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Featured Profile:

Dan Ryan: The Human Capital Group

By Kimberly Korwek
Editor, The Young Biotechnologist Tennessee 

The TBA Student Chapter newsletter, The Young Biotechnologist Tennessee, is pleased to feature profiles of our fellow TBA members that sponsor or participate in our events in our newsletter. We feel that this is a valuable service to our student members, allowing them to learn more about area biotechnology companies and the wide variety of career paths and opportunities in our field. If you or your company would like to be considered for this feature, please contact the editor at newsletter@tnbio-sc.org.

Dan Ryan is a Senior Consultant at The Human Capital Group. Ryan was both a sponsor of and speaker at the May 23, 2007 TBA Student Chapter seminar on Alternative Careers in Biotech. For a synopsis of this seminar, please view our newsletter.

Ryan obtained an undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics and expanded his training to include a MBA as well as a Masters degree in Human Resources Development from the Peabody School at Vanderbilt University. His technical background along with interests in human resources and career development merged into his current position as a consultant specializing in team development, executive training, and recruitment.

During my talk with Mr. Ryan, he indicated that it was his combination of technical knowledge and outgoing personality that attracted him to and helps him be successful in consulting. Ryan admits that he is not a specialist in any particular field, but his background allows him to understand the unique needs of technical leaders. Ryan describes his position as one requiring “lifelong learning” not only of knowledge but also of how people learn. In his training and development work, Ryan aims to understand the best way for someone to learn, and what is needed for that person to learn.

Ryan feels the life sciences are an incredibly important and interesting field of research. He values his connection with researchers in the life sciences because of the potential to improve human life. “People are like cars,” commented Ryan. Extending the metaphor to compare my often troublesome Ford to his Honda, Ryan explained that some of us are naturally more reliable than others. The life sciences offer the opportunity to find out “…what we are and how we improve the quality of life for each of us.” Finding new ways to answer these questions is one of the biggest challenges for scientists today, says Ryan.

Like a good scientist, those who succeed in consulting are excellent at problem solving. Additionally, the ability to both communicate and listen effectively is paramount to success. Ryan also stresses building and maintaining a strong social and professional network, recommending the book Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi for those looking to improve their networking skills. This communication is absolutely essential in his field; those who cannot hear what others are trying to say will have difficulty.

Ryan suggests that scientists with entrepreneurial goals seek out partners that complement their own skills instead of competing with them. For some jobs, a MBA may be helpful, but is often nonessential with the right partnerships. In these partnerships, and many other relationships, an understanding of one’s own biases is crucial. Compensation, not elimination of these biases, contributes to successful communication. Ryan also recommends obtaining multi-lingual/multi-cultural experiences, such as through working in another country. The resulting broadened world view facilitates working in a global community.

As a closing thought, Ryan believes that everyone should seek out mentors that can guide them in their career development. Mentorship helps each of us learn from the mistakes of others instead of repeating the same ones over and over again, mused Ryan. His final piece of career development advice was to seek out additional volunteer opportunities, as these can often provide unforeseen benefits.

Seminar Review

Alternative Careers in Biotech Seminar draws many interested scientists

The first event sponsored by the Student Chapter of the Tennessee Biotechnology Association (TBA) proved a success.  Over 70 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research faculty members were in attendance to hear the stories and advice of individuals who had left the ivory tower of academia to stretch the envelope in the biotechnology sector.  From technology transfer to human capital consulting to starting your own biotech company, all the speakers had one common piece of advice for students contemplating making the transition: improving networking skills is the best way to find a job and be successful.  READ MORE