Dating postdocs

Do I need a postdoc?

In addition to understanding whether a postdoc is required for your intended career field, you need to think carefully about how you would like to spend the next several years of your life, and about any financial commitments you may have. Do you have student loans? Are you providing financial support for your family?

Why do postdocs take so long to come through?

There are many reasons for this: – The deadlines for the SSHRC, most Mellons, and most of the Oxbridge postdocs, fall between August and the beginning of December, for a position starting between July and September the following year; almost all the deadlines will be before the end of December.

Is the number of postdocs in science really growing?

The number of postdocs in science has ballooned: in the United States alone, it jumped by 150% between 2000 and 2012. But the number of tenured and other full-time faculty positions has plateaued and, in some places, it is even shrinking (see Nature 472, 276–279; 2011 ).

What percentage of PhD-holders go to postdocs?

Whereas about 65% of US PhD-holders continue into a postdoc, only 15–20% of those move into tenure-track academic posts. The European situation is even more competitive — in the United Kingdom, for example, about 3.5% of science doctorates become permanent research staff at universities.

What is it like to be a postdoc?

Intellectual Development: A postdoc is the last time in your career where you can focus exclusively on your intellectual development. For many researchers, this is the most important and influential part of their research training. A postdoc should not be ignored for those who wish to maximize their ability to pursue a high-level research career.

Should postdocs be excluded from top universitiesjob applications?

Finally, for top universities, if you exclude your former graduate students and current and former postdocs from a position, youre left with a pretty small pool of top applicants. If youre a postdoc and ask: How likely is it that Ill get an assistant professorship at my current university?

Why do PhDs hold postdoctoral positions in universities?

A common assumption is that PhDs hold a postdoctoral position in an educational research institution to improve their research and reputation skills, which increases their chances of achieving the ultimate goal: Academic Appointment.

Is a postdoctoral fellowship right for You?

If a research career is what you want, you might seriously con­sider a postdoctoral fellowship. A normal stage in the career trajectory of academic scien­tists, it is becoming increasingly common in the social sciences and humanities.