CEO Emphasizes Gaining Experience to See What You Like

Name: Gaurav Goyal (he/him)

PhD: Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University, 2015

What is your current job?

I am the CEO of Nanolyze AB based in Gothenburg, Sweden.

My job entails several things including: management, business development, fundraising, and technology development.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I love the independence.

What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had during your PhD that now helps you in your current position?

Interdisciplinary training, brainstorming, problem-solving, and training in independence

How did you build the skills necessary for your current role?

Experience of working in a startup environment, building a network, and a collaborative and proactive nature helped. Resources and courses help at staying relevant and for contributing to a new field, but they do not necessarily unlock a career for you.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

I started in the company as Scientific Business Development (BD) Manager, and after two years was promoted to CEO. I applied to the BD Manager position through a LinkedIn ad.

PhD graduate (Philadelphia) ➡️ Scientist at a Startup (Menlo Park) ➡️ Postdoc (Sweden) ➡️ BD Manager (Sweden) ➡️ CEO (Sweden)

If someone is interested in a similar role, what would you recommend they start doing now to prepare?

• Go find a job at a startup and try to understand if you like the environment.

• Build a good network.

• Take initiative and try to punch above your weight.

• Soon people will start to value you and offer you opportunities.

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

I was quite clear that I did not want to pursue a career in academia. It is a super competitive and stressful career. There is also one fixed career path in academia and no deviations. Outside academia, there are multitude of options and opportunities.

I had a job offer from a startup 6 months before finishing the PhD. Even after working at the startup for 3 yrs, I chose to take a postdoc position because I wanted to move to Sweden, and it was the easiest way to do it. After spending a few years as a postdoc, I jumped back into the startup world.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

1. Do not limit your choices, try to gain some experience through internships or co-ops to understand what you like outside of academia.

2. There are many, many transferrable skills you possess in addition to your scientific expertise, and you do not typically value them as much as you should since the science takes the center stage. Evaluate your overall skills and explore where you can apply them.

And for those interested, what was your main area of research?

My PhD was in technology development for single-molecule detection and characterization (individual protein, DNA molecules) using solid-state nanopores. The concept is somewhat similar to a Coulter counter for cell counting but on nanoscale. The single pore is 5-30 nm in diameter and we investigate individual macromolecules that pass through it.