Careers in Neuroscience: Neuroscientist and Translational Research Director
Learn about Derek L. Buhl, PhD, scientific director of AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company, in this new Careers in Neuroscience profile. Discover what Buhl does in his current role, the skills and education that helped him thrive in industry work, and the importance of making meaningful connections with people working in industry for those looking to follow a similar path.
What initially drew you to neuroscience? How did you discover your particular interest within the field?
I started college in computer engineering and computer science, as I had spent most of my childhood building and programming computers. What sparked my interest in the brain was a summer job after my first year in college as a teacher's aide working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It fascinated me that what made these children unique was because of changes in the wiring of their brains. When I returned to college, I transitioned to psychology at Rutgers University-Newark and applied for an internship with Paula Tallal and April Benasich, who were working with children with ASD at the time. Ironically, I ended up working in the lab as a computer tech while learning the ropes of neuroscience. As part of my work study, I was mentored by members of the lab and worked with them to develop a new behavioral paradigm to test auditory temporal processing in toddlers. Through this experience and being part of the neuroscience community at Rutgers, I figured out that marrying my background in engineering and programming with my interests in deciphering neurocircuits was what I wanted to pursue.
I figured out that marrying my background in engineering and programming with my interests in deciphering neurocircuits was what I wanted to pursue.
What resources, experiences, or conversations helped you clarify your direction?
I never really thought about how the brain worked until I had the experience of the summer job, which I ended up continuing well beyond the summer. The opportunity to intern at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers Newark as a young college student, surrounded by a small community of faculty, postdocs, and graduate students, really changed my course and excited me. I was (and still am) convinced that I could help figure out how the brains of children with ASD were different, and more importantly, how we could "rewire" them. Once I decided I wanted to pursue a graduate degree in neuroscience, I transitioned to the lab of Laszlo Zaborszky so I could learn functional neuroanatomy and electrophysiology (i.e., how the brain was functionally wired). The work that we did in his lab led me to my first Society for Neuroscience meeting in Miami in 1999 (stepping into that first poster session was both daunting and invigorating!). It was through these early experiences, along with many, many, late nights chatting with the graduate students and postdocs, and seeing the enthusiasm of discovering something new that made me want more. When I eventually started my PhD work and did a rotation in the lab of Gyorgy Buzsaki, I knew I had found home. There, I established an in vivo mouse electrophysiology lab (everyone else worked with rats) and had the opportunity to explore how knocking out Connexin-36 or HCN1 impacted hippocampal function and learning and memory.
Following my graduate and postdoctoral work, and after only working in animals, I was interested in going back to my original question: what was different in the brains of people living with ASD, or other CNS disorders? I was given an opportunity to transition to the pharmaceutical industry to lead a discovery lab, leveraging electrophysiology to understand neurocircuits and how novel pharmacological manipulations altered those circuits. I built a translational neurocircuitry biomarker lab and then began working with clinicians to develop functional biomarkers in human studies. I now leverage my experience in non-clinical animal biology to develop "precision medicine" strategies that we hope will find the right drug for the right patient. I've now worked in industry for almost 14 years and have seen novel treatments work—hearing patients say that they feel "normal" for the first time in years makes all the learning and the late nights trying to redesign what wasn't working worth every minute.
I've now worked in industry for almost 14 years and have seen novel treatments work—hearing patients say that they feel "normal" for the first time in years makes all the learning and the late nights trying to redesign what wasn't working worth every minute.
Describe your current role. What are the most common skills you use on a weekly basis? Is your role "typical" to the industry?
I am a scientific director in precision medicine. My role involves developing and validating biomarkers in CNS disorders, including sleep disorders, neurodegeneration, and psychiatry, that will help identify treatment response and/or stratify patient biotypes and identify the right drug for the right patient. I lead the precision medicine strategy for novel pharmacotherapeutics, which involves collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders ranging from preclinical discovery to clinical development, statistics, safety/toxicology, and regulatory, to build a strong bridge that we hope will increase the success of these treatments. Each day is something different, and I often wear different hats (e.g., return to my roots in functional neurocircuitry to help design or interpret an experiment, or help explain the biology to non-scientists, or work with regulatory colleagues to interact with the FDA to help clarify the impact of our treatments on the lives of patients). This is typical of a scientific role in industry.
What educational background and training are required for your role? What other types of experiences are helpful to have?
It depends on the level. At my level, an MD and/or a PhD with industry experience is needed, but there are other support roles that do not require advanced degrees, although it's useful to have at least a master’s degree. I joined industry after doing a PhD in neuroscience and six years of postdoc. At that point, I had multiple papers, including first-authored work. In my experience, an applicant with an advanced degree is expected to enter at a junior leadership position—applying for anything less raises questions.
In my experience, an applicant with an advanced degree is expected to enter at a junior leadership position—applying for anything less raises questions.
How did you apply your academic training to a non-academic career? What skills translated well—and what did you have to learn?
Just as in academia, critical thinking and a solid scientific core are present in everything we do in industry. Anything published must be replicated, so we understand the variability in the results and can trust the application of an assay/assessment in clinical studies. These core principles we all learn as part of our training have translated well throughout my career. I was also fortunate enough to mentor and teach others during my graduate school and postdoc, which often helps when explaining science to nonscientists in the organization and working closely with others and when leading a team.
The skills that have to be learned when transitioning from academia to industry are 1) collaboration across many disciplines is an absolute must; 2) you need to be comfortable operating outside of your expertise, especially when leading projects; and 3) you have to understand that sometimes business needs outweigh what the team thinks is right.
you have to understand that sometimes business needs outweigh what the team thinks is right.
What strategies have helped you in job searching? Where did you look for roles? What platforms, organizations, or communities were most helpful?
I was fortunate enough not to have to look for my first role in industry. When the company I had worked at for nearly six years closed the neuroscience department, I had built a strong network inside that company as well as outside by driving collaborations and industry partnerships, participating in consortia, and attending meetings like SfN’s, ACNP, and more importantly smaller meetings (e.g., Gordon research conferences).
The closing of our department also led to many within my network going to multiple companies, which became an immediate advantage when it came time for me to seek other opportunities. If I see something posted on LinkedIn, I typically am one to two degrees away from knowing someone at that company. In general, the most helpful thing to do is reach out to those contacts rather than applying directly to the position.
What advice would you give to students or early-career professionals interested in this path? Are there opportunities for people to find jobs in your industry with a variety of degrees (bachelor's, master's, PhD)?
The most important piece of advice is to make meaningful connections with people working in industry. Expressing interest in specific roles helps, but connecting just to find out more about industry or the specific company culture helps the most. Asking for a few minutes to chat never hurts!
Expressing interest in specific roles helps, but connecting just to find out more about industry or the specific company culture helps the most.
Different companies have varying levels of expectations, but in my experience, the career ladders and expectations are quite different for an applicant with a bachelor's vs. a master's vs. an advanced degree. The latter is expected to have enough experience to enter into a junior leadership/strategy development role and work with cross-functional teams, whereas someone with a bachelor's degree just entering industry is typically expected to be more "boots on the ground," doing more hands-on work. The bottom line—there's always an opportunity for any degree; what ends up mattering is how you interview and who can vouch for your integrity.
About the Contributor
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