Senior Director Values the Experiences of Failure

Name: Shay Neufeld (he/him)

PhD: Neuroscience, Harvard University, 2017

What was your main area of research?

Armed with microscopes, lasers, electrodes, and code, I investigated how specific circuits of neurons in the rodent brain enable actions and behaviors that are learned, refined, remembered, and sometimes forgotten.

What is your current job?

I am the Senior Director of Data Products and Analytics at Inscopix (a Bruker company) in Vancouver, Canada.

I lead software and data science for the Inscopix division of Bruker (focused on neuroscience data acquisition and analysis solutions for pre-clinical research). This involves a mixture of people, product, and project management, along with strategic R&D and helping lead collaborations in academia and industry.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

That I get to 1) live where I want to live, 2) stay in the field of neuroscience, and 3) not be beholden to the specific academic path of tenure track professorship.

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

Aside from technical skills, I would say the experience of repeated failure and persistence in grad school continues to help me be a better R&D and product leader.

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

Outside of research, things that helped me:

1. taking an interest in management consulting and doing the 'Bridge to BCG' intensive for PhD students

2. getting involved in spinning out a startup with a co-grad student (which meant learning about IP / patents / how to engage with software contractors / how to build products / how to pitch companies / how to get investment).

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

When I was working on my own startup, I was put in contact with the CEO of Inscopix through a mutual connection. That started me down a path of eventually joining Inscopix to build a software and data science team.

PhD graduate ➡️ data scientist in industry ➡️ data product lead ➡️ director of data

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

Try building your own product ideas! (this is easier if it's software/analytics..)

And look for opportunities to mentor/manage others.

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

It was a very difficult decision. I still think I could have been very happy staying in academia. At the time, it came down to 1) wanting more control of my overall geography (my favourite postdoc option was not in a place I was excited to live) and 2) I was just curious to know what else was out there and figured I might as well try for a year or two, and if I didn't like it I could go back to a postdoc.

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

If you want to try a career outside of academia, I would not recommend doing a postdoc first (unless you just want to do it for yourself, of course, then go for it!). Generally, a postdoc does not make you more competitive for an industry position.

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

I have benefited (and continue to benefit from) the privileges that come with being a white male. In addition, my transition to industry was made easier by having a PhD from a widely recognized and reputable university.