Resources for postdocs

A postdoc (or "post-doc," "postdoctoral," or "postdoctoral research") fellowship is a training-focused position available to people who have earned a doctorate. Postdoc positions usually act as a stepping-stone between the student experience and the full-time professional experience. The postdoc phase is confusing, and can be difficult if you don’t have a network of mentors to guide you.

Here are a few resources I have found helpful as I navigate this process.

General resources:

• Should you do a postdoc? (Article from the Chronicle of Higher Education).

• Postdoctoral Mentor key to career success (Nature, 2019).

• 78 of the Most common questions asked during postdoc interviews.

• National Postdoctoral Association (NPA)’s goal is to improve the postdoctoral experience by supporting a culture of inclusive connection. At the individual, organizational, and national levels, NPA facilitates enhanced professional growth, raise awareness, and collaborate with stakeholders in the postdoctoral community.

• Minority Postdoc: The premier web portal on the minority postdoctoral experience featuring news, articles, resources, and events about jobs, career advice, professional development, funding, fellowships, mentoring, and diversity issues.

• PostdocinUSA. A website entirely dedicated to prospective and current international postdocs in USA.

The National center for faculty development & diversity

NCFDD provides on-demand access to the mentoring, tools, and support needed to be successful in the Academy. They focus on four key areas that help achieve extraordinary writing and research productivity while maintaining a full and healthy life off campus: strategic planning, explosive productivity, healthy relationships, and work-life balance.

• PRO TIP: Check if your university has a membership to gain access to the recordings. Writing intensive workshops often require additional fees.

Looking for jobs or postdoc opportunities?

Here’s a few places I keep my eye on:

• Ecological Society of America’s ECOLOG-L listserv. Subscribe!

• Crowd sourced Google List of Eco-Enviro Jobs/Postdocs

Developing a Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan

• A field guide for postdocs: mentoring and being a mentee

• The Individual Development Plan (IDP): commonly used in industry to help employees define and pursue their career goals.

• Templates for postdoctoral mentoring plans from a variety of funding sources (NSF, NIH, Data Management Tool).

Advice for Interviews

• Preparing for Academic Interviews: Screening, Conference, and On-Campus.

Advice on writing Faculty Applications

• UCSF Application Materials for Faculty Applications Love that this also has a rubric for evidence based teaching materials!