If you are a life sciences researcher, or want to get into medical device manufacturing, or simply think biotech is fascinating, then it will make your job search a bit easier if you focus on target-rich environments.
Known as "clusters", geographically-small regions (usually in cities, as you see) have developed out of the innate desire to collaborate in science. The scientists like to collaborate with each other, not only within their teams but across town, from university to hospital, from hospital to corporation. The companies, for their part, like to keep their campuses near each other, often within walking distance, because it gives them a richer candidate pool from which to draw their prospective new hires.
So it is because of all these layers of interests that a magnetic draw pulls science organizations, (whether they be corporate, university, or medical) together. Like families, like companies, like colleges, like towns, this proximity and close-knit interaction fosters identifiable traits for the cluster, a "personality" if you will.
Here are some identifiable life science clusters in the U.S. Northeast region that you can investigate further for ample career opportunities.
1. Boston
Considered by most people to be the most robust life science cluster, the Greater Boston area receives more research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) than any other cluster. The Greater Boston area is home to five of the top eight NIH-funded hospitals, as well as the top five NIH-funded universities. The research grants awarded by the NIH, in such massive focus in this small geographic area, is what anchors this cluster, attracts life science and biotech companies to this metro region, and drives its continued growth even at its mature stage of existence.
The 5 NIH-Funded Hospitals in the area, mentioned above, are:
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Brigham & Women's Hospital
- Boston Children's Hospital
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute
The 5 NIH-Funded Universities in the area, mentioned above, are:
- Harvard
- University of Massachusetts
- Boston University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Tufts
2. Philadelphia
The Philadelphia cluster has grown up around pharmaceutical companies and higher education. These two sub-sectors of the life sciences industry have shaped Philadelphia's cluster personality more than anything.
The region is home to more than 1,200 companies in this sector, 100 colleges and universities, and 25 medical schools.
The sector has created 432,000 jobs and over $20 billion in earnings.
A few major corporate employers include:
- AmerisourceBergen
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Shire Pharmaceuticals
3. Suburban Maryland/D.C./Arlington
The Maryland / Washington, D.C. / Arlington cluster benefits from its unique physical proximity to the U.S. capital, and therefore the headquarters of important federal institutions such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Scientists have moved back and forth from these highly-regarded federal institutions to the private sector over the course of their careers. This intellectual transference has elevated innovation in the private and public sectors, as well as the personal knowledge of how to get things accomplished. More »
4. New York and New Jersey
A few key facts about the New York / New Jersey Cluster that shape its personality and account for its attraction:
- The area has the highest concentration of college graduates in the U.S.
- The life sciences sector employs over 100,000 people in this area, the second-highest amount in the U.S.
- The cluster has the highest amount of life sciences establishments in the U.S., at 3,700.
- Most of the world's major pharmaceutical corporations have a major presence, if not their U.S.-headquarters, in this region.
5. Westchester and New Haven Area
This region has over 500 life sciences employers creating over 17,000 jobs.
Major employers in this area include:
You can read more about the Westchester and New Haven cluster in "Bio Med Industry Jobs in the Westchester and New Haven Area" report.More »