I am seeking some guidance from someone about how to get from here to there in terms of my career.
I have a PhD and four years post-doc eperience. My PHD involved testing of anti-infective agents in in vitro and in vivo models, whilst my postdocs have involved using microarray based approaches to identify mechanisms of toxicity, followed by basic drug discovery to identify new molecules. My post-doc has been in a quasi-industry setting where I have been given much more independence as a postdoc than usual, and I have developed leadership skills through participation in volunteer organizations. I have several publications in OK journals.
Where I want to be in the future is to head up a non-GLP drug discovery effort in an industry setting. The subject area is less important to me than the process itself. What I don't know how to do is get there, and I feel my career is at a decision point. So I have some questions.
1. Industry does not seem foccussed on anti-infectives other than HIV drugs. Should I do another post doc in another field, so that I can move across horizontally into another discipline?
2. Should I do an MBA, to obtain a technical management qualification, since I do not necessarily bring specific scientific skills to the table?
3. Should I go and work at the FDA to get some regulatory experience before going into industry?
4. Am I qualified enough to be seeking a Senior Scientist position in industry, in a field outside of my formal training?
Any thoughts?