Ph. Dialogue「博士人材セミナー」は、Ph. Discover連携企業からゲストを迎え「博士課程修了者が企業でどのように活躍しているのか」「企業は博士人材に何を求めているのか」についてお話してもらい、後半はゲストと学生が対話を通して交流する企画です。3回目は板倉朋宏さん、水上雄貴さん、安達智史さん、本館利佳さん（大日本住友製薬株式会社）をお迎えしたPh. Dialogueの紹介です。

※所属、肩書等は2021年1月当時のものです。

Skills required for Ph.D.

Nice to meet you, I'm Itakura, and I'm in charge of recruiting at Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma's human resources department. I joined the company as a researcher and spent 11 years researching pharmacology.

これまで当社は、優秀な博士人材は企業研究でも大きな成果を上げると信じ、継続して博士人材の採用を行ってきました。採用活動時期は博士の方が早いため、博士採用を優先し、次に修士という順番になっています。近年では新卒研究職の約40%が博士の学位を取得した方となっていて、博士の割合が高い企業だと思います。

There are three things I expect from those Ph.D. The first is, needless to say, a high level of expertise. However, I am not very conscious of whether the content of my specialty matches the research area of the company. We are looking for people who have a high level of expertise in their field and who have the ability to think outside the box, rather than matching their research content.

The second is strategic thinking. The ability to accurately grasp one's own research theme and its worldwide attention, determine what kind of data is necessary for writing a paper, and assemble an appropriate experimental method for carrying out research are indispensable skills even in corporate research. come alive

The third is autonomous behavior. Doctoral students are entrusted with tasks other than research, such as running seminars and managing equipment. It is also important for companies to autonomously carry out such various requests, and I think that people who have graduated from a doctoral course are equipped with the "ability to complete any work on their own".

Mind required of a doctor

The three points I mentioned earlier are about skills. From here, I would like to talk about the mindset of doctoral human resources sought by companies.

こちらも3つあって、まず1つ目に、自分の成果が社会の役に立つことに喜びを感じられる方。2つ目に、製薬会社は基本的に薬を作るので、「ものづくり」に熱意を感じられる方。そして3つ目に、自分の磨いてきた専門性を社会に役立てたいと思える方。この3つのマインドをお持ちの方が、企業研究、製薬研究に向いていると思います。

I believe that this mindset is the difference between academia and corporate research. The goals of academia are to pursue the truth, elucidate detailed mechanisms, and propose completely new concepts. The goal is to write so-called papers and accumulate human wisdom. On the other hand, a company, in a nutshell, is the return of scientific value to society. Corporate research is the work of using science to improve people's health and well-being.

Pharmaceutical industry seeking R&D human resources and global human resources

Now let's talk about the pharmaceutical industry and our company. The global market demand of the pharmaceutical industry is growing steadily and is on the rise. However, it is the United States and China that are leading the way, and the scale of Japan is not large. In Japan, the government decides the price of medicine, and the price is going down year by year to reduce medical expenses, making it a tough situation. Therefore, globalization is essential for the Japanese pharmaceutical industry.

Another characteristic of the pharmaceutical industry is that more and more companies are narrowing down their priority areas. Along with that, we are looking for flexible and forward-looking personnel to respond to changes in the industry. Of course, global human resources and research and development human resources. After all, it is necessary to conduct solid research because we will make things and use them as a foothold to expand overseas. This is also reflected in the data. Looking at the ratio of R&D expenses to sales by industry, the pharmaceutical industry continues to maintain its top position. I think that the pharmaceutical industry is very suitable for those who want to devote themselves to research and development and want to work globally.

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma conducts cutting-edge research with a high degree of freedom

Finally, let me introduce three features of our company.

1. We have set out a policy to compete globally with our research and development capabilities. Our overseas sales ratio is 64% of the total, ranking third in the industry. Furthermore, the ratio of expenses allocated to research and development from sales is 24%, which is the highest in the industry. We are the only pharmaceutical company in the top three for both of these items.
2. A company that contributes to medical care with cutting-edge technology. We are actively researching and adopting advanced technologies. Our three priority areas are Psychiatry & Neurology, Oncology, and Regenerative Medicine, and we are undoubtedly leading the way in regenerative medicine using iPS cells. Considering the scale of the company, it is a company that is doing quite challenging things.
3. The company has a high degree of freedom and a corporate culture that allows young employees to take on challenges. We call it a project system, and the project progresses in a style in which the person who came up with the idea becomes the theme leader, and the director or Director gives advice. This project system is the base that enables us to innovate from the bottom up. And I think it's a rare case, but I recommend underground research. Under this system, in addition to the main theme, about 20% of the work can be done on the research theme that you want to do. Under these systems, we have created an environment and climate in which research and development can be carried out freely.

コミュニケーションタイム

・In silico drug discovery utilizing the power of computational science

Q:I am conducting research on structural analysis on a personal computer.

Itakura: In the field of in silico drug discovery ^(*), for example, we investigate what structures are likely to become drugs, or what calculation formulas can be used to prove the binding of a certain receptor and a compound. There is research to create something close to
*In silico drug discovery means creating drugs in a computer using computational science. In silico experiments using databases are called dry experiments, while experiments using actual organisms, proteins, DNA, etc. are called wet experiments.

Q:How much knowledge of computational science is required?

Itakura: In silico research depends on the person. There are people who are very knowledgeable about computational science, and there are people who have knowledge of computational science while doing wet work. At the site of recruitment, we do not seek a fixed background, but comprehensively judge the ability of the person as a researcher.

Mizukami: I joined the company knowing nothing about computational science. However, recent advances in technology have greatly increased the amount and variety of data that can be acquired. I'm studying because I feel that I'm in a situation where I'm falling behind if I can't handle data. I'm doing exploratory synthesis research, so it's not essential, but if it fits my research style, I think it would be good to acquire computational science as a skill after joining the company.

- Widen the antenna

Q:I believe that a wide range of expertise is important in corporate research.

Itakura: What I would specifically recommend is reading papers that overlap slightly with your own field. You can expand the area little by little. Another thing I would recommend is to have frequent discussions with your academic advisor. By talking with the professor, I think you will be able to develop a broader perspective, such as where you stand in the laboratory as a whole, and how the professor sees the next step.

Q:Outside of research, is there anything I should keep an eye on?

Itakura: I think that if you keep an eye on the business field, you will be able to play an active role in a wide range of fields after joining a company. Some stay as researchers until they retire, while others change to other occupations. No matter what kind of job you have, having a perspective other than that of a researcher will be a strength. Also, given the nature of pharmaceutical companies, it is also important to have the perspective of generating profits and linking them to the next research.

・Underground research

Q:How many people do underground research?

Itakura: Everyone has been doing it since the first year. However, you don't have to do it alone, sometimes you make a group and do it.

Q:How do you decide on the theme of underground research?

Itakura: The theme is up to the person himself, and he decides it based on his own ideas. However, I need to use tools and buy reagents, so I explain the plan to my boss in advance.

Honkan: When I read a paper and find it interesting, I actively try to obtain cells and try to reproduce the paper. There is an atmosphere at our company where we do things that we find interesting, and when we get interesting data, we talk about it with the people around us and discuss it as we move forward.

・Efficient research in a team

Q:There is an image that working adults are required to give maximum performance in a short time. Has the way you conduct research changed between when you were a student and when you started working?

Honkan: When I was a university student, I used to go to the laboratory every day on Saturdays and Sundays. At a company, research is done in teams, so I can do more than I could do alone, and I can think about things from multiple perspectives.

Adachi: My way of thinking about time has changed significantly since I became a working adult. Since I am a researcher, what I am doing is the same as when I was in college, but companies require me to work efficiently in a limited amount of time. Therefore, the PDCA cycle ^(*) must be turned very quickly. In order not to waste time, I always think about what the essential experiment is.
*The PDCA cycle is a method for continuously improving management operations such as production management and quality control. Repeat the cycle of Plan → Do (execution) → Check (evaluation) → Act (improvement).

・Take care of work-life balance

Q:How long can I work overtime?

Itakura: To be more specific, at our company, the job group when you join the company is called the "fresh job group." For doctoral students, the period is one year. It is a system that requires you to acquire a research style that produces high results in a short time without basic overtime work for one year. Many people who have graduated from a doctoral course want to achieve results even if they stay up all night, but if they continue to do so even as working adults, their bodies will not last. This is to get you accustomed to an efficient method in a short time. We will try to keep overtime hours as short as possible, and if it is absolutely necessary, you will be asked to work overtime after applying to your boss.

Q:When you become a member of society, there are life events such as childbirth and childcare, but does your company have a corporate culture that makes it easy for men to take childcare leave?

Itakura: I think we are a company that can flexibly respond to life events. For example, 100% of women in R&D come back after giving birth and raising children. It is a company that takes vacations as a matter of course and comes back as a matter of course. There is childcare leave for men, and when a child is born, an additional 5 days of paid leave is granted. 80 to 90% of employees use childcare leave. When looking for a job, even if your desired company has a maternity and childcare leave system, it may be difficult to see how much you can use it.

Honkan: As Mr. Itakura says, there are many people who have returned from maternity or childcare leave every year and are now working as research theme leaders.

Adachi: Our company is very understanding about maternity and childcare leave, and of course the company understands, but also my colleagues and superiors understand, making it a very comfortable company to work for.

Launch: January 28, 2021
Organizer: Ph. Discover
Co-organizer: Hokkaido UniversityFaculty of Science/Hokkaido University Center for Mathematics and Data Science (Data-related Human Resource Development Program) / Hokkaido University Doctoral Program for Materials Science Leading Program