Getting a job a Wall Street w/ a PhD in Molecular Biology?

Can you get a job on Wall Street w/ a PhD in molecular biology?

I've worked in biopharma for years in drug discovery, and I got an MBA along the way. I'm searching for a change in careers. I'd like to work as an investment banker or stock analyst.

Would my years of industry experience and MBA look good to potential hirers?

Thanks!

15 Comments
 

You'd be best suited for an equity research position. Nobody, but nobody, needs a Ph.D. for IB. I'd look into firms with strong healthcare/biotech/biopharma (you get the picture) ER presence and see what they say. I've seen Ph.Ds and M.D.s for that area.

 

You'd be best suited for an equity research position. Nobody, but nobody, needs a Ph.D. for IB. I'd look into firms with strong healthcare/biotech/biopharma (you get the picture) ER presence and see what they say. I've seen Ph.Ds and M.D.s for that area.

 
jonx8262They want quantitative/analytical people. They take engineers and scientists too.

Well, I'm not so sure how quantitative I am, since my job consisted of "look in the literature for a suitable target gene. Create antisense oligonucleotide to prevent translation of an important segment of said gene once it is transcribed into mRNA. Design an experiment to test its effectiveness in vitro and in vivo in mice."

I have very little C++ or mathematical modeling experience. I know how to use C++, just not for financial modeling. I know how to create linked lists and I even wrote a program to simulate an Enigma rotor cipher.

Still, I doubt I'm suitable for S&T

 
Best Response

You don't sound very excited about S&T, so maybe ER or a fundamentals HF (long or long/short) focused on healthcare and biotechs would be your best bet. VC could be an option, but you'd have to let them know you'd rather do investment analysis and not just be a manager for one of their portfolio companies where you play leadership and operational roles. Unless that's something you want to do.

:-)

Protoman2050
jonx8262They want quantitative/analytical people. They take engineers and scientists too.

Well, I'm not so sure how quantitative I am, since my job consisted of "look in the literature for a suitable target gene. Create antisense oligonucleotide to prevent translation of an important segment of said gene once it is transcribed into mRNA. Design an experiment to test its effectiveness in vitro and in vivo in mice."

I have very little C++ or mathematical modeling experience. I know how to use C++, just not for financial modeling. I know how to create linked lists and I even wrote a program to simulate an Enigma rotor cipher.

Still, I doubt I'm suitable for S&T

 

I was thinking about equity research myself.

Would I be a good candidate for a private equity or venture capital firm, to seek out potential investments?

What's the average starting salary for equity research analysts, at a well-known firm like GS? I'm currently making somewhere around $150,000 including bonus and stock options, as an assistant VP.

Should I seek out a position at InvestBio (http://www.investbio.com/biotech_company.asp)?

 

so i'm assuming your interest in banking or research stems from the fact that they pay well. if you're really a phd, go look up DE Shaw. They have a computational biology group which does some pretty interesting work, and you'd be making a lot more money even your first year then you would if you went into banking now. pm me if you have any specific questions about DE Shaw and what they do.

 
MarginCallingdon't get career advice from college kids. with your background you should be trying to join a biotech HF or VC

As I suspected. Which ones do you recommend?

 

Dolor doloribus dolorem architecto facilis sequi neque culpa. Et corrupti quia voluptas. Ipsum quia et autem eos vel voluptatibus. Iste unde omnis id provident numquam odio. Doloremque corrupti mollitia iusto natus repellendus cumque.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”