Research within our department covers many different areas: from cancer biology to biophysics to synthetic biology. As such, graduating Biological Engineering Ph.D. students have a wide range of options post graduation and many former students have gone on to successful careers in diverse fields. In order to showcase the career choices of former students, the BE Board Academic Representatives organize an Industrial Seminar Series each year in which MIT Ph.D. alumni return for a one-hour seminar over lunch during which the students and seminar speaker can discuss their current career path and choices which led them to that decision. For students considering possible career choices, the MIT Career Center offers resources to discover your career path. (http://gecd.mit.edu/career/graduate_student_services)
As mentioned above, graduating doctoral students have entered a wide range of professions ranging from academic or industrial research scientists to healthcare consultants and government employees. Below is data collected from graduating BE doctoral students through February of 2012 (n=174).
Examples of Employers within each Placement Category
Industry
- AcademiaVertex Pharmaceuticals
- Cambrian, Inc.
- Merck & Co.
- Medtronic
- Merrimack Pharmaceuticals
- Genentech
Academia
- Stanford University
- Harvard University
- Carnegie Mellon
- University of California- Berkeley
- MIT Broad Institute
Healthcare
- Institute of Medical Biology, Singapore
- Harvard School of Public Health, Dept. of Genetics and Complex Diseases
- Smith and Newphew Orthopedics
- Johns Hopkins Medical School
- Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin
Consulting
- McKinsey & Company
- Clearview Healthcare Partners
- Simon-Kucher & Partners
- Third Rock Ventures
- Puretech Ventures
Government
- Army/NCI
- National Renewable Energy Association
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley Lab
- NIH Molecular Genetics and Carcinogenesis Section
Nonprofit