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Illustration by Megapont\/Folio Art<\/p><\/div>\n
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When Jane Osbourn made a shift from academic biochemistry into Cambridge Antibody Technology \u2014a biotech company which later became MedImmune \u2014 she found the transition smooth. \u201cI already came from a molecular biology background,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen I moved into biotech I could use the fundamental skills and techniques I developed in my PhD and postdoc in a more focussed way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Osbourn went on to be a part of the team that discovered the molecule that became Humira (adalimumab), an important anti-TNF antibody now marketed by AbbVie. Adalimumab was the bestselling drug in the world from 2012-2014, producing revenues of $20 billion in 2014. Jane is now Vice President of R&D and Cambridge Site Leader for MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca.<\/p>\n
MedImmune, alongside four universities in the UK, will soon be launching 12 collaborative PhD studentships, with the first intake due to start in October 2017. The PhD projects \u2013 whilst primarily funded by the BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; one of the UK\u2019s major funding bodies) \u2013 will focus on biopharmaceutical development with an emphasis on collaboration with industry. Students will have access to MedImmune\u2019s facilities for their research, and their projects will be guided by MedImmune\u2019s scientists, as well as academic supervisors.<\/p>\n
![\"Jane](\"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/naturejobs\/files\/2017\/02\/Jane-Osbourn-1-smaller.jpg\" "\\"Jane")
<\/a>Jane Osbourn<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cThis is a great way to build an industry-academic partnership: it can have really significant benefits in productivity and manufacturing,\u201d says Osbourn, who also encourages undergraduate-level \u201csandwich\u201d courses with universities. PhD students, whilst well trained in their specific scientific field, often feel that they haven\u2019t developed the right skills to make a transition outside of academia.<\/p>\n
Compounding this problem, supervisors often aren\u2019t able to offer students the support they need, as many have no personal experience in working anywhere other than in universities, and training on the university level is rare. Industry-partnered PhD programmes, however, may offer a solution for students hoping to improve their ability to do research outside of academia. \u201cUnderstanding the business environment \u2013 what the key drivers are from a drug discovery and development perspective \u2013 is really fundamental,\u201d Osbourn says.<\/p>\n
And what\u2019s in it for industry? \u201cIt\u2019s always nice when the students you\u2019ve trained come back to the company, but we\u2019re not in it for the short term,\u201d says Osbourn. \u201cWe really are in it to make sure we\u2019re creating a talent pool for the whole sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Suggested posts<\/strong><\/p>\n How to build a better PhD<\/a><\/p>\n What are the similarities between academia and industry?<\/a><\/p>\n The changing landscape of pharma: a new route for PhDs?<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The problems with traditional PhD programs are well-documented: money is tight, funding is limited, academics often aren\u2019t able to train for positions outside of academia, and the path up to tenured faculty positions just keeps getting narrower. Read more<\/a> Continue reading