Development of a Commercial Manufacturing Process for Sotorasib, a First-in-Class KRASG12C Inhibitor 

A person with a strong background in Organic Synthesis will best succeed in the area of process chemistry. Significant training in a Ph.D program along with post-doctoral training focusing in total synthesis of complex natural products is a likely optimal route for one to pursue, however, that's not to say that a chemist with extensive training in organic methodologies development and applications to total synthesis of natural products could not success just as well. I came from a Medicinal Chemistry graduate program and we had many people with Pharmacy backgrounds who succeeded very well in synthetic chemistry careers. Overall, it's important to understand a breadth of organic reactions, mechanistic understanding and hands on applications from milligram to multi-gram scale. To transition to process, a deep understanding of physical organic chemistry becomes important since these considerations must be accounted for when working on kilogram scales. I worked in a pharma med chem lab for a decade and now in project management for the federal government, and hold process chemists in the highest respects for their elegance and optimization of initial synthetic routes. Good luck in you endeavors ~John