TurningScience helps scientists working in the private sector as employees, entrepreneurs, or academic collaborators
David Giltner, Founder and President of TurningScience
Check out David's personal website for more.
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David Giltner has spent more than twenty years developing cutting-edge photonics technologies into commercial products in the fields of optical communications, remote sensing, directed energy, and scientific instrumentation. In 2017 he started TurningScience to help scientists of all disciplines working in the private sector as employees, entrepreneurs, or academic collaborators.
David is the author of the books Turning Science into Things People Need and It's a Game, not a Formula, and is an internationally recognized speaker and mentor on the topics of technology commercialization, product development, and career design. David has a BS and PhD in physics and holds seven patents in the fields of laser spectroscopy and optical communications.
Click to see articles and interviews David has done.
About TurningScience:
TurningScience was founded in 2017 to help scientists design and build rewarding careers in the private sector. It began with career seminars that David began giving in 2010 following the publication of Turning Science into Things People Need, a book featuring interviews with scientists who transitioned from academic research into productive careers in the private sector. In the years since, TurningScience has expanded to include every continent except Antarctica!
Working in industry is very different than academic research, and the habits that we learned in an academic research environment are often counterproductive in a private-sector career. Therefore, we provide seminars, workshops, and personalized mentoring designed to teach scientists how to transition from academic research into successful and productive industry careers. We focus specifically on three career paths: (1) scientists working in the private sector as an employee in an existing technology company, and (2) scientist entrepreneurs working to commercialize a new technology in a startup, and (3) Academic scientists who would like to grow their programs by collaborating with the private sector.
TurningScience Global Impact Map
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TurningScience offsets all travel-related carbon via TerraPass
TurningScience's Principles:
It's a game, not a formula
Success in the private sector comes from taking chances and going after what you want, not from finding the ‘right answer.’
Tell great stories
Don’t list your credentials and experience and expect other people to automatically see the value you bring. Tell stories that show them who you are and how you can help them.
Think big!
People will try to tell you what a scientist can and can’t do. Don’t let their limited views keep you from the career you want.
Make the world smaller
Science has always been an international pursuit, and this is one of its great strengths. We scientists can play an important role in helping others see how much we all have in common. Be part of the solution.
David's Books:
It's a Game, not a Formula - How to Succeed as a Scientist Working in the Private Sector
Scientists tend to look for the 'right way' to do things. We are used to chasing after formulas and theories that describe the behavior of the universe, and this expectation that there is a 'right answer' tends to permeate much of what we do.
But the world outside the controlled environment of the science lab doesn't work that way. The most successful scientists who enter the private sector approach their work as if it were a game, with rules that need to be followed but with no clear 'right way' to do things. They take risks, make decisions quickly, and don't overthink things.
This book presents valuable insights from experienced and successful industry PhD scientists who have shared their valuable stories to help you succeed in the private sector and build that rewarding career you are seeking.
Buy directly from the publisher or on Amazon.
Turning Science into Things People Need - Voices of Scientists in Industry
David's book "Turning Science into Things People Need" explores the journeys of 10 scientists who left the research lab to pursue careers in industry.
Driven by a desire to see their work give tangible results in months rather than decades, these people have all built exciting careers in a wide variety of roles.
Five of these scientists are successful entrepreneurs, starting their own successful companies!
International Collaboration - TurningScience and NaturalScience.Careers
David is very pleased to be collaborating with Dr. Karin Bodewits and Dr. Philipp Gramlich of Natural Science.Careers. Together they offer an expanded seminar curriculum based on their own broad experience spanning the physical and life sciences.
Learn more:
Dr. Karin Bodewits
Co-founder & owner
Specialities:
Women in science, self-presentation & networking, poster presentations, time-management, science communication
Industrial experience
Unilever R&D (2006-2007, visiting researcher)
Puleva Biotech (2005, visiting researcher)
About Karin
Dr. Karin Bodewits comes from the Netherlands where she studied Biology. After spending some time at Puleva Biotech in Spain and Unilever in China, she completed a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Edinburgh. In 2012, she founded the successful company NaturalScience.Careers, a seminar and talk provider for natural- and life scientists. In this function, she became book author, short story writer, speaker and seminar leader and published a wide range of career and soft skills related articles in magazines like Chemistry World and Naturejobs.
She writes the Career Fables for Science Careers.
Dr. Philipp Gramlich
Co-founder
Specialities
Leadership training, presentation skills, career starters, coaching, talks
Industrial experience
Eurofins Genomics (Team leader R&D, QC/shipping and analytics)
Baseclick GmbH (Manager R&D)
About Philipp
Dr. Philipp Gramlich has studied and researched chemistry (>2800 citations, Google Scholar 2021) at five universities in Germany, Australia and Scotland. He gained experience in industry, first at baseclick, a biotechnology start-up and later at Eurofins Genomics as Teamleader R&D, QC and Analytics, being responsible for up to 22 staff. Since 2016, he is fully focusing on his work as co-founder of NaturalScience.Careers. He specialises in seminars and talks about career development, leadership and presentation skills. Since 2016, he regularly writes career columns for Nachrichten aus der Chemie.