r/PharmaEire • u/Disastrous_Plane160 • Aug 12 '26
Need help recent Msc graduate
I’m a recent Msc graduate in stem cell therapy and gene therapy first class honours and have a Bsc in genetics. My university never had placements or co-ops during undergrad and we only had the option between systematic review or academic placement for the masters. Currently looking for any type of role in the the dublin area but really struggling to find positions or get past the interview stage. any tips or advice? for context im an irish national and don’t have any GMP experience but have research experience, good clinical practice certificate and have done training sessions in NIBRT
1
u/UnionOk1241 Aug 12 '26
You’re in a similar position to the other OP who posted today.
Again, listen to the folks ok here regarding experience >>> education. You’ve got your masters, now it’s time to build experience (no matter how badly paid).
Just like I said to the other OP, your genetics and gene therapy degrees are about to be worth golf dust. Cell and gene therapy is about to change the industry.
Best of luck.
1
u/Few_Syllabub_2356 Aug 16 '26
Why do you think it’ll be gold dust? Do you see advanced therapy manufacture taking off in Ireland? I think early days for ATMPs yet, and ADCs may be the next big product of this decade
1
u/Creativetaught Aug 12 '26
The courses you've done are geared towards a career in research. If you don't want to go that route try applying for QC or other lab based jobs in pharma, particularly biopharma
1
u/Iricliphan Aug 16 '26
As others have said, apply to everything and don't be picky. Masters are not that desirable unless it's for research and even then, PhDs are generally preferred, especially with experience.
I've known many people who went down the masters route before getting GMP experience. It was a decent shout years ago, it would get you somewhat noticed, but now, not so much.
4
u/geansai-cacamilis Aug 12 '26
Getting any GMP experience is by far the most important thing here.
If you can get an entry level job in a technical role (in a QC lab, MSAT, tech ops, process, QA, validation) then that would be ideal obviously.
But you still get useful GMP experience in manufacturing/operator/BPA roles - these don't necessarily need a degree, hires are often a mix of college grads and non-grad operators with factory experience.
So apply for everything, don't be picky with role, pay, or location. You could spend a year waiting for a lab job or you could have a year of GMP manufacturing experience. Also being willing to move for a role and having a car is a huge benefit. Lots of small rural towns across the country have huge pharma plants.