'None of the fresh biotech grads are employment-ready'

In the 1970s biotechnology jobs were difficult to come by, especially for women. So Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairman and managing director, Biocon, changed the rules of the game and founded her own biotech venture that currently employs 3,500 people (15 per cent of whom are women) and clocks revenues in excess of Rs 1,600 crore.

In an interview with Nandita Datta she talks about biotechnology becoming the new buzzword and what it takes to build a successful career.

What are some of the career opportunities in biotechnology in India today?
Biotechnology is a very diverse field. It offers opportunities in areas of research, marketing or manufacturing. The research that's going in this field today is so varied and inter-disciplinary that students of biology, pharmacology, medicine, engineering and computational science all have interesting roles to play. In the area of manufacturing, we look for chemical and mechanical engineers or microbiologists with expertise in fermentation. Marketing, which involves selling products like enzymes, bio-pharmaceuticals, industrial and agri-biotech products, diagnostics, instrumentation, etc requires knowledge of science and an MBA degree. After all, he or she must understand the products and services being sold.

Is a basic degree in biotech sufficient for a career in this field?
A degree in biotechnology is not imperative to enter this field. Biocon, for example, hires MSc students from life sciences disciplines like biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, pharmacology and chemical biology. And it's not like these are for non-R&D roles -- they are very much for our research programme. But for someone who's really interested in research as a career, I would recommend doing a PhD. Apart from the much-needed specialisation, it brings an analytical bent of mind. For non-research functions, a PhD doesn't really help -- learning on the job is much more important.

Which biotech institutes does Biocon visit regularly for its hiring needs?
We go to IITs and pick students from specialised bio-sciences or biotechnology programmes -- usually you can't go wrong with an IIT. Mumbai University's Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT) is another excellent picking ground because of its outstanding quality of education. Anna University is also quite good. Many institutes today produce quality students. We've a wide choice to pick from!