Name: Ishan Kumar (he/him)
PhD: Stem Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Stanford University, 2023
What was/is your main area of research?
I studied in vitro models of neurodegeneration.
What is your current job?
I am an Investor with Mubadala Capital. We are the asset management arm of Mubadala Investment Company. Currently, we have around $23 billion of assets under management and a presence in London, New York, San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro, and Abu Dhabi.
My main role is to source potential investments and run due diligence on these investments. Essentially, I find things to invest in and make sure they would be good investments.
The absolute best part of my job is that I get to constantly learn new things.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
I was quite fortunate and actually had someone reach out to me about the position.
Law degree ➕ PhD ➕ started in business ➡️Investor
I have both a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and a Doctor of Law (JD), and I worked on both at the same time.
Was it a difficult decision to not pursue a career in academia or one you felt came easily?
Honestly, the decision to leave academia came quite easily.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
It is very important to reach out to people. Cold outreach on LinkedIn is an effective way to do this.
Learn how different industries work.