How to Succeed as a Post-Doc
Anthony Power
Saturday, 10 March 2007 21:31 UTC
Share your post-doc experiences. Tips for those looking for their first post-doc? How to find the right lab? Best place to post-doc? How and when to secure funding? How to approach potential supervisors? How to conduct post-doc research? How to transition to independent scientist? Which post-docs will get you that faculty position?
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the recent issue of The Scientist magazine lists the best places to post doc.
http://www.the-scientist.com/2007/3/1/49/1/
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First, read a lot about the topic you are interested and identify the researchers in your interest.
Develop a rapport with the researchers and discuss your interest.Try to develop new ideas even before you join the lab.
Many researchers would appreciate if you give them novel ideas.
Think of a suitable paper that can come out of your idea and develop experimental methods for the paper.
Viola! you got a good milestone in your research. -
Viola! is a brilliant replacement for that original stuffy old french exclamation – though apologies for the off-topic post.
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Anonymous
In addition to the topic it is important to identify the dynamics in your potential new group.
An interesting topic is worthless, if it doesn’t easily fit into the lab (technically or funding wise), or if there might be opposition from the old-established colleagues.
The PIs hardly object to novel ideas, though only good group leaders know how to integrate them into an existing group. -
How do you distribute work between you and your phd student? Sometimes you have a great idea and it’s hard to get the work out of your hands, as it’s also not going to be your first autor paper, but you had an idea. And you are also not the last autor, becasue your PI is…. What’s the clever way to make this work for all participants?
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Hi,
I have read these articles about post-doc “life” and have found some good ideas.
http://www.jhu.edu/%7Ejhumag/0299web/postdoc.html
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1307586
http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/447791a
http://www.jimmunol.org/cgi/content/abstract/159/10/4645
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Am doing my second post doc now. To be honest i think I have made all the wrong choices. And so far it doesn’t seem to matter much.
It seems to me that you can’t plan a post doc. There are too many external things that can go wrong. Events you have no control over.
And that leads me to my advice.
1. Don’t do impossible projects. You don’t have time for that. Concentrate on pumping out a paper each year.
2. Do something you like doing. Motivation is everything and sometimes not even enough.
Just hang in there.
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How to choose and to apply to a group:
Asnow retiredProfessor of Organic Chemistry I had the great pleasure to work with many postdocs, none of them left without at least one paper in good journals, several have faculty positions; also I gottoo manyrather hopeless applications.
My advise:
a) carefully check recent publications of the group you want to join
b) for your application make it clear why you want to join that particular group
c) do not be afraid of foreign environment / culture /language ! -
Its good that you have decided to work as a Post-Doc. Well I tried few years before and had a tele-interview with one of the prof from Rice University. He offered me the position and then …what happened? One fine morning suddenly he said he has plans to relocate to some other university .. and there he had no funds to take me as Post Doc? —Amazing?
well I was really shocked to see that because I was waiting more than six months for this offer to get materialize and so I gently denied other offers..and finally I was jobless for a session .. and…. still answering the question of the interviewer ..What I was doing all this session?Be careful while choosing the offer and follow up all the issues related to your fellowship, stay etc, etc.
All the Best. -
Honestly I do not know why I’m facing such struggle during my postdoc. It was much better as graduate student. I’m trying to get a fellowship but as I’m not citizen my choices are very limited. I have to do what my PI ask for even I do not agree as he always says we need to satisfy the grant. I do not know how I’ll mature to be independent and to be an assistant professor.
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