Lotte Spel, PhD - Lab Head (Principal Scientist)

Lotte Spel, PhD - Lab Head (Principal Scientist) at Boehringer Ingelheim Austria

Where are you from and what is your education background? Where did you study?

I am from The Netherlands and did all my studies at Utrecht University; Bachelor in Biomedical Sciences and Master in Immunity & Infection. During that Master program I interned at a well-known cancer immunology lab at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Through this internship I got in contact with the person who later would become my PhD supervisor back in Utrecht. My PhD work focused on antigen presentation in cancer and immune cells.

Why did you decide to pursue the PhD/Post-doc journey?

Looking back I believe that my master program was very geared towards having their students transition into a PhD program after finishing. At that time, I did not even question it. I was performing well in my master, I greatly enjoyed the lab and the internships, so I was looking forward to doing more research. At the end of my PhD, I was observing a shift in the science world towards unbiased genome-wide/proteome-wide screening methods to answer scientific questions, powered by the discovery of CRISPR/Cas9. I was eager to hop on that train and decided to find a Post-doc position where I could integrate this technique in my project, to develop myself further as an independent scientist.    

It is often said that the PhD is a marathon not a sprint race. What are your thoughts about it?

I absolutely agree. The key learnings of doing a PhD take lots of time; becoming a critical analytical thinker, being able to identify knowledge gaps and address them through experiments and pushing forward to discover scientific insights/innovations.

When did you decide that you didn’t want to pursue an academic career? Was it before starting your PhD journey or during your PhD Studies (at the start, mid, at the end or after)?

I never actively decided to not pursue an academic career, I always held both possibilities open. I interviewed for lab head/PI positions in both academia and industry, and eventually I accepted an offer from a pharma company.

When did you transition into industry?

After my post-doc at the University of Lausanne.

What is a current position? What was/were your previous job(s) (If this is not your first job in private)?

I am a lab head (Principal Scientist) of a team of 5 lab scientists.

Is your job related to what you have done during your PhD/Post-doc?

Yes, it relates in content to my PhD work, and it relates in techniques to my Post-doc work.

What are the aspects that you like the most about your job?

Managing a team and working towards one goal as a team.

How has your work-life balance changed since moving to industry?

There has been little change in the amount of hours that I work per week. The biggest change is that it is easier to not think about work when off. It feels less intrusive.

 How did you adapt to the cultural and operational differences between academia and industry?

It has been a year, and I am still adapting. The lingo is very different, I am still learning new abbreviations and new terms each week.

Were there any new skills or knowledge areas you had to develop for your role in the industry?

Yes, and we are offered courses to get those skills. For example, as a first-line leader, I am obliged to take part in a leadership course as I had no previous experience in managing a team.

How difficult was it, to gain the required knowledge when you first started your job(s)?

It was not that difficult; it just takes time. And you have to be OK with asking a lot of questions, but that is really the fastest way to learn.

 What was your experience concerning the transition into industry? What were some of the challenges you faced during your transition?

I had a very smooth landing in my industry job. I had enough time to adjust, mainly because my team members are so independent and organized. The biggest challenge was navigating the hierarchy and getting used to the bureaucracy of big pharma. This is sometimes still challenging because it can really slow down the progress.

What help you before the transition (career events, workshops, contacting people on LinkedIn, friends)?

I was checking all job search websites regularly. I also followed well-known professors and scientists as well as universities/research institutes/companies on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter), so that I would have their job postings in my feed.

 According to you, what are the personal/soft skills that are mostly needed to undergo a successful transition into industry? Or in your case what helped you during your transition into industry?

People management, having supervised more than 10 students (bacherlors/masters) during my academic years taught me a lot about how people work, and sometimes don’t work haha.

 What advice made the difference in your professional development?

See the opportunities in front of you, never dismiss one right away but carefully consider them. Also, be vocal about your ambitions. People generally want to help you, and they can only do that if they know what you want.

 What aspects of your academic studies helped you during your transition in industry (ppt presentation, public speaking, teaching, scientific project management, teamwork, multitasking…)?

Yes, all of them!

 It is also said that networking plays an important role in transitioning into industry. Was it the case for you?

No, for this particular position, I did not rely on my network. It might have been the exception to the rule because I really do think that networking helps a lot in transitioning to industry.

 Did you do one or multiple internship(s) in the private sector after your PhD studies or Postdoc before being hired for a more “permanent” job in this sector? If yes, was it via the unemployment program?

No.

 What advice would you give to PhDs and postdocs who are willing to look for opportunities outside academia/in industry?

If your ambition is to become a PI in industry, it is worth doing a post-doc. Industry lab head positions are found at big pharma companies that have large R&D departments. Smaller biotech companies usually do not offer such positions, however, as a senior scientist in a biotech you might be able to grow into the role as the company grows.

 If you could go back, would you change anything about your career path?

No, it brought me where I wanted to be 😊.

 What can I wish you for the next coming years?

To keep finding new adventures!

Lotte’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lottespel/