Senior Consultant Focused on Transferable Skills

Name: Suchetana Gupta (she/her)

PhD: Computational Biophysics, Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, 2020

What was your main area of research?

I worked to understand the several interactions that drug molecules and potential drug molecules have with their target protein of interest. I employed techniques like molecular dynamics simulations and network analyses. This information is essential in designing better drug molecules.

What is your current job?

I am a Senior Consultant at Cognizant Technology Solutions in India.

I mostly work as a business analyst, trying to translate the technological needs of the scientist end users to the product development team. I act as a liaison between the two parties and help reach a common consensus that helps in building useful products.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

The best part is that I am able to stay abreast of the latest research in pharma.

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

Being able to break complex problems into simple requirements + also good communication skills

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

I am doing a few courses on Business Analysis on Udemy.

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

I found this job through LinkedIn.

PhD ➡️ postdoc ➡️ job 1 (Subject Matter Expert) ➡️ Senior Consultant

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

Focus on your transferable skills.

Was it difficult to not pursue a career in academia?

It was a bit difficult. I sometimes still feel if I made the right decision or not... sometimes, not always though.

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

1. Be more open to trying roles in allied and sometimes non-allied fields.

2. Be open to learning new things.

3. Focus on developing transferable skills