Alexander (Alex) Keller graduated with a PhD in Pharmacology from University of Virginia’s School of Medicine in March 2019. Under the mentorship of Dr. Brant Isakson, Alex studied pannexin channels and hemoglobin alpha in the vasculature. His research had a particular focus on understanding mechanisms by which arteries dilate to allow increased blood flow during exercise.
Alex is currently a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group in Washington, DC.
Q. What future career did you envision when you began graduate school at UVA?
A. When I started my PhD, I wanted a career direction that would leverage my technical background towards work at the nexus of science and business. During graduate school, I refined that vision into a more targeted interest in corporate strategy and business development in the biopharma industry. This goal led me to my current role in management consulting at Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Q. How did you explore your interest in a specific area related to business of science and consulting career path?
A. I sought out UVA's Biotechnology Training Program, an NIH-sponsored training grant, which provided training in translational science and the opportunity to complete an internship in the biotech industry. During the third year of my PhD, I interned at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, where I spoke with people in a variety of mid-senior positions to determine which roles best fit my interests, and what types of career paths typically lead to them. In addition, I served as Chair of the Graduate Biosciences Society's (GBS) Professional Committee for two years, which provided a great opportunity to network with alumni and invite them back to Grounds to speak with GBS about their career paths. Finally, I took advantage of the opportunity to prepare for interviews through case interview practice with the Graduate Consulting Club (GCC) at UVA. In fact, a couple of my partners from case interview practice ended up joining BCG too!
Q. What are some valuable transferable skills and experiences for PhDs to transition into this career?
A. PhDs are experts in problem-solving. We’re trained to define questions, identify the data required to answer them, design and conduct experiments, analyze data to draw insights, and communicate our findings clearly to a broad audience. A PhD's hypothesis-driven mindset, ability to frame problems, and project management skills are all highly transferable and sought-after skills in the business world.
Q. What are some opportunities that enable developing these skills?
A. The normal course of dissertation research provides many of these skills. However, it's important to take a step back and consider how the skills we develop through our research apply more broadly, and how we can best leverage them for other careers such as management consulting.
Q. Based on your job search, application, and interview experience, what would you advise PhD students?
A. I would advise current grad students considering a consulting career to familiarize themselves with the hiring process at employers of interest, particularly the application timeline (many consulting firms interview for positions up to a year before their start dates) and the case interview method. It’s helpful to establish your graduation timeline as far ahead as possible so you can plan ahead for application deadlines and interviews. The case method used in consulting interviews may also be unfamiliar and requires a good bit of practice. You can learn about case interviews in the PhD Plus Consulting skills series with Dr. Brendan Boler. The Graduate Consulting Club is a great resource for practicing cases with peer partners in preparation for interviews.
Q. What advice would you give PhD students and postdocs interested in pursuing a career in management consulting?
A. If you're interested in management consulting, don't wait to learn more. Talk to current and former consultants to confirm that it's a good fit for your career goals, pick up a few books about business strategy to read in your free time, get involved with the Grad Consulting Club, and start exploring case interviews. An early start will help ensure your confidence in the career path, thorough preparation for interviews, and adequate time as application deadlines approach.