Name: Anthony Franchini (he/him)
PhD: Immunology, Albany Medical College, 2014
What was your main area of research?
I studied how chemicals present in our environment, such as those from burning plastics and other pollution sources, alter and dampen the immune response to respiratory pathogens including influenza A virus, SARS-Cov-2, S. pneumoniae, and M. tuberculosis. This is mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, or AHR. I expanded on this work to include studying the impact these chemicals have on immune cell progenitor fate, or decision making, and the transcriptional networks altered by blocking AHR function in in vivo and in vitro assays
What is your current job?
I am a Senior Clinical Project Manager and Consultant in Rochester, NY.
I oversee writing research clinical trial protocols, recruitment, and human subject protection plans for a small research subdivision within the medical center.
In addition to this work, I am a strategic management consultant for local early stage companies. I write business plans, draft applications for venture capital funding, translate complex scientific and business concepts for startup teams. Additionally, I help draft patent applications, licensing agreements, and lead projects as a grant writer and project manager.
My favorite part of my job is interacting with other scientists and using my knowledge base to help unlock new directions to take their work.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
One position I found via internal job boards, the other I created myself by founding a company and diving into the local startup and business scenes.
PhD graduate ➡️ postdoctoral fellow ➡️ Staff scientist ➡️ Consultant & Sr. Coordinator
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?
I found myself in a personal situation where I didn't have much choice in the region I moved to after completing my PhD, which hampered my academic options. I also find academia to be a very oppressive bureaucracy, with many decisions made off of vendettas and personal relationships instead of novel scientific inquiry. It was easy for me to move away from academia once I clearly saw faculty playing favorites, not rewarding hard work and effort, and actively stymying their trainees from networking outside of their laboratory.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
Your university won't be loyal to you one bit. Find mentors outside of the academic bubble as fast as you can and build those relationships.
Find a scientific subject you are extremely passionate about and delve into it early. You need more skills than just what you used in your PhD thesis/postdoc work to succeed elsewhere.
Take outside coursework, learn non-science topics like budgeting, personnel management, and conflict resolution, they will serve you well in industry.
Looking to find mentors outside of academia? Check out the PhD Paths Pathfinders Community!