Questions tagged [early-career]
On issues affecting academics or researchers specifically in the early stages of their careers.
196
questions
2
votes
1answer
204 views
How many postdocs should one usually do before it is realistically possible to get a faculty position? [closed]
I am interested in the amount of postdocs one usually has to do before one gets a "good" faculty position while considering the apparent differences in various academic disciplines.
6
votes
3answers
248 views
Research Assistant Professor vs Post-doc
Recently, I have completed my PhD in Biomedical Engineering from a 25 - 30th ranked USA university and got a Post-doc offer from a 9-12th ranked USA University. To keep me, my PhD advisor offered me ...
1
vote
1answer
141 views
How to find collaborators?
Answers to my previous question made me believe that doing research almost exclusively in collaboration is (also) fine.
But how do I find collaborators. It is easy to find researchers active in a ...
0
votes
1answer
115 views
Can leader position in a team make up for post-doc experience?
Well, the situation is following - I'm doing my Ph.D. currently abroad, while still having a position in my home country. It's not a high-ranked university there, but the research institute itself is ...
8
votes
3answers
3k views
Questions about authorship rank and academic politics
Disclaimer! I am a first year CS/Applied math master student so I do understand very little in how academia works. I am trying to fix it before I go into PhD.
I have discovered a scientist who works ...
17
votes
10answers
7k views
First-year PhD giving a talk among well-established researchers in the field
I am currently a first-year Ph.D. student, before that (as I have posted about before) I was forced to leave my Ph.D. program after one year because of a bullying supervisor. Previously, I made a good ...
1
vote
1answer
87 views
As an independent/non-affiliated researcher, what would I replace a logo with on a business card?
I'm currently not affiliated with any academic institution; but - I still get around, interact and need some business cards.
The thing is, without any institutional information, a card tends to look ...
11
votes
2answers
3k views
Struggling to present results from long papers in short time slots
Most of my work thus far comprises two rather long and detailed papers that rely on a common underlying framework. (I know this is not great for a young academic, but it is what it is right now.) ...
1
vote
1answer
51 views
Presenting a survey/review paper at a conference
I have noticed that senior members of the community often present survey-like work at conferences, especially if they are giving a plenary lecture or have an extended time slot in a mini-symposium.
I ...
1
vote
1answer
129 views
What is the difference between early career research positions [closed]
I am looking for the differences between the following positions:
Researcher
Postdoctoral fellow
Postdoctoral researcher
6
votes
1answer
255 views
Is it possible to find an unpaid and “half-time” postdoc?
I've defended my thesis, and I would like to do my postdoc abroad. But the problem is that I am married, and I have two little children. So, I can't just leave my family for a couple of years, and ...
29
votes
3answers
4k views
Pros and cons of writing a book review?
I am a postdoc in a biology department. I am friends with a professor in the philosophy department who is the editor of a Nature journal which publishes book reviews. A 150-page popular science book ...
11
votes
2answers
467 views
As a post-doc, should I pursue incremental research or revolutionary research?
I've recently finished my PhD (the field almost doesn't matter, but applied mathematics if it helps), and begun a 3 year grant-funded postdoc with a heavy but very flexible research emphasis, in the ...
2
votes
0answers
146 views
Why do some states have such opposite patterns of mobility for science and non-science PhDs?
The NSF conducts a survey of PhD recipients in the US. Among other things, they look at which states are attracting many new PhDs and which states PhDs are leaving. They break this data into science &...
3
votes
4answers
299 views
Bad data - how to move on successfully
I work in an interdisciplinary field. My input is not generated by myself, but by talented people that I trust and that trust me to analyse their data and generate fascinating insights.
But here I am,...
10
votes
5answers
3k views
Didn't attend field-specific conferences during my PhD; how much of a disadvantage is it?
During my mechanical engineering PhD, I was not able to go to my field specific conferences and had to go to diverse conferences. Thus, I couldn't interact with researchers directly in my field of ...
0
votes
1answer
217 views
How much does the PhD degree name matter when landing in a job?
I am considering doing a PhD in a great lab/with a great advisor (and already convinced the PI). But I got in another program rather than the supposed program with the name of my subject of study, e.g....
3
votes
5answers
386 views
Is it better to have a strong thesis, or to follow personal interests during PhD?
I'm a second year US PhD student in applied math. For the last year I've been working on one project with my advisor and another one of her students. We have also started a collaboration with a ...
1
vote
1answer
162 views
Is it possible to get a researcher position in a prestigious institute with a degree from a not very well-ranked university? [duplicate]
I'm currently in the 2nd year of my Ph.D. and I'm really interested in my future career options. I'm attending a double-degree study programme in two European universities, none of them being among ...
6
votes
1answer
192 views
How to prepare academically-minded students and postdocs for the eventuality of not finding secure academic employment?
Graduate students and postdocs are predominantly trained to be -- and driven by the prospect of becoming -- full-time academics. For a majority of them, there comes a point of reckoning when they ...
0
votes
1answer
66 views
Accepting a scholarship for masters just to get the money and fund a future masters
I have been offered a scholarship for a masters in theoretical physics at my home university, the scholarship covers the fees along with a decent stipend but I would rather pursue a masters in maths ...
2
votes
1answer
135 views
Passive discouragement and less supportive senior colleagues: What should I do?
I am a budding scientist (27 y/o, Doctoral candidate) and a lecturer in a University. In the early stage of my career, I have achieved some significant milestones in my field. However, sometimes I ...
1
vote
1answer
147 views
What are the advantages of serving as an examiner for a MSc or PhD thesis?
As an early career researcher, I am curious to know the advantages of being an external or internal examiner for a thesis. How does it help you in your career? Since you are not being paid for the ...
5
votes
1answer
196 views
What practicable alternative do I have to not fly around the globe to present a poster/pollute environment? [duplicate]
Popularizing your research and results is an important part of a non-tenured researcher, which alreday and often starts after graduating with a bachelor and proceeds up to being a postdoc for many ...
1
vote
0answers
272 views
Fermi problem: How many PhD students fail to earn a PhD? [closed]
I stumbled upon this article and found it interesting Q&A. It attempts to solve the fermi question by estimating the right order of magnitude.
I'm wondering after personally learning(since I'm ...
2
votes
0answers
115 views
Fermi problem: How much of the published primary literature is never cited and will this number increase relatively? [closed]
I stumbled over this to me interesting Q&A solving a fermi question by estimating the right order of magnitude. In the age of publish or perish in my opinion it becomes a crucial question for ...
1
vote
1answer
131 views
Applying for another job within same department?
I've been a postdoc for just under a year in a nice lab, and I have no problems with my boss or colleagues. However, another position has just come up in the same department, which fits way better ...
4
votes
4answers
659 views
Is it possible to become a tenure track Assistant Professor at the same university where I did Post Doc?
I know that there is such thing as "intellectual incest" and that many universities are against hiring their own PhD graduates for their faculty positions.
But what about the movement from being a ...
64
votes
12answers
20k views
Why do so many PhDs choose to join academia instead of industry given the pay in academia is considerably lower and the workload is much heavier? [closed]
In the computer science field, an entry-level software engineer in top-tier tech companies (e.g. Google, Facebook, etc.) could earn as much as a 20-year experience professor. And the workload in ...
6
votes
1answer
302 views
After 3 years… Should I stay at a PhD position that I think is holding back my thesis?
I was supposed to do my thesis in a research department of a company in the field of computational science (developing new computational methods that they could use to design and engineer ...
4
votes
2answers
559 views
What should the startup package consist of at US (primarily) undergraduate institutions?
What should one list in the startup funds if you are taking up a tenure-track position at a public undergraduate university in the US, mostly focused on teaching? I'm asking specifically for ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
Competitiveness and Success Caliber in Academia [closed]
Every day, I am figuring out that competitiveness in academia is high. Of course, there are thousands of academics, but only a small number really make an impact with outstanding research.
My goal --...
18
votes
6answers
3k views
Postdoc with a professor retiring soon
I am starting a new postdoc position with a professor who's retiring soon (<5 yrs, judging from the grad intake).
I am interested in pursuing an academic job and it worries me that I would not be ...
5
votes
6answers
261 views
Choosing an email address/provider for academic work as you change positons
I'm an on-again-off-again academic, I guess you could say: I've switched positions in and out of academia several times over the past decade. When I write academic papers (or even Free Software in the ...
24
votes
7answers
3k views
Should a graduate student accept random offer to be a reviewer for IEEE Transactions paper?
I have been asked by a well-established professor to review a regular paper submitted to IEEE Transactions, however, I am concerned as in the email, he titled me "Dr. Monkia" although I am still being ...
3
votes
1answer
254 views
A PhD thesis without any publication [closed]
I am currently a Ph.D student(computational maths) works in a theory. I will be graduating in the next year. I have one paper which I will be submitting soon and working one more paper. One of my ...
5
votes
3answers
252 views
Should departmental talks be included on a CV?
This might be more relevant to early career scholars since the CV isn't quite long enough to start filtering, but should departmental talks be included on a CV?
In my department we have weekly ...
50
votes
1answer
7k views
Changing mind after rejecting a job offer
I recently finished my Ph.D., and joined a private company in the industry.
A few months before defending my thesis, I received an offer for a post-doc position; the offer was very interesting, but I ...
1
vote
9answers
928 views
Have there ever been any “Lebron James” of academia?
For those who aren't familiar, Lebron was so talented and sought-after in high school that he was able to skip playing NCAA basketball and went right on to the NBA at the age of 19. Have there ever ...
16
votes
5answers
2k views
Forced to work as a postdoc without pay [closed]
I got an externally funded research grant as a lead researcher to carry out a project at a UK University, together with other senior co-PIs. The grant would pay my salary for the duration of the ...
4
votes
2answers
233 views
Is it better to publish a few papers in one journal, or one paper each in several (equally good) journals? [duplicate]
Suppose there are several journals with the same impact factor.
Is it better to submit my papers to one of them or each time I finished a manuscript it is better to submit to an equally good journal ...
7
votes
1answer
250 views
Junior faculty/senior faculty grant sharing
I am a junior faculty (research assistant professor) in a full professo's lab. I was a postdoc in this lab and got promoted to Asst. Prof. due to the grants I brought in to the lab. Oct 2017 I wrote ...
1
vote
2answers
68 views
CS Associate's degree in Brazil: go straight to master's or get a bachelor's first?
I am 23 years old and finishing my associate degree (3 years part-time) in Computer Science. I've been thinking about pursuing a career in academia; I've started to do research and got a paper ...
0
votes
2answers
313 views
Are there good ways to approach a professor for a postdoc? [closed]
How do I approach an unknown professor before a PhD interview? My defense (viva) will be held next March and I will be seeking a postdoctoral fellowship after that.
I want to contact a Professor ...
13
votes
3answers
4k views
How should I avoid being in the shadow of my PhD advisor after I have my own faculty position?
I would like to receive some feedback from the community about the following situation.
I have a permanent position as associate professor in an institution for some years now (3). This institution ...
3
votes
1answer
398 views
Does it look bad to have a PhD thesis unrelated to the rest of future research?
The short version of my question is: will it be perceived negatively to have a PhD thesis unrelated to the rest of my future research or work?
For more context, I currently hold a bachelor's degree ...
7
votes
3answers
359 views
How does doing a PhD with a pre-determined project vs. formulating your own affect your later career?
Between
Doing a PhD by joining a predetermined research problem
Doing a PhD by formulating one's own research problem
is it possible to say that option #1 is a more advantageous choice in terms of ...
4
votes
1answer
391 views
Risking declining a postdoc offer for a potentially better one [closed]
I have an offer of a good postdoc that I have until the end of tomorrow to accept or decline. It's a 2 year post at a decent UK institution, working on interesting applied interdisciplinary work. I ...
1
vote
1answer
121 views
Can a faculty on a 12-month appointment apply for grants?
I'm wondering if a 12-month appointed faculty (mainly teaching but also research duty, R1 university in the US) is allowed to pay him/herself from grants (especially NSF or NIH). I heard that they may ...
5
votes
1answer
186 views
How not to forget things we learned?
I have been a postdoc for many years now in a theoretical field. Thus, while progress in my career has been slow, I am not without experience. There is one particular thing that I feel keeps limiting ...
