Is there life after HEP -The Myths and the Reality

of Working in Industry

Kathy O’Shaughnessy, PhDR2 Technology, Inc.

R2 Technology

• Founded in 1993• Privately held, venture-capital backed company (5+

rounds of financing)• Will have an Initial Public Offering “sometime this

year”• 80 employees• 1999 revenue approximately $3.5 Million• 2000 revenue projections $9.5 Million• First product FDA approved in 1998• Main product: ImageChecker M1000

Computer Aided Detection for Mammography

Mammography Statistics

• Number of women over 40 years of age in the US: approx 60M• Number of mammograms each year in the US: approx 30M• Number of women called back for additional views 5 -10%• Number of women biopsied 2 - 5%• Number of women diagnosed with cancer 0.5% • Sensitivity* of screening mammography: ~ 80%• Specificity** of screening mammography: 90 - 95%

* Sensitivity = TP / TP + FN ** Specificity = TN / TN + FP

Early Detection Benefits

$140,000

20%

Late Stage

97%

$11,000

Early Stage

5 year survival after initial diagnosis

Average treatment cost

Source: American Cancer Society, 1999 Breast Cancer Facts and Figures

Screening Challenge

complex image interpretation

high volume

short viewing time

extremely low incidence (3-10/1,000)

A solution-Computer Aided Detection

• Computers don’t get fatigued.• Computers are consistent.• Computers don’t get distracted.• Current processing speeds allow very complex

analyses in a short amount of time.

• First step - an adjunctive aid to the radiologist to help detect abnormalities on screening mammograms.

Computer Aided Detection System

The ‘ ‘ marks calcifications

The ‘ ‘ marks masses or distortions.

Radiologistalone

CADalone

Radiologist + CAD

Detected Marked Detected

missed

missed“oversights”

missed

Survey of former particle physicists

• Anecdotal survey of 18 former particle physicists living in the Bay Area

• Average number of years since leaving an academic position: 3.5 (range 3 months to 10 years)

• Median number of companies worked with since leaving HEP: 1

• Median number of positions since leaving HEP: 2• Most common way to find a job - connections/networking

Different Job Titles/Classifications

Senior Process Engineer

Engineer/Scientist/Manager

Staff Scientist

Senior Staff Engineer

Senior Software Engineer

Systems Design Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

Staff Software Engineer

Algorithm Scientist

Senior Key Account Technology Manager

Systems Engineering Manager

Technical Staff Member

Software Design Engineer

Software Engineering Manager

Scientist/Engineer

“Useful things I learned in academia”

• systematic approach to complex problems• analytical/critical thinking• setting up experiments• toolbox of mathematical techniques• teaching (sharing technical information with different

audiences)• ability to learn on one’s own• specific skills (electronics, data acquisition, C++)

“Skills I wished I’d learned in academia”

• communication skills: verbal and written• how to write grant proposals, technical reports, journal

articles• managing people: how to recognize and develop the

strengths of a given team of people• scheduling: people and resource management• more of the skills for a particular job (e.g. electronics,

digital signal processing, computer skills, formal software design principles and tools)

Myth and Reality

Myth: The work environment is completely different.

Reality: Depends on the company. Compare Yahoo, other internet companies (job titles like Grand Poobah, inhouse slides and ping-pong) with a cubicle-city Dilbert-like company. Some companies have research arms that are like a university lab. Some jobs require more hours than HEP, some less.

Myth and Reality

Myth: People in industry are only concerned with the bottom line.

Reality: A company that can’t make money won’t exist. It doesn’t mean that you can’t create something that you are very proud of/brings you scientific recognition.

Myth and Reality

Myth: The work is boring.

Reality: Some is - but you have a lot of options, especially with a PhD at the end of your name. Find something with a motivation that excites you (money, research recognition, fastpaced, competitive).

Myth and Reality

Myth: People in industry make a lot more money.

Reality: Depends on your definition of “a lot”, but probably true. For example, from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, a PhD with no board certification has a median salary of $93K (averaged over all levels of experience), with starting salaries near $75K. Silicon Valley startups have more potential for a large gain, but more risk as well.

Myth and Reality

Myth: If you leave to go to industry, then you weren’t smart enough for academia.

Reality: Not true. Many leave for personal reasons, or because they don’t like the “career” options available to them at a given time. Some want to have more control over what they are doing. There are lots of very smart people out there!

Summary

• HEP is a good training ground for many careers.• “Working in industry” covers a large variety of job

types and environments.• Widen your horizons by becoming aware of different

career options.• If you do decide to make a change, it is a tremendous

opportunity to find a job that encompasses a lot of the types of things you like to do.