A CAREER in science may conjure up images of boffins in white lab coats conducting cut-ting-edge research, but science is big business too. While the science sector recruits its share of biophysics PhD students, it is also a sector in which MBA graduates are making an important contribution.

A blend of scientific knowledge and business acumen is highly prized in the sector. “Being able to reinterpret technical information and then state it to a nontechnical, nonscientific business and consumer audience is a very rare skill,” says Monica Piercy, the careers manager at Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London. “Talent scouts are always on the lookout for someone with that mix of science plus an MBA.”

Matt Bassford completed a PhD in chemistry and worked as a research scientist, at one point studying ozone depletion in the Arctic, before changing career direction. “I wanted a career where I could intermediate between research science and decision makers [by] translating geeky technical science in a way that policymakers can understand,” he says.

He joined the Civil Service Fast Stream, where he was involved in several projects, including one on climate change, before taking an MBA at Tanaka in 2006. This provided business skills to supplement his scientific knowledge.

“The ability to look at problems from different perspectives using a new set of tools is a huge benefit,” he says. “Considering an issue from a customer perspective, for example, is not something that scientists in general are particularly good at.”

This summer Dr Bassford is working on an MBA project with the Met Office. “The Met Office does cutting-edge world-class research — on climate change, for example — but it needs to consider how it can add value to the data it provides,” he says. “It is about linking together a bright scientist and an amazing technology idea with a public or private sector need.”

People with MBAs do not necessarily need a science degree to get on in the science sector, however. Claire Pullinger, the venture strategy manager at the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca in the UK, also works at the intersection between business and science.

She worked in the health and life sciences division of Ac-centure, a management consul-tancy, before joining AstraZeneca’s UK operating company and studying for an MBA at Saïd Business School, Uni-verstity of Oxford.

She now works in business development as part of a team that engages with the venture capital community so that the company can improve its access to innovative new technologies and products.

“In business development, understanding the science is a real advantage — you need to be able to translate the science into a clear commercial opportunity,” she says. “The ideal person is a hybrid of business and science, but they are quite difficult to find at MBA level.

“Scientists often use MBAs as a stepping stone to the commercial world. However, MBA graduates without a formal science qualification bring a different perspective, which is increasingly being appreciated in pharmaceutical organisations. AstraZeneca recognises this and is actively recruiting MBAs, especially in international sales and marketing.”

And, for MBAs considering a career in the science industry, while the salaries may not be in the same league as investment banking there is no question that it is an extremely exciting sector in which to work.

“Take the global health market and the biotech industry, where the interconnection between technology and medicine is improving people’s health and lives,” Piercy says. “You are in one of the most cutting-edge industries in the world, constantly innovating and delivering new products and services.”

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