Academic Careers – Postdoc-ing and Professor-ing

Introductory resources

• Finding your perfect postdoc experience (NIH OITE, 24-min video).
• From graduate student to faculty – navigating academia (OSU, 1-hour video).
• From graduate student to assistant professor – key faculty position descriptions and advice (UC Berkeley).
• What do college professors do? (BU Vault).

Venturing further in this career area

• Articles, funding resources, and helpful tips about postdoc-ing, Help, I’m a Scientist!
• A guide to setting a lab at a research-intensive institution.
• Making the Right Moves – A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdoc and New faculty, HHMI.
• Entering Mentoring, A guide and seminar to train the next generation of scientists.
• Building your team and seeking ways to motivate and engage teammates in the growth of your research program is crucial – a lot of online courses are available on these topics, like Managing Talent.
• Academics as entrepreneurs and innovators: Transferring technology: from lab to market, WIPO.
• Faculty careers outside of the tenure track, (ODU, 1-hour career panel video).
• Faculty Factory Podcast, John Hopkins Medicine (podcast by and for current and future faculty).

Preparing your transition into this career area

• The Strategic Postdoc (iBiology course) – free, on-demand, online course to strategize your postdoc search and choose your postdoc lab wisely.
  • If you are (or when you become) a postdoc, consider leveraging Postdoc Academy resources and courses to make the most of your postdoc experience, prepare for conversations with mentors, and prepare to transition into your next step.
  • Going with your eyes open: what to ask before accepting a US postdoctoral position, National Postdoc Association resource.
  • As a postdoc and/or faculty member, consider building and maintaining a personal advisory board of mentors. This mentor mapping activity from NCFDD can help you map your current network of mentors and think of ways to expand it strategically.
  • If you are aiming to transition into a faculty position after your postdoc, consider joining the Future PI Slack to support and get support from peers, give talks, prepare for the faculty job market, etc.

• Tips and data to learn more about the faculty job market:
  • Academic Career Readiness Assessment (ACRA) – to understand which skills to hone depending on the faculty role you are aiming for (teaching- vs research-intensive).
  • Acing the Tenure Track Job Search: A Comprehensive Guide to Every Step of the Journey for Academic Candidates, a faculty job search guide by Saidur Rahman, PhD.
  • Faculty Job Search advice and stories from Teresa Lee, PhD.
  • A scientific approach to navigating the academic job market, Nature.
  • Accessing data on the faculty job market, Faculty Job Market Collaboration.
  • Using academic analytics to understand the pathway to the professoriate, 1-hour video.

• Expand your network and learn from other academics:
  • Growing your network and having informational interviews with PhDs who have transitioned into careers of interest to you will enable you to learn more about the job’s daily responsibilities, hiring process, career progression, etc., and the sector as a whole.
    • Look for GMS Alumni who have transitioned into this career area.
    • Look for and join relevant thematic online communities, like the new PI Slack group.
    • The Social Scientist enables early-career scientists to receive mentorship from folks who have transitioned into various careers – connect with academic career mentors (administrators, professors, postdocs, research specialists…).

• Prepare your career transition:
  • Analyze job descriptions to learn more about postdoc profiles and what institutions are looking for in different faculty positions.
  • Seeking resources to prepare your applications? PhD Progression provides online modules to support your career preparation efforts. Register for the Career Development pathways and explore relevant job application preparation online modules (for your CV, cover letter, teaching philosophy statement, research statement, etc.) at your own pace. Here is a great resource to help you prepare for chalk talks.
  • Look for a Future Faculty Workshop like the New England Future Faculty Workshop to get feedback on your faculty job application packet.