As with a house, a successful job search needs a strong foundation. That’s what the University of Arizona’s Bio5 Institute gave students April 14 at a mixer with local bioscience companies.

“It’s not really a job fair, but this is opening doors,” said Bio5 Director of Research Training and Career Development Kevin Hill.

Representatives of Tucson companies such as High Throughput Genomics and Flagstaff’s W. L. Gore aren’t necessarily looking for full-time hires, but they do want to have plenty of options when that time does come, as well as fill a couple of internship positions.

Print this story Email this story Post a Comment Biosystems engineering student Kim Tham speaks with one of the company reps at networking event jeld by the UA’s Bio5 group. Despite a wait-and-see approach many research companies are adopting in the recession, many are still on the lookout for interns. Nicholas Smith photo ADVERTISEMENT

“Hires we’ve made in the past few years are enriched (by internships),” said Sanofi-Aventis Scientific Director Kenneth Wertman, noting that interns “have a distinct advantage at application time.”

Wertman said what he looks for in an intern is enthusiasm, well-applied and hard working.

Students, too, recognize the difficulty of making the professional transition.

“It seems really bad, especially in Tucson, teaching positions are really hard to find,” said neuroscience doctoral student Jon Dyhr, who is looking to make the leap from academics to private sector work in bioscience.

Students outside of bioscience also looked for career opportunities in the field.

“They are not hiring physicists,” said physics grad student Denis Ludwig after speaking with one of the companies. Ludwig hopes to use his physics degree to work in the field of proteins.

Though W. L. Gore, which had the most crowded table, is set to expand and hire hundreds of more workers, the maker of Gore-Tex fabric isn’t indicative of the whole industry.

Even if companies can expand, as Sanofi-Aventis is doing to its Oro Valley facility, many are holding off on hiring to see what the economy will do next.

“Everybody is in a wait-and-see mode,” Wertman said.

Bob Eaton, head of the Arizona Bioindustry Association, said the main problem facing companies of all sizes is the lack of money.

“(People are) either not investing as much or in later stages,” he said, adding the aversion to risk has made it harder for startup to get the necessary funds.

Contact reporter Nicholas Smith at nsmith@azbiz.com or (520) 295-4238.