From PhD to Product Engineer
Erin Sanders, a PhD in Developmental Biology, shares how she transitioned from studying stem cells in fruit flies to building antibody discovery workflows in industry.
š The Job š
As a Product Engineer at Bruker Cellular Analysis in California, Erin works at the intersection of cell biology, product development, and customer support.
In her role, she:
Develops and verifies antibody discovery workflows
Designs and runs cell biology experiments
Contributes to new product development and quality control
Handles customer escalations and troubleshooting
She wears a lot of hats, and thatās exactly what she enjoys.
Best part of the job:
Having a broad, systems-level view of how the entire product workflow fits together, and understanding not just how it works, but why.
š£ļø The Path š£ļø
Erin found her current role through LinkedIn and a referral from a postdoc in her department who was already working at the company.
Key steps in her career journey:
PhD Graduate ā”ļø Cell Biology Scientist at Berkeley Lights ā”ļø Company acquired by Bruker (laid off) ā”ļø Re-hired as Product Engineer
š§ The Decision š§
Erinās decision to leave academia was clear-eyed and practical.
She didnāt want her career to be beholden to other peopleās timelines or dependent on publishing papers to move forward. And financially, pursuing a postdoc didnāt make sense when industry offered both higher compensation and the opportunity to learn an entirely new set of skills.
For her, the choice wasnāt about leaving science - it was about choosing growth, autonomy, and financial stability.
š” The Advice š”
If youāre curious about industry, try doing an internship: See if you can intern at a relevant company during your PhD. Erin didnāt, but in hindsight, she says it would have been a smart move.
Communicate your ability to learn: A PhD proves you can teach yourself hard things. Even if you donāt meet every bullet point in a job description, show hiring managers how quickly youāve mastered new skills before, and how youāll do it again.
Understand the business: Donāt just join a company because the science sounds cool. Ask about financial health. Ask about the business case.
In academia, success means papers and grants.
In industry, success means selling products.If a company canāt sell what itās building, it wonāt survive.
š The Takeaway š
Erinās story highlights something important: industry careers reward adaptability, speed of learning, and business awareness.
A PhD doesnāt just make you a researcher, it makes you someone who can navigate complexity, solve ambiguous problems, and build new systems.
The key is learning how to translate that into value beyond academia.