In this episode of the "MFCEM CONNECT" we interacted with Dr. Ram Prakash Gupta, alumni of IIT Kanpur, who earned his PhD from the department of Biological sciences and Bioengineering (2014). Dr Ram Prakash Gupta is the Deputy General Manager (manufacturing) with Laurus Labs, India, and has more than 10 years of experience in the Biotech industry.

Dr. Gupta shared his journey into the Biotech industry in India after obtaining his PhD from IITK in Drosophila Genetics. He reaffirmed that his training in genetics gave him an edge in the industry and allowed his foray into the domain of gene therapy. He assured the students that the Lifescience/Biotech industry required a wide spectrum of skill sets which could range from computation biology, molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, chemical engineering, to digital sciences, material sciences etc; hence, one should not hesitate over likelihood of a good fit in the industry. Dr. Gupta also emphasized on the qualities of team work, readiness to learn afresh, and single-minded focus to look for solutions as some of the key personality traits that would help succeed in the industry.

Dr. Gupta took many questions from the audience at the end of his talk which ranged from what the best time was to join the industry as a graduate student, a PhD, or after a brief postdoc; does the Indian Biotech companies support research fellowships; could one look for long term careers in a given industry and many more.