Subject: [Fwd: Rick Reis] TP Msg. #273 THE POSTDOC NETWORK: PRACTICAL PATHS FOR PROMISING PROFESSORS
From: Mitchell Wand (wand@ccs.neu.edu)
Date: Fri Nov 24 2000 - 08:57:34 EST
Folks -- I'm forwarding this item to pl-seminar because (a) it's a
moderately-interesting mailing list in itself, to which some of you
may wish to subscribe, and (b) it cites a new site concerned with
postdocs, which may also be of interest. I probably will not forward
any more articles from this source to pl-seminar, unless by some
chance they have to do with programming languages :)
Happy thanksgiving,
--Mitch
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From: Rick Reis <reis@stanford.edu>
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Subject: TP Msg. #273 THE POSTDOC NETWORK: PRACTICAL PATHS FOR PROMISING
PROFESSORS
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 07:37:09 -0800
NOTE: BECAUSE OF THE U.S. THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY THIS POSTING IS BEING
SENT TO YOU ONE DAY EARLY.
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Folks:
Science's Next Wave (www.nextwave.org) has launched a new, free
resource on postdoc issues. Funded by the Sloan Foundation, the
Postdoc Network seeks to provide postdocs and their institutions with
solutions to a wide array of issues. The Network's homepage can be
found at:
http://nextwave.sciencemag.org/feature/postdocnetwork.shtml
Additionally, Science Next Wave has created a one-of-a-kind database
of institutions with postdoc offices, associations, or programs found
at:
http://nextwave.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2000/11/06/5
The excerpt below by Tracey Thomas of johns Hopkins University
examines ways that postdocs can obtain teaching experience that will
give them a leg-up on their competition when applying for faculty
positions. Reprinted with permission.
My thanks to Dr. Emily L. Klotz, Manager, Postdoc Network, Science's
Next Wave for calling this information to my attention.
Regards,
Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Creating a New Taxonomy of Higher-Level Learning
Tomorrow's Academic Careers
---------------------- 1,212 words -------------------
PRACTICAL PATHS FOR PROMISING PROFESSORS
http://nextwave.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2000/11/15/2
Practical Paths for Promising Professors
TRACEY THOMAS
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Traditionally, a graduate student who decides to do an academic
postdoc will subsequently seek a career in academia. In a perfect
world, upon completion of the postdoc, academia is waiting with open
arms. However, today's world is not perfect. Jobs are few, and the
competition is fierce.
What We Know
We know that postdoctoral training is a prerequisite to obtaining
most faculty positions. However, postdoctoral experience alone does
not automatically guarantee an academic job. So, a young scientist
hoping to secure a professorship would be well advised to seek
postdoc experiences that will properly prepare them for this kind of
job. That may include doing more than one postdoc and seeking out
well-known advisors. In addition, it is helpful to have several
publications, particularly as first author, if you want to acquire a
top-notch faculty position.
Most postdoc training is focused on these two requirements, because
they are undoubtedly top priorities in most faculty searches.
However, in addition to these requirements, academic interviewers may
require experience that most postdoctoral fellows don't
have--teaching experience! So what is a future professor to do to be
competitive? Notes Pauline Wong, current president of the Johns
Hopkins Postdoctoral Association, obtaining teaching experience is
difficult for postdocs, even those considering a career in academia.
Graduate and postdoctoral programs at medical institutions, for
example, don't offer fellows any real opportunity to obtain teaching
experience. True, some graduate students may have the opportunity to
be teaching assistants (TAs), and some will be TAs for the duration
of their graduate career. However, in terms of interviewing for
faculty positions, the TA topic may be mute because even though you
may have spent countless hours as a TA preparing materials and
training other students, this form of teaching is not generally
considered to truly represent "teaching experience."
Gold at the End of the Rainbow
For many postdocs, obtaining teaching experience will require
overcoming road blocks that might include limited opportunities
within the department, negative feedback from their PI, and even
restrictions from some funding agencies regarding "outside"
employment. If you happen to be a postdoc at an independent institute
or government lab, then your chances of gaining teaching experience
in a university setting can be even slimmer. But don't despair!
Postdocs can take some steps to make sure that they have some
teaching experience to talk about when they're sitting in that
long-awaited interview for their first faculty position.
Step up and take responsibility. If you are lucky enough to work for
someone who has a heavy teaching load, offer to take on some of the
responsibility. "Most PIs are open to letting their postdocs teach a
couple of lectures," says James Hildreth, associate professor in the
department of pharmacology and molecular sciences at Johns Hopkins
University. Although the experience gained would be somewhat limited,
you will walk away with a reference from someone who has witnessed
your teaching abilities. This is likely to "count" wherever you're
applying for faculty positions--even smaller colleges, such as
Westminster College in Salt Lake City, require references from
faculty who are able to evaluate your abilities in the classroom
setting.
Look to community colleges. Many community colleges are looking for
adjunct professors to teach courses. And according to David Wiest of
the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, community colleges are
great places in which to gain experience in the classroom. "Usually
one teaching experience is sufficient to get an interview for a
prospective job, and community colleges are a good way to satisfy
this requirement," says Wiest. He also urges postdocs to obtain
evaluations from faculty who have seen them in action, because these
references can make a helpful addition to your application. Also, if
teaching is your primary interest, working at a community college can
get you started on your career--and help you figure out if teaching
is something you enjoy and want to make the centerpiece of your
professional life.
Consult the career office at your university. At an increasing number
of institutions, postdocs have access to the career services office
or an administrative office created to meet their needs. Check out
your institution's career center or postdoc office as a potential
resource for locating nearby teaching opportunities.
Do your research. Before you commit to a lab, identify advisors who
will allow you the flexibility you need to obtain teaching experience
and find out about teaching opportunities organized by the
institution. In informally polling postdocs who aspire to academic
positions, I found that many had asked potential advisors how they
felt about their postdocs taking on some teaching responsibilities.
After having a less than supportive environment in her first postdoc
position, Karen* negotiated for teaching flexibility before
committing to her second position. "Because of the way in which I
handled the situation the second time around, I have no problem
requesting references from my advisor when applying for teaching
jobs," replies Karen.
Some postdoctoral programs have created mechanisms to assist postdocs
in finding opportunities. For example, at Fox Chase Cancer Center,
postdocs are able to gain experience by teaching at local colleges.
If gaining teaching experience is important to you, find a place that
fosters the flexibility you need.
Network, network, network. As if it needs to be said anymore,
networking is ALWAYS important. You should always be ready to ask
about (and find out about) teaching opportunities that might be
opening up nearby. Here are some specific suggestions:
1.Foster regular interaction with departmental offices at local
colleges and universities so that you can keep up with what's going
on in the departments. Professors regularly go on sabbatical, and
academic institutions generally need someone to temporarily fill the
vacant positions. You may not be successful in obtaining helpful
information in the beginning, but be persistent. Keep calling and
follow up by sending in your CV.
2.Keep relationships with previous academic affiliations. The
professors and administration will usually respond more positively to
someone they know. When leaving her first postdoc position, Karen
picked the university where she completed her thesis for her second
postdoc. She knew the faculty and felt comfortable when the time came
to asking for schedule flexibility so that she could gain teaching
experience.
3.Talk with the faculty in your current department. Begin a dialogue
with professors about how they obtained teaching experience. Once you
engage them about their experiences, they may open up or alert you to
local opportunities.
4.Get involved. If your institute has an active postdoctoral
association, find a way to help out. These associations meet on a
regular basis and deal with important postdoctoral issues, including
how to gain teaching experience. It's a great chance to hear what
others are doing!
Although finding teaching experience as a postdoc can be difficult,
it can be done ... with a little perseverance. And that experience
will help to make you a stronger candidate for your dream faculty
position.
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* The name of the postdoctoral fellow has been changed to maintain her privacy.
Tracey W. Thomas received her doctoral degree from Howard University
in Washington, D.C., in cell and developmental biology. Currently,
she is a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University where she
researches signaling pathways responsible for lipid raft aggregation
during virus-cell interactions.
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