Senior Director Says If You Don't Try You'll Never Know

Name: Glen James (he/him)

PhD: Cancer Epidemiology & Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, 2012

What is your current job?

I am a Senior Director & Research Scientist for Eli Lilly, working remotely and based in Boston, Massachusetts.

I develop and execute research strategies using real world data to generate high impact real world evidence for key stakeholders (e.g. patients, payers, and healthcare professionals supporting Lilly assets across all therapeutic areas).

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I love working with some of the smartest nicest people in the world and knowing we are genuinely trying to improve people's lives.

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

Communication, having the ability to interview patients in a friendly and energetic manner during my PhD has been a key foundation as I have grown throughout my career. This makes team work, presenting, negotiating, networking, etc. all much easier, and people really appreciate the genuine humanistic element this brings.

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

Collaboration with other awesome people and experience, willingness to learn, being adaptable to change, being curious and competitive to pursue excellence, and seeking vs waiting for opportunities. I would not be where I am without my PhD..

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

LinkedIn

Undergraduate ➡️ PhD ➡️ Science manager ➡️ data scientist ➡️ epidemiologist ➡️ evidence strategy lead ➡️ research scientist

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

• Research the specifics of the role to ensure it matches your profile.

• Connect with people in similar roles. I am very happy to chat.

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

This was easy. Academia is too competitive. I didn't want to be writing grants every few years and the pay/benefits/opportunities are nowhere near pharma (in my opinion).

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

Go for it, only you can determine your career path but talk to people, network. If you don't try you will never know.

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

I've always treated people with respect no matter who they are and in turn I think this has helped build a great reputation for someone who is great to know and work with.

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

Investigating the causes of rare blood cancers with focus on lifestyle and occupation. Interviewing patients and performing observational studies using real world data. Also, looking at cancer prevention measures on a population level.