How 'obliged' are PI's about paying postdocs out of their own grants after their fellowship runs out?
Carmen Chan
Thursday, 25 September 2008 05:13 UTC
Just curious about what do postdocs out there think about this:
If the fellowship term for a postdoc is finished, but the postdoc would like to stay in the same lab to continue on he/her project, how much (or for how long) do you think the PI is obliged to pay the postdoc out of his own grant(s)?
On one hand, if the postdoc is unable to get external funding, does that mean the postdoc is ‘not good enough’, thus not worthy to stay in that lab?
On the other hand, is it the PI’s job to ‘take care’ of their employees, including their postdocs (well….if postdocs are actually considered ‘employees’…) ?
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Replies
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Well, most often it is based on the relationship and the strength in the lab. However, as the project warrants, I feel without a second thought the PI should support his/her extended staying.
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I think you are raising an important point and I’d like to hear people’s opinion about it. One important thing to keep in mind is that, given a two year post-doc fellowship, you have to think about what will come after the fellowship when completing the first year. It might be hard for a PI to judge the outcome of your project at that time and (s)he might hesitate to promise you funding.
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It depends at what stage you are in your research. If a postdoc guarantees a jackpot then (s)he gets a grant even from PI’s own grant else generally it’s a NO. However, for sometime funds could be arranged but then it becomes difficult even for the PI.
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Thank you for the replies!
Unlike being a grad student where you just have to finish your project(s) (and in fact you’re lucky if your supervisor and committee members don’t make you do more and stay longer), a postdoc is in a very flexible (or ‘volatile’) position.
I just find it very different, and constantly feel the pressure to decide relatively close to the beginning of a project whether it’s a high impact, worthwhile pursuit.
Yes I totally agree that ‘for sometime funds could be arranged but then it becomes difficult even for the PI’ – that’s exactly the problem I’m facing.
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