Confident female scientist in a modern laboratory, representing stability amid lab staff turnover

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Reducing Lab Staff Turnover in the Life Sciences Industry

Combat lab staff turnover with advice from an industry leader on promoting growth, engagement, and stability in today’s competitive job market

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The life sciences industry is facing unprecedented staff turnover. For lab leaders, this trend underscores the importance of fostering long-term employee engagement and stability. 

In this Q&A, Melanie DiBiasio, executive director of production at New England Biolabs, shares insights from her nearly two-decade career on navigating workforce challenges, promoting meaningful work, and building a culture of growth and collaboration to attract and retain top talent in a competitive landscape.

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The life sciences industry is experiencing record-high staff turnover. What do you think are the main causes of this?

There are many factors that contribute to staff turnover, and they affect different companies in different ways, so it’s difficult to answer this question precisely. But, during the pandemic, many companies in this industry experienced rapid growth and had to quickly ramp up hiring to keep up. Some companies also pivoted and shifted their focus completely to pandemic-related needs. When those demands declined, they were left to find a new direction, and some needed to downsize to survive the revenue downturn.

Conversely, a conservative and diversified business strategy can offer some insulation against destabilizing downturns and provide employees [with] more stability. Central to this strategy is investment in long-term career development, where we create opportunities for employees to evolve their role within the organization over the course of their career.  

Can you share some insights from your own career and how your experiences along the way have shaped your leadership approach?

I’ve been at NEB for 18 years—nearly my entire professional life—and yet, I have never been bored. My job has felt different every year, even if my title didn’t change, because I am constantly learning and taking on new challenges. This experience has reinforced the value of “movement” within the company. 

Movement within the organization exposes employees to new challenges and allows them to use their skills in different ways. And, when employees move between departments or are engaged in cross-departmental projects, they bring their expertise and relationships with them. This creates a collaborative network in which people recognize each other's value and readily contribute to projects outside their defined roles.

Another personal experience that has shaped my leadership approach happened early in my career. Around my one-year anniversary, my PI told me that she chose to take a risk in hiring me, when I shared my passion for baking in the interview. I had no relevant experience at the time, other than the correct degree for the job. But she told me that she associated baking with following SOPs in the lab, and that I’d proven her right. That stuck with me. I look for those foundational traits and passions in the people I bring onto my team. And, in some cases, if someone has the underlying core values needed to succeed and has demonstrated enthusiasm in transferable skills, I’ll consider them even if they lack direct experience.

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In what ways can lab managers ensure that their employees find their work meaningful and engaging?

From my own experience, it's incredibly rewarding to interact with our customers and see firsthand how our products play a role in their applications and research. What's even more remarkable is knowing how NEB has indirectly touched my own personal life. For example, when I was pregnant, NEB's technology was used in the development of the prenatal screening test that I received. 

Similarly, lab managers can help employees stay engaged by linking their work to its potential and impact, either through direct interaction with other scientists or by sharing stories that demonstrate the significance of their day-to-day efforts. 

I also believe that, as a leader, it’s important to identify each team member’s strengths and passions. If you can match your team members with roles and projects that leverage their strengths, they can be successful more naturally.

What strategies do you recommend for investing in employee development to promote long-term tenure?

Our leadership team has a well-defined planning process that includes an annual workshop at which we dedicate several days to strategically evaluating our workforce. It’s important to set aside time and space to think long-term about what’s best for the organization and how we can foster growth in individual employees. During this time, we think about the needs of each department, the anticipated growth areas of the organization, and where there might be opportunities to add resources. This exercise often opens opportunities for individuals to move into new roles, allowing them to grow their skills and be challenged in new ways.

As stated, we dedicate a lot of time to the hiring process. Candidates go through several rounds of interviews, including an on-site interview, with a group of team members or stakeholders. This multi-layered approach ensures that the candidate's skills have been thoroughly vetted in advance of their interview with me. This allows me to focus less on technical skills and more on evaluating an individual’s fit, their compatibility with the specific team, and their potential to contribute to the organization’s future success. I specifically look for individuals who complement, rather than compete with, the current team members’ strengths and capabilities. 

In today's competitive job market, how can scientific organizations effectively promote their high employee retention rates and/or positive work culture to attract and recruit talented individuals when they do need to hire?

It takes time and consistency to establish a supportive and authentic workplace culture, but prioritizing what is right for science, your employees, and the environment pays off. In my experience, job candidates come to interviews with a good sense of the organization's values based on direct personal experience or word of mouth. Obviously marketing materials can help to promote a culture that already exists. But the experiences shared by employees, customers, and our surrounding community are often more enduring and powerful. 


Melanie DiBiasio joined New England Biolabs in 2006 as a product manager for T4 DNA Ligase and the DNA Amplification product portfolio. Over the next eight years, she built the production team that manages NEB’s extensive DNA Amplification portfolio. In 2014, her role expanded to assistant director of production where she managed the downstream operations of the production pipeline, and she assumed the role of executive director of production in 2023. Melanie is particularly passionate about driving operational efficiencies while maintaining best-in-class product quality, strategic planning for NEB’s future, and building manufacturing capacity to support customer needs. Prior to NEB, Melanie worked in a cancer research lab at Massachusetts General Hospital where she gained hands-on experience using NEB reagents in many molecular biology applications. She holds a Master of Science in Plant Biology from the University of New Hampshire.

About the Author

  • Lauren Everett headshot

    Lauren Everett

    Lauren Everett is the managing editor for Lab Manager. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from SUNY New Paltz and has more than a decade of experience in news reporting, feature writing, and editing. She oversees the production of Lab Manager’s editorial print and online content, collaborates with industry experts for speaking engagements, and works with internal and freelance writers to deliver high-quality content. She has also led the editorial team to win Tabbie Awards in 2022, 2023, and 2024. This awards program recognizes exceptional B2B journalism and publications. 

    Lauren enjoys spending her spare time hiking, snowboarding, and keeping up with her two young children. She can be reached at leverett@labmanager.com.

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