Selecting postdoc supervisor abroad
B. B. Goel
Tuesday, 13 October 2009 00:04 UTC
It seems that there are confusions among Indian graduate students while choosing postdoc abroad. Many concentrate only on publication track record of the faculty while some apply more broad selection criteria that includes freedom to work and develop own research ideas, freedom to have decent weekends, time for family, non-abusive and non-racial attitude of prospective supervisor. But it is not always possible to judge these criteria from abroad. Initially all faculties tend to behave nicely but as time goes by, as pressure mounts, those faculties return to their own self. Many Indian or Indian-origin faculties talk so sweetly and politely when they hunt postdocs in India but the same person changes 180 degrees in his own den abroad. I should mention that such behavior is not limited to Indian or Chinese faculties.
Often Indian students land up with wrong, oppressive supervisors who are mainly interested to use them as trained manpower without giving them almost any freedom to develop ideas. Those supervisors do not help at all in grooming those PhD and postdoc as future scientists.
Among other criteria, one thing I realized that, in USA, those faculties tend to be more oppressive who has less or no internal graduate students from the same university (who had his/her earlier education in that university and knows faculties more closely) and/or whose lab is crowded by foreign students/postdocs (mainly Indian and Chinese).
Graduate students have decent freedom to select their prospective supervisors, as they get the opportunity to work in different labs (lab rotation) before finally selecting PhD supervisor. All prospective graduate (PhD) student should avail this opportunity. But majority of foreign Postdocs do not get that opportunity. It will be nice to discuss and come up with some criteria to help young graduate students from India to select postdoc supervisor abroad.
Updated 13 October 2009 12:51 UTC
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Anonymous
It’s better to avoid supervisors whose spouse work in the same department, and worse, in the same lab.
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Anonymous
Its a good post and the issues should be discussed to help prospective post-docs. One main difference between a post-doc and a graduate student is that all the post-docs work under an awarded research grant and thus have a limited room for freedom and more pressure to get results. But, a graduate student get funds mainly from university or may be from the advisors grant and thus would have more freedom in choosing the course of research. However, both have plus and minuses and should be judged from individual issues.
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Choosing a right PI/lab for postdoc should entirely be based on candidates’ career goals. It is very difficult to generalize the criteria. A person who is willing to pursue academic career later on, need to put more emphasis on ongoing research in prospective PI’s lab, track record of PI (in respect to PI’s ex postdoc/graduate student’s placements), funding in lab, as well as opportunities to develop yourself independently.
However a person who is willing to explore non-conventional career path after postdoc would perhaps be happy at a lab with lots of pharma/industry/other connections and ample opportunity to network with like minded people.Some of prestigious universities of USA have good postdoctoral training programme so choosing a good university also adds to lot of benefits. Of course having a decent friendly PI and colleagues along with fantastic science would be just perfect but it is not always possible :(
Most of good labs have some problems. So my suggestion would be to pick your lab based on your strengths and future career plans. -
In reality, most students do “Happy Go Lucky Fishing” in searching postdoc abroad from India. Some people might not agree but this is what I have seen.
Amit -
Anonymous
Yes, Amit is right. Indian students just cannot wait long to go out when they get the PhD or before the degree is awarded. At that time they like to join ANY lab they can get. They have no idea what they should expect there. The only thing that guides them during initial days is their long perceived idea about life in a western country (both socially and scientifically). Initially they try to impress their colleagues and boss by working “hard”. They learned from Indian system that working hard means working/staying late in the lab, even if there is no work. Later they fall prey to their own trap as other people in the lab take them for granted (mainly the boss).
Majority of them have no clear idea of their long term research interest. So, they keep on hopping different research topic as tenures end. They try to get ANY project that accepts them. Few lucky ones develop their long term research interest in the first Post-doc tenure itself and have a more defined and productive future while others just stay afloat in the vast post-doc ocean.
If you develop a very clear long term research target from the beginning (during PhD in India), it will be less frustrating later and will have a better chance to know people in that field more closely. -
Right Anonymous (6),
Not many students think about long term research..
I have also noticed that our students are more focused on learning new technique, instead of thinking about how to solve a biological problem.
Students think that it will be easy to get a job if they know more and have extra things in their CV.
I am sure it helps, but it makes you more technician than a scientist..
Amit
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Anonymous
An average Indian postdoc (Ph.D. from India) in US system:
Month 1- 6 getting settled in US work culture, most of the time in the lab (just to show that he is responsible), trying to understand what goes on. Leaving close to work place so that he can walk to work or can avail institutes local bus facilities.
Month 6-12 slowly thawing from Indian rigidity, trying to be part of US system (may be attending weekend get-togethers, mostly arranged by Indian undergraduate/graduate students. Thinking about or bought a car. Learning how he can publish the coolest paper. Recent visit to Best-buy store bought a digital-camera and taking pictures all around.
Month-12-20 got a car. Going around places, meeting brother/cousin/sister/old friends who are within two-three hour driving distance (Very rarely will buy an air-ticket to meet someone). Getting a good feel of the USA. Taking more pictures, uploading them on social networking sites and commenting on the comments. Oh… in the lab trying to do some cool experiments which can be published in cell/science/nature….but not even a JBC stuff has worked out yet…Boss is asking for some progress and feeling little strained. Missing India now.
Month 20-30 planning to visit India…..trying to finish some work so that data can be used for next grant writing cycle of the boss. Hoping that data will be sufficient enough to send it to some journal. Publication counts man….? Worked hard and pushed the manuscript out before India trip, last two days purchasing for India for relatives/in-laws/what-not.
Month 30-36 back from India… once the India hang-over is gone and USA style kicks-in again …talking on all the discussion sites why India cannot grow, Indian Science system is not working, any problem/injustice/socially unacceptable thing which can happen to mankind …is happening in India…Working on the reviewers comments, resubmitted the manuscript and finally got accepted in some journal.Damn three Years are gone !!!!!
Advisors will call in the office and will inform that funding is running out (this is what advisor will say initially when he really wants to say “thanks for coming/don’t apply in my lab again”)
Indian postdoc has got some sense of what he should be doing to continually do science, searching for another postdoc lab….
Will continue soon……………… -
In my experience, discussing with people in the lab always helps in decision making. If there is a hesitation to ask people from the lab, catch hold of desi students/postdocs with in the department. Some body or the other is going to provide the information you need. Postdocs are skilled labor as far as PI is concerned. It is rough. That is the way it is. What a postdoc should be concerned is to get good publications and training to become an independent investigator. As every one pointed out, one has to define their purpose doing postdoctoral research. US has plenty of universities and research institutions. Here the system is flexible and people are approachable. So in case if u land in a wrong spot for any reason, Slide.
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Later they fall prey to their own trap as other people in the lab take them for granted (mainly the boss).
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Majority of them have no clear idea of their long term research interest. So, they keep on hopping different research topic as tenures end. They try to get ANY project that accepts them. Few lucky ones develop their long term research interest in the first Post-doc tenure itself and have a more defined and productive future while others just stay afloat in the vast post-doc ocean. -
Anonymous
Hey, Russel, why are you repeating post (anonymous) #6?
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