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
Most of the last comments stereotyping Indian post-docs are crap. These stereotypes are true for a majority of post docs irrespective of their nationality. Regarding chosing a career, the options for many post-docs are limited as they are bound by the research grants of the PI. They are just workers for the PI, unlike the graduate students. So, it is unfair to blame the post-docs, who struggle economically, scientifically as well as culturally. many make it and many redirect after sometime. Struggle for Immigration status/green card make things worst and narrows their choices further. Please be constructive rather than derisive.
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I am going to be honest, point blank straight, don’t get offended if this is your situation….Sorry!
1.Indian postdocs in USA:
The reason most Indians (except few extremely talented ones) get postdoc in USA (and other places)is because US citizens don’t choose science so they have no other choice than taking Indians as postdoc.
2.Choice of PI
Luck and chance plays a very BIG role in Science (my present hypothesis!). You can try but realistically to work out each and every factors to your favor is like asking too much! A little subset of people can get that privilege but for majority of them I think its all luck.
Do I have something useful to say:
- Be genuine in your interest in science and hard work
- never stop trying for that cell/nature/science paper ever
- there really is no good or bad PI, its all timing and luck, so, just go ahead with what you got without too much complainingalso read my other comment it may be of help…
http://network.nature.com/groups/natureindia/forum/topics/4933?page=4
Good Luck!
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Anonymous
I agree with previous post. For majority of Indian students, selection of postdoc supervisor is just “luck by chance”. Even if you have a specific topic that you do not like to compromise (of your dream), you hardly have any idea about the person or the lab you will be joining. Few US faculties do offer prospective postdocs to visits their labs and reimburse the cost. But I have not seen (even for the "most brilliant” candidate) any of such offers given to an Indian postdoc, from India while there are many cases for prospective candidates from Europe. It indicates how they rate Indian education/training and nature of expectation from Indian postdocs. Going by the thumb rule and expecting the typical lab probably would be the best.
There is an informative editorial in this issue of Science on becoming a scientist. It may be of some theoretical help but not so practical for the first time postdoc seekers from India.
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Anonymous
Remember
Never join an Indian Professor (especially those who did PhD in India and became Professors in west)
Try to avoid joining Assistant Professors (they have their own motives and goals and will suck every bit of blood from their postdocs to achieve their personal goals)
Avoid any Asian Prof
Prefer European Professors
Never compromise on project and labs
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Anonymous
anomymous 15,
yours is the most prejudiced opinion. do not label people based on your limited knowledge, it would be a disservice. Indian post-docs are not preferred? Nope, they are not demanding, they do not have the skill and means to negotiate with a PI. IN US and europe, if you dont have negotiationskills, you end up a loser. This is true in ANY job. Lastly, there are plenty of asian professors, who are extremely good and competent and productive and mentor their post-docs (including Indian). Regarding motive, for an assnt. prof (irrespective of race/nationality) all are in the same boat. But senior professors are equally dangerous, a majority of them are at the lag and of their career, do not care about the subject/research, do not like to take risks, and do not mentor post-docs. As poster 13 said, everything depends on luck. I have a friend, who landed in a good lab, had more than three cell papers, all first author, yet after around 10 years of post-docing, he could not get a faculty position. he doesnt know how to write a grant, can not give an impressive talk etc. so, getting a good lab and papers does not mean everything. it is the personal skills and confidence that will make or break. so, do not discourage people, let them take chances based on whatever information available. good luck to all.
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