A PhD Student’s Reflections on Maryland’s Growing Life Sciences Sector for Those Entering the Workforce

A PhD Student’s Reflections on Maryland’s Growing Life Sciences Sector for Those Entering the Workforce

By Alexandra Soare
June 26, 2023

Last month, I had the pleasure of the attending the 3^rd Annual BioBuzz Awards Celebration & Symposium. The event was a celebration of the life sciences ecosystem in the Mid-Atlantic area, especially in the Maryland.

Interestingly, very little “science” was discussed. Instead, the focus was on growth. The growth of the industry, how to “grow” a company in the current market, how to “grow” capital, and how to “grow” the workforce. As a PhD student whose science career has been limited to exclusively academic research, these were topics that have been rarely discussed in my professional surroundings. But as someone who will soon be looking for the next step and seeking to branch out, they were also an important insight into all the non-science steps that go into actually doing science. These were some of my big take-aways from the event:

Talent is in demand… and the talent should demand more

Currently, there is no sector in the life sciences growing more than the Cell and Gene Therapy Sector. According to a workforce report published by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, the Cell and Gene Therapy Sector in the United States could employ more than 32,000 workers in commercialization and R&D by 2025. Naturally, many of these companies are looking for the best way of filling these positions and retaining the best talent. Many of these strategies were discussed at the “Human Capital” panel, which went into the data from the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine report, as well as a presentation on suggestions for retaining talent. One slide included a list of “Non-Monetary Incentives” as a way to prevent poaching and jobhunting. Items such as “scratch-offs” and “branded gear” and “dogs at the office” were featured on the list, while “parental leave” and “daycare” was notably absent, something that drew discontentment from audience. 

It’s not hard to see why. In January, the Women’s Bureau at the Department of Labor released a report stating that current childcare prices are simply unattainable for families, especially those who live in larger counties. According to the report, daycare currently costs 8-19.3% of the median family income (The Department of Health and Human Services considers 7% of family income to be affordable). STEM has been notoriously unwelcoming to parents, especially mothers, and the rising costs of daycare only adds to the burden, especially as more companies demand that workers return to the office. Providing affordable high-quality childcare is a simple way for companies to support their workforce, especially mothers, and would certainly be an incentive to stay with a company.  

Consider the local ecosystem, not just the institute

As the life sciences industry continues to grow in the United States, there is much talk about what is required to make a life sciences ecosystem prosper and increase its innovative growth. Similar to an ecological ecosystem, consisting of different organisms and communities working together to collectively prosper, there are multiple factors and players that feed into the success of a life sciences ecosystem. If you take out one, the whole ecosystem will remain stagnant. 

At the “Catalysts for Innovation Ecosystem” panel moderated by Matt Brady, four “pillars” of a successful life sciences ecosystem were defined: (1) the ideas and intellectual property being generated in the area, (2) the capital fueling the growth of area, (3) the available talent and workforce, and (4) the facilities to carry out the ideas. Other pillars were suggested by the panel, such as the involvement of the local community and a cohesive culture with a unified strategy within the ecosystem. The success of a life sciences ecosystem hinges on the growth of its shortest pillar and for those looking to move to a new area for a job, it would be wise to consider the strengths and weaknesses of these pillars for their prospective new home. After all, if you find yourself on the unfortunate end of series of layoffs after you have moved your family to the area, will there be other opportunities that are just as good?

Maryland is the place to be for the Life Sciences Industry

When I told people that I was moving to Baltimore for graduate school, the first question was almost always “Why?” followed by “But have you seen The Wire?” The undertones and implications for this negative reaction to Baltimore warrant several articles (or books) of its own. But even the Baltimore haters can’t deny an inevitable truth: if you are a scientist, Baltimore and the surrounding area has been growing as one of the places to be for the life sciences industry. As Brady mentioned before, two of the pillars for a successful innovation hub are the ideas and available talent being trained area. Between the academic institutes (Johns Hopkins, Morgan State, UMBC, UMB, etc.) non-profit research institutions (J. Craig Venter Institute), and federal government presence, Maryland is at no shortage of either pillar. While Rockville, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, and Frederick has been claimed as the home for many start-ups and pharmaceutical companies, Baltimore is slowly starting to carve its own space to joint them as another Maryland biotech hub. Incubation spaces provided by Baltimore academic institutions has led to the launch of several successful start-ups, such as NovvaCup and Thrive Earlier Detection. 

The growth of the area has not gone unnoticed. According to “Raising Capital in 2023” panel, the innovative spirit and success of Maryland has been surpassing areas such as Texas and Silicon Valley, and has been catching the eyes of investors both nationally and internationally. The uniqueness of the Maryland biotech ecosystem has stemmed from many factors: the livability of the area, the strength of the local academic institutions, increased presence of pharmaceutical companies, and the strong presence of the government. While the strong presence of the United States government can have its negatives on the local sector (i.e. creation of culture that is more risk avoidant and process oriented), there can be no denying that doing business with the U.S. government has helped the Maryland life sciences ecosystem to flourish and that success has made the area very appetizing to investors.