Biopharma layoffs are leaving the industry’s scientists reeling — and in search of scarce opportunities

After getting laid off from Bristol Myers Squibb last December, Jennifer Ariazi is trying her best to be a Vulcan.

Ariazi, a former BMS senior principal scientist, is a devout “Star Trek” fan. And she has made a personal mantra out of emulating the stoicism and tough-minded logic that define the fictional humanoid species. Layoffs happen. It’s a business. You’ve gotten through this before.

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But she is, of course, human. And a prolonged job search that has included 60 applications — and counting — can get disheartening. So can the fact that her husband, who also works in biotech, was laid off, too.

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