Catching Up With: Margo Polatnick

What year did you graduate from the Academy?

I graduated in August 2023.

What have you been up to since graduation?

Work has been my focus over the past year, as well as expanding my knowledge in neuroscience and biology pertaining to the projects I am contributing to. In my free time, I’ve been exploring the city/greater Boston area. I’ve found a lot of cool thrift stores, cafes, restaurants, live music venues, beaches, etc., that I really like. 

Where are you currently working and what is your current title?

I currently work for AbbVie. My prior company which was just acquired by AbbVie, Cerevel Therapeutics, was a Cambridge-based biotech company working on new treatments for debilitating neuroscience diseases. I was recently hired before the aqcuisition as an Associate Scientist in In-Vitro Pharmacology. 

How did you get into your current role?

I completed my 3-month internship for GBA as a Compound Logistics intern at Cerevel. My internship was extended, and during that time I was able to shadow and help other teams with  cell culture and running assays. There weren’t any openings in Compound Logistics as my internship concluded, but I was offered a contracting position with In-Vitro and I took the opportunity. After six months of contracting, I was hired as a FTE in June. 

What advice do you have for GBA alumni?

My advice is to try and take full advantage of the time and resources available to you at work and within your network. Examples of this would be starting conversations with colleagues and peers to learn more about their career paths, asking to shadow and assist with other departments, assays, and instruments that are of interest to you, researching in your down  time, not being afraid to ask questions, etc. Taking full advantage of your day in these ways  allows you to demonstrate your broad skill set, enthusiasm, hard work, and value in various  areas of the lab. Also, with that, remembering to take breaks and prioritizing a healthy  work/life balance is important too. This career can be overwhelming at times as there is always more to learn and do, especially when just starting out. Continuing to show up each day and  try your best is more than enough. 

What career skills did you find were most helpful? Can you speak particularly to when asking for a job change/pay increase?

The most impactful career skill so far personally has been self advocacy when asking for compensation equivalent to your work’s value. A few months after converting from intern to  contractor I decided to ask for a raise, and my manager's conclusion was to fully convert me to FTE. 

Did you ask the Academy for support in this process? Did you find it helpful?

I reached out to John during my time as a contractor to get his guidance on whether or not to ask for a raise in my situation. A helpful reminder he gave me was that it does no harm to ask, and it would also show my manager I knew the value of my work. I am glad I reached out to him because it helped remind me it was not only appropriate but important to advocate for myself. 

Do you have any advice for alumni starting their career in this market?

I think networking as much as possible to keep options growing while gaining as much experience as you can where you are both help early career development while the market is slow. You may not be in your ideal job position/workplace right now, but it could be a great stepping stone for where you want to go. If you are in between jobs, reaching out to your current network about what opportunities are out there may help expand your options when moving forward.