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Citing
the increasing need for highly skilled business professionals
to lead the next wave of the rapidly expanding biotechnology
industry, San Diego State University (SDSU) has teamed with
Invitrogen Corporation (Nasdaq:IVGN) and several other biotechnology
industry giants to establish the first joint Ph.D.-MBA program in the nation that focuses both degrees in the life sciences
and features direct involvement with biotech companies. The
university started a pilot phase in September 2003 that currently
has two students, and SDSU plans to expand the program in
the next year.
“With
a large number of major breakthroughs on the horizon for the
biotechnology, life science research and pharmaceutical industries,
we need leaders who can not only manage the discovery cycle
through new research, but also demonstrate the business acumen
required to create successful companies around these ideas,”
said Gail K. Naughton, Ph.D., dean of SDSU’s College
of Business and a founder of a public biotech company as well.
“This will help the great ideas that fuel life science
become the actual therapies of the future.” Naughton said San Diego is the perfect environment to host
such a Ph.D.-MBA program because it’s home to the third-largest
concentration of biotech companies in the nation, with more
than 400 such businesses and several prominent life science
research institutions in the region.
Global
biotechnology leaders such as Invitrogen say the value of
this innovative Ph.D.-MBA educational model is that it’s
primed to produce “home-grown” leaders for its industry
who have specialized training in meeting the distinct research,
development, marketing, financing and other challenges found
in drug discovery, biodevice development, and other life science-related
fields.
“One
of the biggest challenges in our industry is attracting candidates
who have the skill to envision functional applications for
cutting edge research,” said Gregory T. Lucier, President
and CEO of Invitrogen. “The types of candidates that
companies such as ours seek out are those who will make a
tangible impact on improving the human condition. This new
program is a positive step in training skilled scientists
to become the business leaders of tomorrow.”
Invitrogen,
Pfizer and CardioDynamics, Inc. are sponsoring the start-up
phase of the Ph.D.-MBA program. In addition to sponsorship,
Invitrogen is heavily involved in the program through executive
lectures, case studies, internship opportunities and other
application-based initiatives.
“Having
executives and scientists from Invitrogen directly interact
with our students will ensure that our program goes beyond
teaching theory to address real-life, real-time industry needs
and concerns, and so students can adapt as the biotech industry
changes,” Naughton said.
By combining
what would typically be two extensive courses of study—a
biotechnology-focused MBA and a Ph.D. in molecular and cell
biology (a joint program SDSU offers in conjunction with the
University of California, San Diego)—there is also an
opportunity to complete the program in less time and move
forward into business pursuits more quickly. These attributes
make the program attractive to entrepreneurial-focused students
like Matthew Giacalone.
Giacalone
received a bachelor’s degree in biology from SDSU and
went from the master’s program to join the joint Ph.D.-MBA
program in September 2003. He also has worked for MPEX, an
incubator biotechnology company spun off from SDSU research.
His responsibility there was to lead the research and development
effort in creating new types of vaccines. His dissertation
and business plan for the joint Ph.D.-MBA is centered on the
development of a vaccine for viral encephalitis.
“I
knew I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. with an entrepreneurial emphasis,”
said Giacalone. “I want to get ahead in this field, become
a manager. I love learning, and the atmosphere at San Diego
State is wonderful. This just seemed like a perfect fit for
me to achieve the type of goals I have set out for myself.”
Currently,
the university is working to secure additional funding to
guarantee the program’s continuation and growth. Naughton
says she hopes that the success and growth of its joint Ph.D.-MBA
degree at her institution will prompt universities and businesses
in other biotechnology hubs to look for similar ways to advance
the profession and the industry.
For more information on the life science Ph.D./MBA program,
please visit www.bio.sdsu.edu/cmb/JointDoc.html.
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About
SDSU
The SDSU
College of Business is one of the largest business schools
in the U.S., with over 6,000 students. Its programs in undergraduate
international business and graduate entrepreneurship are ranked
among the top programs in the country by U.S. News &
World Report. In SDSU’s Biology Department, faculty
participating in the PhD-MBA program secure more than $6 million
in annual research funds from the National Institutes of Health,
the National Science Foundation and other agencies. These
funds enable the department to make advances in fighting problems
such as heart disease and infectious diseases and support
the students’ mentored dissertation research. SDSU is
the oldest and largest institution of higher education in
the San Diego region. Founded in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor's
degrees in 79 areas, master's degrees in 67 and doctorates
in 14. SDSU's nearly 34,000 students participate in academic
curricula distinguished by direct contact with faculty and
an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for
a global future.
About
Invitrogen
Invitrogen
Corporation (Nasdaq: IVGN) provides products and services
that support academic and government research institutions
and pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide in their
efforts to improve the human condition. The company provides
essential life science technologies for disease research,
drug discovery, and commercial bio-production. Invitrogen's
own research and development efforts are focused on breakthrough
innovation in all major areas of biological discovery including
functional genomics, proteomics, bio-informatics and cell
biology -- placing Invitrogen's products in nearly every major
laboratory in the world. Founded in 1987, Invitrogen is headquartered
in Carlsbad, California and conducts business in more than
70 countries around the world. The company globally employs
approximately 3,000 scientists and other professionals. For
more information about Invitrogen visit the company's web
site at www.invitrogen.com
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