New answers tagged postdocs
1
Unfortunately I expect this is a mistake on the university's part. Many people apply for postdocs in the final year of their PhD, so perhaps they misinterpreted your CV and thought you were in that category.
There is likely to be a requirement in the formal job description that candidates must have, or be near to completing a PhD, so even if you were to ...
0
PostDoc stands for post doctorate so typically that means you've already obtained a PhD. Then again, it's not fixed in stone if the applicant is deemed to be of such a high caliber that they would consider that person to be eligible for that position. But this is very rare.
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Specialize, focus and diversify your research agenda solely on 2-3 open questions/problems the next years. There is not really another path. Especially in fundamental sciences it's hard to plan an academic career, so you have to take risks, therefore diversify them. And this is also encouraged by the academic system to achieve results beyond the state of the ...
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This is a really good question and something that a lot of researchers struggle with. I've written an article about this my self. There are many different ways to discover a new research topic. The first thing you need to ask yourself is, what interest YOU as opposed to what is currently trendy or where all the funding is going. Being aware of funding is of ...
1
This is a great question, even though it connects to the very general question of how you get established as an independent researcher.
It is never too early to have your own research interests and take your own ideas seriously. It is not really different from having hobbies, only that here you take the hobby idea seriously.
Ideally in your post-doc you ...
2
I would definitely delay in this case. (If you truly might have another, better written offer soon.) HR is in the business of getting selected candidates hired. You need to look out for yourself when comparing competing offers (or about to) as your interests are not 100% aligned. There is nothing odious about this. It's a normal part of hiring and ...
7
Sitting on an offer (e.g. ignoring emails from HR, taking forever to answer or other delay tactics) is generally not appropriate in my opinion. I would suggest honesty and transparency.
Let your prospective postdoc advisor that you'd like a bit of time to consider your options (they will likely get the hint that you're considering other positions, no need ...
3
The appropriate time is after you get the other (better) offer in writing. You don't want to turn something known down for something else that hasn't come yet, formally.
Yes, it is unfortunate to have said you will take the position and turn it down, but these things happen. Certainly in business, there are lots of times when agreed to deals still fail ...
2
Firstly, congratulations on finishing! It's a big achievement.
If I were you I would be applying for post-doc positions and/or industry positions ASAP. It depends on whether you want to stay in academia or work in industry.
Think about what you want to do and don't get misled by your ex-advisors mixed messages - if he really wanted to continue working ...
2
Your primary goal during a post-doc is to improve your chances to land a permanent job in academia. You should compare both jobs with that goal in mind. Especially interesting is the recent track record of both PIs: How many top publications did they recently have? How many of their graduates have made it to permanent jobs? You should absolutely watch out ...
1
Not all. Switching post-docs especially from your home institution is very well accepted. If you are not interested in obtaining industry funding, that is a legitimate reason. Wanting to increase your networks and work closer to home, are all very good strong reasons as well.
The issue is how to maintain relations with your PhD supervisor and also, how to ...
6
It can be an issue, but it is doesn't have to be a large one. If all of your work is joint with senior people, many people will wonder to what extent you contributed to these projects, and to what extent you were just following others. Particularly at top schools, people want to hire leaders in their field, and certainly people who will be productive ...
0
How does this project fit with the PI's research goals? The answer may be surprising.
Do you think this project would lead to a publication? Is it possible this project would lead to a note or other short submission? If so, go for it. Even if you don't get the job, you can submit a paper.
If it is a throw-away project, I would avoid it, unless you need the ...
5
It would depend, perhaps, on how you characterize your "gap" to a future potential employer. If you treat it as a negative that might be easily picked up. But needing to unwind after an intense five years is pretty normal. Wanting time to publish is a positive thing. Wanting to continue current productive relationships is also a good thing.
So, ...
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90 percent of our life circumstances are never under our own control and despite of that you have come this far. Always have a positive attitude and give your best. Enjoy every moment of your life as an interesting journey. Life is too short to be resentful.
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My former PI used to give assignments to candidates he wasn't sure about but thought they might have potential. They would generally be small problems that he would then have one of his current students evaluate to see if 1) the general approach was reasonable and 2) how realistic their evaluation of their own progress was (e.g. knowing your results were ...
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In the professional world there are plenty of interview processes that contain one or another way of skill assessment. That's pretty normal and not a way to devalue your general expertise but a matter of establishing whether your skills do fit the exact needs of the company and typically also if your way to apply them fits the company culture / type of ...
0
One suggestion I can provide is to try and make it to a, related to what you're interested in doing for a post-doc, conference and network. Hopefully present some good work and meet PI's you might be interested in working with, you're far more likely to get an interview or offer if they have a face to put with the application.
If it's too late for a ...
12
I find it a bit intriguing, actually. Though unusual. And, of course, if you object to it, move on now without another thought.
But perhaps she just wants to know how you will attack a new and fresh problem without the support you may have had in your studies. Or perhaps she and you are in a field in which a lot of opportunities pop up and there are ...
17
It is highly unusual. As you note, the PI has plenty of "standard" information (publications, recommendation letter, CV, etc.) that can be used to assess your potential as a collaborator and independent scientist. This is what most PIs will use in the hiring process. Some will ask you to give a seminar or do an interview by phone, video, or in person.
How ...
1
The two key criteria here are
Familiarity with your work (research, teaching, service). You want them to provide details for how promising your research is, how you would work with colleagues, how you'd teach and mentor students, and so on.
Familiarity with academic work (tenure-track or tenured professors > other kinds of recommendations). From the ...
1
If you are interested in the possible implications of making such a request to your advisor or accepting such a position, please check the linked question and all the related answers. I also gave an account me asking my advisor about it in an answer to that question, but the focus was a bit different so I'll summarise the relevant parts here.
Staying at the ...
2
Regarding the main question, I refer to xLeitix' excellent answer to a similar question.
Addressing the specific parts of your situation, I see two likely reasons why your advisor hasn't offered you anything yet:
publication record - in most fields, securing a post-doc position requires a reasonably good track record in publications. If your publication ...
3
Nobody outside the committee knows. Maybe you are not under consideration. Maybe they ask for letters at a later point of the evaluation process. Maybe they never actually ask for letters.
I understand that applying for jobs is a high-pressure situation, but trying to infer information from noisy signal like that is, generally speaking, not useful. There ...
2
How are years of experience counted for determining level on salary scale for a Netherlands postdoc?
The first thing to note is that in the Netherlands the step in which you enter the scale is a fully negotiable thing. There are guidelines based on experience, but unlike for example in Germany, these guidelines are not set in stone rules. Ultimately, your (negotiated) offer is determining the step. This also means, that you trying the negotiate your step ...
1
How are years of experience counted for determining level on salary scale for a Netherlands postdoc?
My PI, while hiring me was flexible on this. I was assistant professor for 3 years before coming to PostDoc (I know, I know, long story :D) and they calculated it for my favor.
Surprisingly though I got my degree on August, at the moment of hiring (July) I had 3 years of experience and from this my scale was calculated. Sadly, I went to next level not in ...
0
A polite rejection to this post doc offer should neither hurt your thesis evaluation nor cause damage to your relationship with your committee member. The rejection email need not (and should not) be long or detailed, but as long as you make clear that you are honoured by the offer, that you have considered it carefully and seriously, but that you feel it is ...
0
It is in general a good idea, not just for your chances but to ensure you will find a productive or at least welcoming group to work with.
The impact on your success chance I think depends on the country of choice: in some countries (e.g. Italy), postdoc calls are advertised as a public competition with a committee that should judge your CV impartially.
In ...
1
You have focused on a single thing and that alone gives no real indication of possible success. While having a publication would be better, there are other things that will also be taken into consideration in any application.
You say you already have a good publication record. You will need good letters of recommendation. You will need some ideas about the ...
3
You should be getting advice about such things from your advisor and/or other experienced colleagues within your academic field. It’s hard for anyone here to make predictions about whether you can get a postdoc based on so little information.
In general though, I would say 10 months isn’t such a long time, so if you were in a good position to get a postdoc ...
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