Tunnel Vision RECRUITERS INDUSTRY It’S the Last Train Home and I’M Scribbling Corrections on My Particle-Physics Paper

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GRADUATE JOURNAL Tunnel vision RECRUITERS INDUSTRY It’s the last train home and I’m scribbling corrections on my particle-physics paper. Building an intern the interns& at the cutting its employment pipeline. Out of the corner of my eye I notice the programme edge by assigning them to At the beginning of this man next to me looking over my shoulder projects that have a genuine year, the company at my work. It’s late, he’s probably bored, BM may be viewed by chance of reaching the announced plans to I tell myself. But does he really care what many as a giant in market-place. expand its workforce by I do? Should he care? Do I care whether Iinformation technology, Under the scheme, three some 15,000 people. Many he cares? but it hasn’t always been scientific and technical of these new jobs are likely Yes! If nothing else, his taxes the first choice for interns are teamed with to be based in China or contribute to the millions needed to build jobseekers. As the Internet an MBA student for the India, so it is no surprise the high-tech detectors used in my area boomed in the 1990s, commercial angle, and the that Extreme Blue has now of physics. They pay for me to go to young people who wanted group is then guided by an been implemented in both conferences, for my computer and for the to work at the frontiers of IBM mentor. The 12-week Beijing and Bangalore — hours I sit at the screen fixing broken code. computer science saw IBM internships have proved so as well as in Toronto, Scientists have a duty to put something as irrelevant, says Jane popular, says Harper, that Canada. The programme back into the system that brought us this Harper, who runs the this year nearly 4,500 is also being run year- far. On a more practical level, if we don’t sell company’s programme students applied for the round rather than only our work to the politicians who hand out the for talent-scouting at 200 available places. during the summer. taxes, there will be no more research. universities. Instead, the Extreme Blue is part But perhaps the true But what’s the best way to reach out? brightest and best joined of a broad strategy at IBM, measure of Extreme Blue’s Expounding the merits of electroweak Internet start-ups, where which this year will see the success, says Harper, symmetry breaking at the supermarket they felt they would have company take on some is how many of the checkout is probably not the best approach. more direct involvement 2,000 interns in the United programme’s interns stay You need something people can relate to — in developing new States alone. Other schemes on to become full-time keep it simple and tell a story. technologies. include ProjectView, which employees. Even though The curious stranger was a reminder To arrest this trend, targets women, under- the dotcom bubble has not to become too blinkered. Scientists IBM set up a US intern represented minorities and well and truly burst, “it’s can’t operate in a bubble. We need to programme in 1996 called people with disabilities. just as hard to get the share our excitement for what we do with Extreme Blue (derived Internships make for a top talent”,she says. different audiences. The rest of the world is from the firm’s nickname good trial period for both Nevertheless, she adds, eager to listen, we just have to speak to it ‘Big Blue’). Aimed at employer and prospective Extreme Blue is attracting in the right way. ■ undergraduates, master’s employees, notes Harper. — and retaining — a lot Amber Jenkins is a graduate student in particle and PhD students one year Indeed, IBM sees its more top talent than IBM physics at Imperial College, London. away from finishing their various intern programmes was seeing ten years ago. ■ degree, Extreme Blue puts as a good way to help it fill Paul Smaglik is editor of Naturejobs.

MOVERS Tim Morley, vice-president, preclinical sciences,Ardana, Edinburgh, Scotland im Morley was still an in southeast England at the drug seen a consistent shortage of people undergraduate when he got his company Beecham. with the right skills for this kind of work T first taste of industry — but his The experience was a real eye- — particularly scientists who can create brief spell in a commercial lab set the opener, says Morley, as he had never and evaluate drugs. direction of his future career. seen chemistry done on such a large In his latest move, Morley has Morley was doing a ‘sandwich’ scale, with the latest equipment and accepted the post of vice-president, degree in biochemistry at the University instrumentation. “As an undergraduate, preclinical sciences, at Ardana, a small of Liverpool, UK, which meant that he you have limited exposure to state-of- drug company in Edinburgh. The firm got to spend some of his course doing the-art kit,” he says. was spun off in 2000 from the Human an internship. At the suggestion of His time at Beecham helped him to Reproductive Sciences Unit run by the one of his tutors, he did his placement refine the direction of his studies, and UK Medical Research Council (MRC). he went on to focus on pharmacology, Morley will coordinate the preclinical 1997–2004: Senior director of toxicology, drug metabolism and evaluation of the company’s drugs, and biological research, Vernalis Research, pharmacokinetics. The strategy paid will liaise with MRC staff in Edinburgh CV Wokingham, UK off, landing him a job at Wellcome and at St Mary’s Hospital for Women and 1996–97: Senior scientist in toxicology, Agrevo (now Research Laboratories in Beckenham Children in Manchester. He is currently Aventis), Chesterford Park, UK before he did his PhD. After nine searching for other centres of excellence 1988–96: Senior scientist in drug-safety evaluation, years there he moved briefly to Agrevo in human reproductive health for Wellcome Research Laboratories, Beckenham, UK before joining Vernalis Research in potential collaborations. 1993–97: PhD in mechanistic toxicology, University of Wokingham. Morley says that he is looking Aberdeen, Scotland Morley still believes that drug forward to his new role. “If you have a 1990–91: MSc in biopharmacy, King’s College Chelsea, metabolism and toxicology are good wealth of experiences,” he says, “you London, UK areas for a scientific career. In the course can make a bigger impact in a smaller of his professional life, he notes, he has company.” ■