Scientists embrace business

Communication, project management and commercialisation skills combined with advanced scientific knowledge can create a degree that is the scientific equivalent to an MBA.

At just 25, Michael Song is at the forefront of the booming Australian biopharmaceutical market. The University of Queensland (UQ) Master of Biotechnology graduate is working on the pilot-scale production of therapeutic proteins and bioprocess development for the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) Biologics Facility, funded by the Australian federal government.

Mr Song said he owed much of his success to the Master of Biotechnology that he completed at UQ - part of an exciting new area of postgraduate degrees called Professional Science Masters.

“I enjoy being at the interface between research and commercial production, and operating both cutting-edge and high-end research instruments,” he said.

“This experience has given me the opportunity to interact with experts from the Australian biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and also researchers from Australian research institutes.”

Originating in the United States about 10 years ago, Professional Science Masters (PSM) degrees are designed to develop advanced scientific knowledge in combination with professional skills such as communication, project management and commercialisation.

The PSM came about in response to calls from industry, government and other parts of the science community for the equivalent of an MBA in science; a call for scientists who are as comfortable in the boardroom as they are in the laboratory.

“They’re not intended to displace traditional programs,” said Professor Ross Barnard, Director of the Master of Biotechnology program at UQ.

“Instead, PSMs engage students with professional goals and help them become scientists uniquely suited to the 21st-century workplace, equipped with a deeper and broader scientific knowledge, and the skills to apply that knowledge in a business context.”

The former Assistant Director of Biological Sciences for the National Science Foundation in the US, Mary Clutter, dubbed them ‘T-shaped’ people.

The term refers to those with deep knowledge of a discipline, as well as the broad knowledge needed to thrive and communicate in the worlds of nonprofits, business and government.

And in the US, the demand for PSM programs is rapidly increasing.

In their 2009 stimulus bill, the US Congress allocated $15 million specifically for the development of PSM programs.

But even before this funding boost, the number of such programs across the US had risen from just one in 1997, to 138 programs at 67 institutions in 2008.

According to their National Professional Science Masters Association (NPSMA), 19 institutions launched a total of 28 new PSM programs in the last year alone.

“We often look at what’s happening in the US to predict what’s likely to happen in Australia, but in fact we’ve been running programs analogous to PSMs at UQ for nine years,” Professor Barnard said.

“It strikes me that Australian employers are going to be increasingly looking for graduates with PSM-type degrees, and our Master of Biotechnology is the perfect program to provide that science and business combination.

“There is currently a continuing growth and maturation in the international biotechnology industry and allied service sector,” he said.

“Research and development managers require scientists with core technical skills, knowledge of commercial imperatives and current regulatory environments.”

The most recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that the number of people employed in the biotechnology sector has grown from 5600 in 2003-04 to 14,189 in 2006-07 - more than doubling.

According to the same ABS figures, the Australian Stock Exchange listed 75 biotechnology companies at the end of last year that had a combined market capitalisation of over $22 billion, compared to $10 billion at the end of 2004.

“The Australian biotechnology sector has matured significantly in recent years,” Professor Barnard said.

“As a result, biotechnology graduates who have a solid grounding in quality research, as well as in business practices, are best placed to take advantage of this rapidly growing sector.”

Indeed, data coming out of the US suggests students are being lured to PSMs by the quick salary boosts they’re likely to receive after completing a science-oriented master’s program.

A 2008 report from the US National Research Council, titled Science Professionals: Master’s Education for a Competitive World, states the median salaries of PSM recipients tend to exceed those of PhD recipients in the first one to five years after the degree is conferred.

Although about 2700 people have graduated with PSM degrees in the US to date, roughly the same numbers of students are currently enrolled in PSM degrees; numbers that could increase by 25% over the next two to three years, according to the NPSMA.

“The main appeal to students of our Master of Biotechnology degree seems to be a fast, portable and specific degree that can lead to a job in industry or research that pays more,” Professor Barnard said.

“The program is designed for scientists who want to update their technical skills in core areas such as recombinant DNA technology, protein technology, biopharmaceuticals or bioinformatics, and wish to acquire research laboratory experience,” Professor Barnard said.

“But it’ll also suit legal or business professionals and teachers with some scientific background who want to learn about the latest technological developments.”

Michael Song said the experience he gained from taking part in research projects during his studies at UQ was what he used most in his job.

With its links to pharmaceutical development, Mr Song’s current research could well benefit future human health - so it is little wonder he describes his position as the “most exciting” adventure of his career in science to date.

“Those research projects provided me with the opportunity to perform my own research and work alongside numerous established research scientists,” he says.

“UQ has definitely supported my career by being an Australian university with some of the strongest research facilities and expert staff across a broad range of disciplines.”

Divya Sarma Kandukuri is another UQ alumnus who credits the innovative Master of Biotechnology degree with launching her career.

Last year, Ms Kandukuri completed a Master of Biotechnology Advanced, with a major in Nano-Biotechnology.

“It was at UQ that I could acquire hands-on experience and expertise in these techniques,” she says.

“I truly believe that I got the job because my employers were impressed by the amount of extensive and varied work I had done at UQ.

“My employers also knew that UQ graduates are renowned for their skills and ability.”

Originally from the Indian city of Hyderabad, Ms Kandukuri is now a research assistant at Innovative Purification Technologies Pty Ltd (IPT), a company based at Australian Technology Park in inner city Sydney.

In her role, Ms Kandukuri uses cutting-edge biotechnology techniques to aid IPT to discover and develop novel applications in the groundbreaking field of biopharmaceuticals.

Ms Kandukuri said she originally chose UQ because she was “impressed” with the Master of Biotechnology (Advanced) course structure.

“The course was designed to maintain the fine balance between understanding the fundamentals and knowing the latest advancements in the biotechnology field,” she said.

“I strongly believe that communicating is an essential key to anyone’s life, and to make strides in one’s profession one needs to communicate effectively.”

Australia’s reputation was another factor that drew her to study here.

“The primary reason was there is a lot of scope for science professionals in Australia, and I knew that I could make my mark in this field,” Ms Kandukuri said.

Professor Barnard said there was a large group of very talented people out there who wanted to go far in science, but didn’t want to go down the traditional PhD route.

“Graduates possess an understanding of a broad range of modern biotechnologies; the commercialisation of products and marketing; the business environment, including business planning and project management; and how research and development are undertaken in industry settings,” he said.

Professor Barnard said the ultimate goal was for graduates with this new kind of degree to earn the respect accorded graduates with an MBA, but with much greater scientific credibility, which is essential for work in the modern biotechnology community.

These are the new science professionals.