By Tony Ferranti, Ph.D. student
Building on the success of ASPIRE on the Road, a group of Vanderbilt University biomedical science graduate students and postdocs participated in a new program: ASPIRE Down the Road. In early December, the trainees visited Inotiv, a contract research organization specializing in preclinical and analytical drug discovery.
Inotiv’s Nashville campus focuses on mass spectrometry techniques for target and global protein analysis, which the group learned about from Matt Westfall, PhD’03, its director of research and development. During the tour, Westfall shared Inotiv’s day-to-day lab operations, including how the Nashville team works to support target validation efforts through proteomics research for the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Trainees learned about experimental procedures, responsibilities of research scientists, and job opportunities at Inotiv for recent graduates.
Trainees also met with Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery and Translational Sciences Scott Daniels, Fellow’00. Daniels completed his postdoctoral studies in the lab of Dean Emeritus Larry Marnett, and he is an adjunct professor at both Vanderbilt and Lipscomb University. Daniels connected his academic experience to biotech by comparing contract research organizations to bigger pharmaceutical companies, describing various job positions and their roles, and explaining how the research efforts at the Nashville campus fit into Inotiv’s drug development pipeline. He highlighted how collaborations through Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been critical in establishing Inotiv Nashville, encouraging trainees to consider the broader impact of their research projects. Daniels’ presentation highlighted an opportunity for trainees to pursue job opportunities at Inotiv sites nationwide that may better align with their individual research background and career goals.
“The ASPIRE Down the Road experience offered excellent insight into the variety of specialized job opportunities within pharma and biotech, and showcased available positions at Inotiv itself,” said Niki Harris, a Ph.D. student in the lab of Colleen Niswender. “It was incredibly helpful to learn about the differences in career paths of these two successful Vanderbilt alums, and I was encouraged to learn that while each career trajectory may take on a different form, biotech companies such as Inotiv offer a wide span of opportunities tailored to different interests and strengths.”
ASPIRE Down the Road was a fantastic networking opportunity for trainees aiming to make the transition into industry after their Ph.D. studies, and it showcased two examples of how Nashville-based alums are thriving in pharmaceutical leadership roles.