• Careers Home
  • Events
  • How We Recruit
  • Career Stories
  • Search Jobs
Life At BMS

A Look Inside the “Urgently Casual” Environment at BMS San Diego

October 25, 2021
BMS LocationsCultureResearch and Development
Careers Home  /  Career Stories  /  A Look Inside the “Urgently Casual” Environment at BMS San Diego

Some of the brightest minds are innovating, inspiring, and improving patients' lives from our San Diego location—and you could join them!

Bristol Myers Squibb's San Diego Research and Early Development (R&ED) site is bustling day in and day out with scientists who aim to better understand and modulate the processes that lead to diseases with unmet treatment needs. Each day, teams of innovators are stepping into uncharted territory, doing groundbreaking work and bringing our transformational medicines to life.

The campus, located in the heart of the Southern California life sciences ecosystem, encompasses 330,000 square feet for the exploration of novel biology and target concepts such as protein degradation and complex biologics.

"In San Diego, we're working with biotherapeutics, chemistry, oncogenesis and more, all from a central location," said Chaity Chaudhury, director, Discovery Biotherapeutics. "This gives us the chance to work on many different programs."

As with each of BMS' global sites, our San Diego campus offers the opportunity to learn and grow professionally alongside smart, creative and talented colleagues that you enjoy working with.

"Opportunities are presented to you every day, and it's up to you to seize them. This drives engagement, and that's why our teams are so focused and successful," Chaudhury added. With many career opportunities available, you could join like-minded innovators and contribute to that "scientific magic."

From San Diego to the World

The innovation in San Diego extends to scientists in other research fields and BMS locations around the world. Alex Cortez, associate director, Medicinal Chemistry, explained, "Our teams here are nimble, so you have more opportunities to make an impact. But going beyond and outside San Diego, we also collaborate with other BMS sites and feel a strong connection with the broader organization."

Chaudhury has firsthand experience with this, having worked with BMS in New Jersey before joining the San Diego team. "I moved my whole family here from New Jersey for this job and it was the best decision we ever made," she said.

After years of working in academia and drug discovery, Chaudhury left her position at Medimmune/AstraZeneca in 2012 on a quest to have more of a direct impact on patients' lives. She found her way to BMS in New Jersey to work across teams, developing products that would get plugged directly into the company's clinical pipeline. Now leading a team in San Diego, she's doing exactly that.

"Not only is San Diego an amazing place to live, but this is the best job I can have in terms of what I've always wanted to do," Chaudhury added.

Cortez shared this sentiment, noting, "It's a relaxed and fun atmosphere, with a mix of urgency to drive our projects toward developmental candidates and beyond. Aside from the nice beaches, mountains and hiking trails within arm's reach, it's also a booming science hub."

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Development

Cortez also shared that there's quite an emphasis on mentorship, both giving and receiving, which helps you continue to grow in your career. Employees in San Diego are also actively engaged in several People & Business Resource Groups (PBRGs), which allow them to come together around a single dimension of diversity to help drive business results.

B-NOW (Bristol Myers Squibb Network of Women) holds regular webinars focused on well-being and career management. CLIMB (Cultivating Leadership and Innovation for Millennials and Beyond) launched a grant program to help students in historically excluded communities with their college application fees. And PAN (Pan Asian Network) recently organized a fireside chat with Asian company leaders to discuss career trajectories and decision-making tactics.

Giving back to our community is also integral to the culture in San Diego. We've provided over $1 million in financial support and thousands of volunteer and service hours for local organizations and events. Our San Diego site also actively supports a variety of STEM initiatives with the goal of nurturing and developing the next generation of scientists.

Want to Join the Excitement in San Diego?

Doing new things with people who inspire you isn't something you can find just anywhere. Here in San Diego, your drive to do groundbreaking and meaningful work can help take our innovations to the next level for patients around the world. If this is something you'd love to be a part of, search for active roles in BMS San Diego R&ED today!