is in a horrible state. NIH post doc salaries start at just 37K and are taxed at 34% when you factor in state, federal, city (some), social security and medicare.

This means you are expected to make a living into your thirties at just 25K per year after tax.

On top of that, the institution I evaluated (Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York) wanted me to pay for my health cover on top of that despite the fact I was doing life science research in a hospital!.

If you know what is good for you, stay out of academic research in this country. Either go to another country or pursue another career. You will end up broke and miserabe despite the fact you may be intelligent and hardworking.

I'm currently a molecular biology BS student at UCR. I plan on interning at Isis Pharmaceuticals during the summer. Should I work for them as a research associate for a few (1-3) years, to build my resume, gain research experience and skills, and gain valuable industry contacts, and then apply to a PhD program, or just apply to a PhD program right after graduation?

I'm really interested in antisense/RNAi, directed evolution, and immunology. What PhD program should I apply to, and what lab do you recommend?

I hope to work in industry R&D, perhaps at Isis Pharmaceuticals, Genentech, or Roche.

If I invented a novel enzyme or antisense oligonucleotide during my PhD research, could I patent it and use it as a bargaining chip during job interviews?

Thanks

I would be glad to find someone who could write articles on microbiology, i am looking for experts with a lot of personal material.
Thanks