Some people who have been in academia for a while are familiar with this term: postdoctoral researcher (a postdoc). Likewise, many undergraduate students in the sciences have heard the term. It’s a path they may one day take, but it still is a little vague. For those who are new or unfamiliar with the term, a quick guess may lead them to another question, “Is that another degree after you finish your PhD?” For some of us, who just submitted the first draft of our dissertation and set up our defense date, it seems that a postdoc position is the default path after finishing your PhD. Particularly, when you start to worry about finding a job as soon as you graduate. But, before you apply for a postdoc position, you may want to explore more details about the types of postdoc positions and the job responsibilities of postdocs.
What is A Postdoc?
A postdoc is a PhD research scientist working temporarily underthe supervision of a mentor, commonly the principal investigator of a researchproject. The goal of a postdoc is to gain more training, experience and skills,before entering a more permanent science career.
What Are Some of the Job Responsibilities of a Postdoc?
A postdoc usually performs research designed by the mentor. Followingtheir research, a postdoc will potentially publish their work in apeer-reviewed journal. In addition, a postdoc who works in academia may have tohelp their mentor write a grant proposal to apply for research funding and theymay also help train a mentor’s graduate students.
Types of Postdocs
Based on where they work, there are three common types of postdocs:
- Academicpostdoc : An academic postdoc is ascientist who works at a university. As an academic postdoc, you will receivetraining before entering a tenure-track position at the university under the supervisionof a professor. You will assist theprofessor with his or her research projects, conduct your research experiments,and publish your research.Many professors post a postdoc position openingon the university’s website, social media (such as LinkedIn), or otheremployment search engines. Follow their posted instructions about how to sendyour cover letter and curriculum vitae to the professor.
- Industry postdoc: An industrypostdoc works at a company. Many scientists pursue an industry postdoc positionbecause they can perform research, gain higher salaries, and get access moreresources (equipment, facilities, and research materials). Most importantly,this position may help them get their foot in the door of a major company.
- Government postdoc: A governmentpostdoc is a scientist who works to perform research and probably otherscience-related tasks (such as reviewing products, patents, and grants) in variousgovernment positions. Scientists usually publish their work in this position. Somescientists prefer a government postdoc position because it offers thesatisfaction of serving the country, provides relatively good benefits, andusually provides a healthy work-life balance.In the U.S., some agencies that hire apostdoc are the NIH (National Institutes of Health), FDA (Food and DrugAdministration), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), EPA(Environmental Protection Agency), and USDA (U. S. Department of Agriculture). If interested, you may find postdocopportunities on the government agency websites, on the USAJOBS ( https://www.usajobs.gov/) website, injournals, and on the website of some professional societies.
How long is a Postdoc Appointment?
A postdoc appointment is typically 2-4 years. However, the length of your appointment as apostdoc usually depends on the funding for your research project. In academiaand government, the expectation of the mentor is for you to finish and publish yourresearch within a given timeline.
Some postdocs usually extend the length of their appointmentby applying for more funding. Particularly, if they think they still need moretraining as a research scientist.
In industry, a postdoc appointment depends on a team’sparticular research goal. For example, a goal might be to introduce andestablish a new technology for that team. Therefore, the length of time for thepostdoc appointment in industry depends on the accomplishment of that goal.
During your interview, it’s better to ask your prospectivementor about your timeline so you can start preparing your plan for a morepermanent career.
References
Current Postdocs. (n.d.). www.Nationalpostdoc.Org. Retrieved June 12,2020, from https://www.nationalpostdoc.org/page/Current_Postdocs.
“Good Enough for Government Work” – National Postdoctoral Association.(n.d.). www.Nationalpostdoc.Org. Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://www.nationalpostdoc.org/page/postdocket_04…
Industrial postdocs: The road less traveled. (2018, January 18).Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/features/2008/06/indust…
Should you pursue a postdoc or not? (essay) |
Inside Higher Ed. (n.d.). Www.Insidehighered.Com. Retrieved June 17, 2020, from