From PhD to Industry: Dr. Joydeb Sinha’s Insights on Breaking into Bay Area Biotech
Many Stanford Biosciences PhD students are interested in scientist roles at small biotech startups, but the path from defense to job offer can feel confusing and opaque, especially in a tough job market. To make the process more concrete, I spoke with Dr. Joydeb Sinha, a former Stanford Chemical and Systems Biology PhD student in Professor Lacramioara Bintu’s lab in the Bioengineering Department, who is now a scientist in preclinical R&D at a CRISPR-focused biotech startup, about his experience landing a job after graduation.
Life as a Scientist I at a CRISPR Startup
Q: To start, can you describe your current role at Mammoth and how your work fits into the company’s R&D mission?
Joydeb: I’m a Scientist I, working on epigenetic editing technologies and preclinical R&D. Day-to-day, I design constructs to tune gene expression in gene-relevant tissues and build assays to compare different epigenetic editors and check for off-target effects. As part of the R&D pipeline, I work with an upstream protein engineering team and downstream teams that take the most promising candidates from our cell-based assays into animal studies.
Q: How closely does your work follow from your thesis research?
Joydeb: I would say it’s actually very similar to what I worked on during my PhD. My graduate work on epigenetic editing and methylation sequencing closely aligned with the skills the company was hiring for. That tight match was critical. It’s hard to land your first industry job because everyone is like, ‘You already need previous industry experience.’ They’re more likely to take you if you have the exact thing that they’re looking for at the moment.
Application Process
Q: When did you start applying for industry jobs, and what did your transition out of grad school look like?
Joydeb: I would recommend starting to apply at least six months before your defense. My advice is to have a conversation with your PI about your industry career plans before you defend. I was very lucky because my PI was very supportive. Before I defended, I told her that I was thinking about industry. We arranged a buffer period that allowed me to job search without a gap. I defended in early summer, and I took the entire summer as a writing quarter. My PI supported me for six months as I was finishing my thesis and supporting earlier grad students with their projects while also applying for jobs.”
Q: How many jobs did you apply to, and what kind of response rate did you see?
Joydeb: I applied for several hundred jobs across everything from startups to large companies. I received responses from about 3% of my applications and interviewed for about one-third of those roles. In hindsight, I might have been more selective about where I applied because applying for a job is almost like a full-time job. Tailoring one’s application to the specific position really helps get a response, especially now that AI is used to screen applications. If the job description is a close match for your skills, it’s worth investing time to customize the materials.
Q: How did you think about what level to apply for?
Joydeb: I used to think that being overqualified is a good thing, but as I found out, it’s not necessarily always the case. Titles vary at different types of companies as do experience requirements for the same title at different companies. A Scientist I role may be quite different at a startup than at a large pharma company, and the title for a position is not always set in stone. The role that I have now was initially listed as a Senior Scientist position (requiring years of previous industry experience), but I had the exact skill set, so I decided to apply anyway. The company ultimately downgraded the position and pay from Senior Scientist to Scientist I so that they could interview me for that role. My takeaway is that if you see a role where you have the desired skills but the description says you must have 5 years of industry experience, they can sometimes bend the rules for you if they see it’s a really good match.
Q: How did networking factor into your search, and is there anything you wish you had done earlier?
Joydeb: Leverage your network, especially before you absolutely need it. That’s something I wish I had done better. I recommend reaching out to people working in areas you’re excited about during graduate school for an informational interview or coffee chat. I would actually encourage you to do this before the job opens. If you’ve already had an informal conversation, if something opens up, you’ve made an introduction and can ask for a referral. A referral will probably get you at least to the point of the recruiter noticing you. It doesn’t guarantee you get the job, but that is already half the battle, honestly, with so many applications.
Advice for Current Students
Throughout our conversation, Joydeb was candid about the current market: “The biotech industry has been so brutal the past couple years, and it’s really tough for people coming out of even places like Stanford.” It took a while and a bit of luck as well to land his first position.
His key advice for current Stanford graduate students:
Start early and be transparent with your PI. Tell your advisor you’re pursuing industry and work together to create a window for job searching.
Aim for tight technical matches. Prioritize roles where the day-to-day looks similar to what you did in your PhD.
Don’t be afraid to apply “above” your level. If your skills line up exactly, apply even if the posting asks for more years of industry experience; companies can sometimes adjust the title.
Be selective but persistent. Expect to apply to many roles but invest extra effort where you see a strong fit rather than sending many of generic applications.
Network before you’re on the market. Informational chats with alumni and scientists in your area of interest make it easier to get your CV noticed when a role opens.
For students imagining a scientist role at a small biotech but unsure how to get there, Joydeb’s story shows that the path is rarely linear, but with early planning, a strong technical match, and deliberate networking, it is navigable.
