Questions tagged [early-career]
On issues affecting academics or researchers specifically in the early stages of their careers.
221
questions
68
votes
11answers
24k views
I wasted six years of my life getting a PhD degree. What should I do, and how will I survive?
I struggled with low self confidence throughout my bachelors, masters and PhD in chemical engineering. After spending two years in Masters and six years in getting a PhD degree, I am lost at what I ...
0
votes
2answers
173 views
What should I do to make the most of a stopgap postdoc position offered by my PhD supervisor?
I am a PhD in computational materials science, and I have been offered a stop gap postdoc position (at the moment for 6 months) by my PhD supervisor which I will be starting a month after my defense. ...
1
vote
1answer
185 views
How much actual funding does a Marie Curie fellowship entail?
The EU has a research fellowship program named after Physicist Marie Skłodowska-Curie. The website lacks a bunch of information, but I'm specifically interested in understanding what kind of funding ...
asked Nov 27 at 15:13
einpoklum - reinstate Monica
30.3k2 gold badges50 silver badges159 bronze badges
4
votes
5answers
640 views
Are there any examples of people who successfully did a startup AND worked in academia? Or is it better to just choose one?
I'm a newly minted PhD researcher from Sweden who just finished my defense this summer (after a really stressfull and draining final year). Ever since then I have been thinking about my future in ...
-2
votes
1answer
81 views
Best way to position yourself to contribute greatly to a very new field? [closed]
I'm in my undergrad and am interested in brain-computer interfacing, but the field is still very new and undetermined.
My hope is to be at the forefront of the field of BCI and be in a position ...
14
votes
2answers
2k views
How do you advise an early career researcher who has an unrealistic opinion of their prospects?
One often reads stories along the lines of "I was told I wasn't suited to a career in academia; now I'm a professor at < Big Name University >". At the same time, given the structure of the ...
26
votes
5answers
4k views
Giving a talk on a different topic than what we discussed
I'm a postdoc in mathematics. I had a conversation with a professor after he gave a talk at my university, and he seemed interested in my ideas. I sent him an email the next day to elaborate on our ...
4
votes
0answers
239 views
What could be a next thing after my theoretical physics career has not worked out? [closed]
Perhaps this question is about leaving the academia, but hopefully it's still in the right place. Given that many people have been there before, I'll spare you most of the personal details. Late in my ...
2
votes
2answers
195 views
Should I get a CS PhD if I'm only interested in industry research? [closed]
I'm currently working on a masters in CS and working at a university as research faculty (my title is 'research engineer'). I'm in the branch that does mostly contract work with the government or ...
25
votes
3answers
6k views
Is it worth delving deep outside my field to revise a paper?
I have a paper that got lost in the editorial pipeline for about a year due to the second reviewer dropping out and not telling anyone. During that year, I didn't revisit the paper much; it was a ...
2
votes
3answers
440 views
Supervisor lack of knowledge
I am a doctoral student in the engineering area in Europe, Belgium. I applied for the project in which I am in April and was accepted. I also had other offers from England.
I liked the subject and ...
13
votes
6answers
1k views
What should I do if my parents are forcing me to study a career I don't want? [closed]
I want to study biotechnology and become an engineer. I'm a straight A's student and as the eldest daughter I'm quite disciplined. However, my parents don't want me to study that career and are ...
1
vote
1answer
69 views
My R01 application was re-assigned to a study section that doesn't seem like a good fit (NIH)
I submitted my first ever R01 application a few weeks ago and indicated that it be assigned to a specific study section (let's call it study section A). Yesterday, I received an email from the chief ...
18
votes
3answers
3k views
Would preaching in a church be advantageous for becoming a lecturer?
In general, the job of a lecturer (under Australian terminology- I think the terminology is different in America) can be divided up into two main areas of focus: research and teaching, with the latter ...
4
votes
2answers
223 views
How important is teaching experience?
I am a PhD student in economics in the UK. Recently, I have been hearing how important teaching experience is to find a job in academia as a lecturer. One needs to submit teaching statements and may ...
3
votes
1answer
190 views
Personal qualities required for a career in academia? [closed]
I am looking to apply for research programmes after I complete my undergraduate degree. While I thoroughly enjoy research, I'm worried about whether this is the best field for me to pursue.
What ...
3
votes
2answers
924 views
PhD research results in postdoc talk presentation
I am a PhD candidate and have been invited to visit two labs where I had applied for postdoc positions after initial online interviews. My question is regarding the content of my talk, which I think ...
1
vote
1answer
238 views
What should one consider when pondering a career as a scientific editor? [closed]
I'm in my 2nd year postdoc, considering getting a science-related job. I looked for jobs at PhD level, and found that one of my options is becoming an editor for a scientific journal.
How many years'...
3
votes
1answer
96 views
Uploading paper drafts before first-time publication
I am half-way through a Masters degree in Logic and Philosophy of Science following a BSc in Astrophysics. Although I've dreamed for years about getting a paper published, I still haven't submitted ...
0
votes
0answers
63 views
Effectiveness of career counselling or career coaching
Many questions on this SE tends to have a flavour of career counselling or career coaching. I have seen a psychologist specialising in career counselling myself and found it a bit wanting. I have had ...
6
votes
1answer
157 views
Getting a Postdoc, Dropping out of PhD for Greener Pastures (I hope), or else Staying Competitive in Current Position
I've seen similar questions on here before so I'm sorry if it's a duplicate or anything.
Frequently, I find myself in despair at my postdoc prospects as a result of the reputation of the university ...
4
votes
1answer
179 views
Is it appropriate to ask for a $220k piece of equipment on an ESI R01 application to the NIH?
I'm an early stage investigator (ESI) working on an NIH-R01 application where I am proposing a good amount of experiments that necessitate this piece of equipment that costs $220,000. This piece of ...
1
vote
1answer
52 views
What affiliation(s) to list in an oral presentation at a conference?
I'm a doctoral candidate at a big university and am teaching as an adjunct at a smaller university. I'll be graduating with my PhD in a few months and I'm hoping to get a tenure-track job at the ...
2
votes
1answer
153 views
Postdoc speculative application [closed]
I am just about to finish my PhD and a prof I know well and I were discussing future postdoc labs. They suggested I email a friend of theirs in the US. I got a very positive reply saying my research ...
2
votes
0answers
76 views
How to differentiate which conference to publish to? [closed]
There are many conferences, let's take example cryptography.
I assume it makes a difference if you publish at a good conference
as compared to a bad conference. The question is then: how do I find
...
15
votes
2answers
653 views
Husband and wife publishing together - Problem for tenure-track jobs?
My husband and I work in the same research area (of theoretical computer science). We were in the same PhD program and even had the same advisor. We are a great collaboration team, and really enjoy ...
2
votes
1answer
231 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
280 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
172 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
123 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 ...
7
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
90 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 ...
asked Jun 16 at 15:49
einpoklum - reinstate Monica
30.3k2 gold badges50 silver badges159 bronze badges
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
112 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
133 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
275 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 ...
30
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
479 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
152 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
303 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
226 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
420 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
176 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
202 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
71 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
140 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
148 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
211 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 ...
