Big pharma to small biotech - good or bad career move for statistician?
I’ve been working as a biostatistician in big pharma for four years, and it’s the only industry setting I’ve known since I went from grad school into this company. I’m interviewing for a similar role with a small biotech that is fairly well funded. I’d be supporting a registrational clinical trial, which I have not done in my current job so that is a step up.
I’m wondering how a move like this is viewed. If I joined a smaller biotech/startup and later on decided I wanted to return to big pharma, would that be difficult? Does making that transition raise concerns on a CV?
I’m also thinking longer term about the impact of AI and industry trends. Part of my concern is that biostatistics roles in large pharma may become more limited over time, which could make it harder to even find opportunities in the future.