between the corporate world and academia are the number of meetings we have to participate in and the fact that we are working on a daily basis in a matrix environment. I have colleagues on the east coast and in Europe, and we meet regularly online. 

What do you enjoy about your current job and work environment? 

Even if it is hard to let go of projects, I appreciate that my research goals are very clear and if the project cannot lead to finding a drug that will potentially be used to treat humans, we are stopping projects and moving on to the next target. I also enjoy the fact that the success of a project involves a whole team of people including biologists, chemists, toxicologists and others. Everyone must work together for things to move forward. Ultimately the goal is to find avenues to help patients and this is exciting!

Do you have any professional plans for the future? What are some future career paths that could open up for someone in your position, 5-10 years down the road?

Based on my current role within my team, I might be promoted to principal scientist within the next 5 years and could reach a director role in 10+ years. All of that, given that the priorities of the company, remain the same. One constant thing in the industry is that things are constantly changing, and re-organizations might happen anytime due to fluctuations in research priorities or the release of other drugs competing with our programs. It is hard to predict and everyone who is in this industry knows that you will have to be flexible at one time or another in your career.

What activities, internships, or organizations would you recommend someone get involved with to help them break into this field?

The best way is to build a network, not just when you are looking for a job, but overtime, and foster the relationships you have so you can use your network when you really need it, for the dream job. When in academia, it means keeping in touch with former colleagues that have already transitioned to the industry, participating in networking events and conferences, reaching out to people for informal interviews, and keeping a LinkedIn profile up to date. I also think getting clarity on skills, interest and being ready to apply as soon as a position open is key. Speed matters in the hiring process. 

Is it common for people in your field to have a scientific/academic background (i.e. have PhDs)? Can you think of any advantages or disadvantages someone with a PhD might experience while pursuing or working in your field?

Yes, lots of people have academic backgrounds in R&D. I would say having a PhD allows for further career progression if this is what you are after, but you can have a successful career without a PhD. Often that means staying closer to the bench.  

Do you have any final words of advice for those navigating these career questions? Is there anything you would have done differently given what you know now? 

I am happy about how things unfolded. But if I knew I would end up doing drug discovery, I might have done a postdoc in the industry earlier on and maybe paid more attention in my chemistry classes 😊