Alumni Bridging Academia-Industry Connection at the Bioengineering Career and Networking Fair 2023

Isgard Hueck, Ph.D.

The Bioengineering Career and Networking Fair is an annual event organized by the UC San Diego Shu Chien - Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering. The fair is focused on Life Science Tech and is one of the largest events on campus to bring students, alumni, faculty, and industry representatives from the health tech sector together. In 2023, the Bioengineering fair returned to be in person and a record-high number of alumni with industry careers were enthusiastic to share their experiences and opportunities in the tech job market with emerging future bioengineers. Despite a cooling tech job market, the specialized career and networking fair was particularly impactful in 2023 to provide students at the graduate and undergraduate level with opportunities to network with company representatives in the life science sector, learn about industrial products, and potentially secure jobs and internships in biomedical industries. 

During the 2023 Bioengineering fair on April 5, more than 450 students were standing in line throughout the day to talk to over 80 industry representatives and alumni from 33 companies in the biomedical field. The energy at the career and networking event was electrifying and resulted not only in the highest interest and participation rate since its start in 2018, but also in a substantial increase of 2023 summer internship opportunities and future senior capstone projects in industrial settings. The success of the 2023 Bioengineering Career and Networking Fair highlighted the importance of its goals to enrich the education of bioengineers and to enhance growth and career readiness of bioengineering students. In addition, this year’s fair clearly has become a signature event for the Department of Bioengineering to foster industry-academia networking between alumni, faculty, and emerging bioengineering talent.