She didn't get support from her advisors, but she knew she had to prioritize her family.

If you’re an international researcher, understanding your green card options early can make a huge difference.

Today at 5 PM ET, Manifest Law is hosting a free webinar covering the employment-based green card pathways (EB-1A, EB-1B, and EB-2 NIW) designed for researchers, including how publications, citations, and grants are evaluated. There will also be an immigration attorney there to answer questions live.

Can’t make it? Register anyway, and they’ll send you the recording!

Register Here

As a Director of Global Scientific Publications at AbbVie in Massachusetts, Dipanwita helps ensure that important clinical research is communicated clearly to healthcare professionals, patients, and the broader scientific community.

In this role, she:

• Develops publication and scientific communication strategies across multiple clinical development programs

• Leads the development of abstracts, posters, manuscripts, oral presentations, podcasts, and plain language summaries

• Works with key opinion leaders and cross-functional teams to communicate complex scientific and clinical data

• Manages relationships with medical communications agencies and publication vendors

• Oversees publication budgets for assigned therapeutic areas

Best part of the job:

• Dipanwita loves having scientific discussions with key opinion leaders and helping translate important clinical data into meaningful scientific communications.

Dipanwita found her current position through LinkedIn.

Key steps in her career journey:

• PhD graduate ➡️ Postdoctoral fellow ➡️ Medical Writer ➡️ Senior Medical Writer ➡️ Associate Scientific Director ➡️ Scientific Director

Leaving academia was a difficult decision for Dipanwita because she genuinely enjoyed her postdoctoral research.

However, after her daughter was born, the realities of academic life became increasingly difficult to sustain. As a neurophysiologist, her experiments often lasted 8 to 12 hours, work-life balance was limited, compensation was modest, and the path toward a faculty position felt uncertain.

Ultimately, she chose to prioritize her family while continuing to build a meaningful scientific career outside academia.

Her story is a reminder that leaving academia is not about leaving science. Sometimes it is about finding a career that allows both your professional ambitions and your personal life to thrive.

1. Not everyone will support your decision to leave academia, and that’s okay.

   1. Dipanwita found that many of her academic mentors encouraged her to stay the course, believing success in academia would eventually come. Instead, she leaned on the unwavering support of her spouse and chose the path that best aligned with the needs of her family.

2. Tailor your CV for every position you apply to.

   1. Rather than listing everything you’ve done during your PhD, focus on highlighting the transferable skills that match the specific role. PhDs possess far more relevant experience than they often realize, but it’s important to make those skills obvious to hiring managers.

3. Lean on people who have already made the transition:

   1. Dipanwita learned a tremendous amount from friends who had already moved into careers outside academia before reaching out to additional professionals on LinkedIn for informational interviews. Building relationships with people already working in your target field can dramatically shorten the learning curve.

4. Use professional organizations alongside LinkedIn.

   1. For those interested in medical communications or publications, Dipanwita recommends becoming involved with organizations like the Medical Affairs Society and the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP), both of which provide valuable educational resources, networking opportunities, and career guidance.

Dipanwita’s story shows that it is possible to build a highly impactful scientific career while also choosing the life you want outside of work.

By trusting her priorities, leveraging her transferable skills, and building a strong professional network, she found a career that allows her to stay deeply connected to science while enjoying greater flexibility, stability, and long-term growth.

If you’re an international PhD or postdoc, navigating visas and green card pathways can feel overwhelming, especially when every conversation seems to come with different advice.

Manifest Law was built specifically to help researchers. Their 100+ attorneys understand academic careers and how USCIS evaluates publications, citations, grants, and other research accomplishments.

Alongside legal guidance, you’ll get transparent flat-rate pricing and an online platform to track your case from start to finish.

With 3,000+ researchers served and approval rates 15% above the USCIS average, they’re helping scientists navigate their big career decisions.

Book a Free Consultation