Publications Manager Had a Career as a PI

Name: Vicky Sherwood

PhD: Molecular Virology, University of Nottingham, 2006

What is your current job?

I am a Publications Manager for Merck, based in the United Kingdom.

I oversee the medical communications for a phase II to phase III asset.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I love knowing the work of my team has the potential to help a lot of patients improve their lives if the new therapy works.

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

Learning and researching - these skills are invaluable to everything I do at work and beyond

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

10 years of working in Medical Communications (MedComms) and learning from experts in the field

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

Through my network

PhD graduate ➡️ Postdoc ➡️ PI ➡️ Medical Writer ➡️ Team leader ➡️ MedComms Consultant ➡️ Publications Manager (this is a convoluted route - there's more linear ways into this field)

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

Get exposure to as much writing and communications experience as possible

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

I did pursue a career in academia in the first part of my career and ran my own lab. However, I discovered (perhaps a little too late) that the academic system in the UK is broken, and I couldn't see myself working in this environment of scarcity until retirement. I also enjoyed the communications aspect of being a researcher more than the research itself (learning about science, talking about science with other researchers, presenting at congresses etc). Overall, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to work in a world of abundance and higher impact.

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

Obtain industry experience as soon as you can. A postdoc is only useful for academia. If you're planning to leave, make the transition as soon as you can. With one or two exceptions: (i) An academic postdoc can be helpful to move countries easily (and from this use it as a springboard to find a non-academic position in your new geography), (ii) Your area of interest requires specialist technical skills to do it within industry, which you can gain through academic training (e.g. certain areas of R&D).

Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?

Parenthood has certainly impacted my choice for a career that facilitates remote working.

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

I studied metastatic skin cancers.