Name: André Teixeira (he/him)
PhD: Biochemistry, University of Sao Paulo, 2017
What was your main area of research?
I work in antibody discovery and engineering for therapeutics, diagnostics and reagent purposes. During my PhD I studied molecular recognition between humans and parasites, including antibody response.
What is your current job?
I am the Senior Director of the Antibody Platform for the Institute for Protein Innovation in Boston, MA.
I lead a team of ~20 people developing antibodies against human proteins. My day-to-day is interacting with scientists, reviewing data, and deciding on next steps. Also, administrative duties around budget, personnel, etc.
The best part of my job is that there are lots of problems to solve! Creating new solutions is exciting and you get to spend your day talking to many smart people.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
I was recruited by a headhunter.
PhD graduate ➡️ Associate scientist ➡️ Senior Scientist ➡️ Head of Antibody Libraries (biotech) ➡️ Director/Senior Director (Institute)
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?
It was easy. My main interest was always in drug discovery which is better done outside of universities. Also, spending a lot of time writing grants and pursuing funding was not my dream job.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
Develop useful skills and learn how to apply them to real world problems. More importantly, solve problems that are important for others. The only path to success is creating value and solutions that others will benefit from.
Value other people. Help them solve problems when they need to. Listen to advice because there is a very good chance that others know something you don't.