In Industry Insights, members of ASPET’s Industry Science Committee discuss the intersection of pharmacology and industry, private sector highlights, and how the industry and membership can support each other.
ASPET: A Professional Home for Pharmacologists in the Private Sector
By Pamela J Hornby, Adjunct Professor, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA and R. Kyle Palmer, CSO, COO, Opertech Bio, Philadelphia, PA
Recognized as the professional “Home of Pharmacology,” ASPET unites more than 4,000 scientists worldwide. Ten divisions facilitate interaction among members with similar research interests and the society provides a physical space for researchers to congregate, present new experimental results, and debate conclusions and viewpoints. There are also Focus on Pharmacology webinars, with virtual presentations on high profile research topics, advocacy and careers.
But even though ASPET is without peer in its capacity as a scientific society to serve the interests of pharmacologists across all occupations, its membership is predominantly academic scientists.
The leadership at ASPET, including the newly formed Industry Science Committee, is addressing reasons for the low representation of industry membership. We reached out to ASPET members from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors to understand what they perceive as the benefits of their ASPET membership for career development and opportunities. This article highlights seven crucial benefits. It aims to increase awareness that ASPET is a welcoming home for industry scientists, and that their participation is considered a vital component to the Society.
Benefit #1: Pharmacology and the Private Sector
Application of the principles of pharmacology has been successfully realized in the process of drug discovery in academic, government, and pharmaceutical industry settings. The value of pharmacology is also apparent in the field of biotechnology, which arose in the 1980s with the advent of recombinant DNA technology. This has led to diverse modalities, in addition to small molecule chemicals, that can successfully interact and modulate their ‘targets’ in both biotechnology and pharmaceutical endeavors. These advances are catching the attention of young pharmacologists who are sensitive to new career opportunities where their training and acumen can be applied and developed.
Pamela Janet Hornby, PhD:
I can speak to this from personal experience. When I was in an academic pharmacology department, I was expected to be a member of ASPET and to present at the annual meeting to contribute to my tenure and promotion. I took advantage of networking opportunities but did not engage in leadership within the society.
Regrettably, when I switched to a career in pharmaceutical drug discovery, I dropped my ASPET membership. Limited time and resources for multiple memberships and meeting travel meant that priority was given to societies with a narrow focus directly aligned with our projects.
I came back to ASPET because my research was shifting into pharmacology challenges in biotechnology that I was trying to anticipate. I benefited from delving deeper into this integrative discipline to understand how to design my experiments better. This guided my research on the pharmacology of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, which was well received.
After returning to ASPET, I became more involved. When I was elected Treasurer/Secretary in 2023, I wanted to learn how ASPET could attract more members like me—those who left for industry, and those in industry who were never ASPET members.
To do this, a Working Group* was formed to determine the value of ASPET to these groups. After over six months of interviews, the Working Group determined areas that are most important for industry members. These results were reviewed by the newly formed Industry Science Committee (previously the Biotech Taskforce) and Kyle Palmer and I each contributed to this article on behalf of them.
Benefit #2: Flexibility
A career in industry increasingly involves frequent changes in research focus. Therefore, the ability to proactively develop broader skills helps scientists stay ahead. Quoting an interviewee, “Integrative pharmacology knowledge = employee flexibility.” In addition, ASPET solicits annual meeting session proposals from members that are reviewed and selected by a committee with representatives from each Division. This means that any member can propose a symposium topic with world class speakers relevant for their research direction.
A look at our program for ASPET 2026 shows the diversity of fields and specialties we plan to highlight, and many—including a workshop to launch your career, and a session devoted to non-academic careers for pharmacologists—are relevant to those within the industry.
Benefit #3: Publishing
An unexpected advantage mentioned by several industry members is the reduced cost of publishing in an ASPET journal, compared to for-profit and other Open Access Journals. They note that time and resources for publication of discovery research are limited, depending partly on the priority given to manuscript writing by their management. As one member said, “The discounted publication cost for members is attractive—my group publishes 5–6 papers per year.”
Furthermore, ASPET’s new partnership with Elsevier has resulted in a new Open Access journal—ASPET Discovery—and additional special editions.
Benefit #4: Scientific Recognition
Recognition of research impact by the external scientific community is a consideration for promotion within industry. Nomination of industry members with a strong, sustained publication record and impactful research is encouraged, and awardees benefit from this. As one member described it, “Recognition with [….] Award helped with internal R&D credibility and promotion.” This, in turn, reinforces excellent industry-based science and reflects well on the awardee’s company as a potential research partner.
You can see a list of awards, recognizing individuals at all career stages and career paths, here.
Benefit #5: Exposure to Broader Perspective
New employees in industry often have a therapeutic or technical focus, but limited experience in drug discovery, and must “learn on the job.” Attending an ASPET meeting can provide context to a project and gives employees a broader perspective to their work.
One interviewee said he suggested that newer employees, “Walk around…poster sessions and come back with 2–3 areas of interest to chat with me about. This helps shape more well-rounded individuals.”
Benefit #6: New Frontiers
All ASPET members should be aware of the relevance of pharmacology for biotechnology and pharmaceutical research. Ultimately these advantages can apply to many more diverse careers.
R. Kyle Palmer, PhD:
Like most other pharmacologists that pursue a private sector career path, I became a drug discovery scientist at a major pharmaceutical company, a job I found rewarding and enjoyable. Moving across different therapeutic areas within the pharmaceutical industry was common, and I was able to adapt to new projects with relative ease, due in large part to the interdisciplinary experiences gained throughout my long-standing involvement with ASPET. Transitioning to a new therapeutic area was simply a matter of “seeing the pharmacology” underlying the medicinal objective.
After some years into my career, I ventured into biotech, accepting a position with a company founded on then-recent discoveries of the genes that encode tastant receptors. Pharmacologists were being recruited to build discovery programs based on the pharmaceutical drug discovery model applied to a whole new set of receptors.
It is now universally accepted that chemosensory function—taste and olfaction—is mediated by receptor-ligand interactions, and thus pharmacological concepts readily translate to an area of science formerly dominated by a psychological perspective. As such, pharmacologists are increasingly employed by companies across the food and beverage, flavor ingredients, and fragrance industries. New frontiers in ecology, agriculture, and environmental sciences where receptors play central roles are all but calling out for pharmacology expertise.
Benefit #7: Recruitment
Those we interviewed talked about the difficulty in finding and recruiting employees with foundational training in pharmacology. There are fewer traditional Pharmacology Departments and trainees are dispersed in programs that are not always identified as pharmacology.
But ASPET is known for its focus on trainee career development.
A large cohort attends the annual meeting and provides an opportunity for connecting pharmacology trainees with hiring managers. Several interviewees commented that they “hired an employee met at an ASPET meeting.” On the trainee side, industry members volunteer to help them navigate the application and interview process, which can be quite different from academia. All members applying their research towards Experimental Therapeutics benefit from the knowledge of industry members in the Annual meeting. As one interviewee put it, “I get superior questions about my research at the annual meeting.”
And, in addition to the sessions mentioned above, the Industry Science Committee is hosting a career development day at the 2026 annual meeting in the Career Connections area.
In Conclusion
ASPET is a professional home to serve the interests of pharmacologists across all occupations.
The tapestry of its membership is a strength of the organization and allows connections to be made in surprising ways. Collaboration, mentorship, or friendship can further open new frontiers in your research, your career, and in the field of pharmacology.
Those in industry should be aware of the benefits our society offers. Attending the national meeting, joining a webinar, or finding a regional chapter are excellent ways to learn more about the advantages ASPET provides. If you know someone who would benefit from membership, consider inviting them to learn more about ASPET (and remember that you can be entered into a raffle if you participate in our Member-Get-A-Member program).
We are the best resource for your career.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the members of the *ASPET Value Working Group: John Hepler (Emory University School of Medicine); Brent Stanley and Cecilia Stoute (ASPET); and John Traynor (University of Michigan School of Medicine) and the Industry Science Committee.
