Montgomery College to Host Networking/Job Fair for Displaced Federal Scientists

With recent government layoffs affecting many professionals in the biomedical field, particularly in the BioHealth Capital Region, Montgomery College is stepping up to support displaced scientists by hosting a job fair at the end of March. Through Bio-Trac, a leading bioscience training initiative, the event will connect highly skilled scientists with top biotech and pharmaceutical companies actively hiring.

Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus in Germantown, Maryland, located within the I-270 corridor, serves as a hub for innovation and workforce development. It offers resources such as Bio-Trac, BioTrain, PIC MC, and the Germantown Innovation Center, all dedicated to advancing life sciences and supporting both researchers and startups.

Event Details

The Job Fair will take place Monday, March 31st, at the Bioscience Education Center, Germantown Campus, from 9:00 AM - 2:05 PM.

With great demand for career transition support in the region, the fair has already reached full capacity and has a waitlist. You can join it here.

Attendees will have access to resume reviews, free professional headshots, and ample networking opportunities with biotech and pharmaceutical companies that are actively hiring - most of them located in the I-270 corridor.

Participating Companies

Leading industry employers will be present, including:

• AstraZeneca - A global biopharmaceutical company with U.S. headquarters in Gaithersburg, MD, and an additional site in Frederick, MD.

• ATCC - A nonprofit biological resource center headquartered in Manassas, VA, with an additional location in Gaithersburg, MD.

• Illumina - A leader in DNA sequencing and genomics, with an office in Baltimore, MD.

• Miltenyi Biotech - Specializing in biomedical research and cell therapy, with a location in Gaithersburg, MD.

• Meso Scale Diagnostics - Headquartered in Rockville, MD, providing innovative bioanalytical solutions.

• Charles River Laboratories - Supporting drug discovery and development with locations in Frederick, Germantown, Hanover, and Rockville, MD.

• Bora Pharmaceuticals - A full-service CDMO with a site in Baltimore, MD.

• MilliporeSigma - The life science business of Merck KGaA, with a Rockville, MD location in the I-270 corridor.

  
• Arcellx, Inc – A clinical-stage biotechnology company reimagining cell therapy by engineering innovative immunotherapies for patients, with a Rockville, MD location.

The I-270 corridor continues to be a hub for biotech innovation and job growth. Check out our latest article about ongoing hiring in Frederick, near this key life sciences cluster.

The Driving Force Behind the Event

The job fair was spearheaded by Mark Nardone, Director and Co-Founder of Bio-Trac, a program dedicated to providing hands-on training for research scientists. Bio-Trac initially operated at NIH from 1985 to 2014 before partnering with Montgomery College in 2016, where it continues to offer cutting-edge workshops on topics like Gene Editing with CRISPR; scRNA-Seq; Exosomes; 3D Cell Culture and other advanced biomedical research techniques.

Chris Frew, CEO of BioBuzz, underscored the program’s deep connection to the Federal workforce and the impact of Nardone’s efforts:

“Bio-Trac has deep ties to the Federal workforce, having trained tens of thousands of NIH and other Federal researchers, as well as collaborating with many others as workshop directors and instructors. Mark’s commitment to their well-being is evident, and I commend his swift action in organizing this event. His dedication, along with that of Montgomery College, demonstrates how much he truly cares for the students and workers he has spent his career supporting.”

For Nardone, this initiative is not just professional - it’s personal.

“This was personal for me,” he shared in a recent interview. “I was a contractor for 30 years at NIH, conducting Bio-Trac training workshops at the Bethesda Campus—hands-on training for research scientists—think CRISPR.”

His commitment to supporting the scientific community is also rooted in his own family’s experience.

“A family member was afflicted with a rare disease, Ewing Sarcoma, which has a very low survival rate. They entered a clinical trial at NIH in their teens, and more than 20 years later—still cured—a walking miracle to say the least.”

Additional Hiring Opportunities: Meso Scale Diagnostics Event

For those unable to attend Montgomery College’s Job Fair or for those interested in additional opportunities, Meso Scale Diagnostics (MSD) is hosting a hiring event on April 15. 

They are recruiting for multiple full-time roles across Research & Development, Manufacturing & Supply Chain, Mechanical, Electrical & Biomedical Engineering, Facilities & Automation Engineering, Quality & Regulatory, Sales & Marketing, and Information Systems & Commercial Software Development.

You can learn more or register for the event here: Meso Scale Hiring Event. Please note that walk-ups are welcome.