Postdoctoral experience refers to the period of time after completing a doctoral degree when a person engages in further research or training in their field of study. It is a temporary position that allows individuals to gain more expertise and experience before pursuing a permanent job or career.
Full definition
After many years spent exclusively recruiting senior staff and executives, one of my clients asked me to fill two entry - level scientist positions
requiring postdoctoral experience.
However, that approach ignores the fact that most people apply for the positions
because postdoctoral experience is now required for most «real» jobs in science.
The doctorate or equivalent must have been awarded within the last five years and candidate has not exceeded five years of
prior postdoctoral experience.
Both Kelly and Fitzgerald acknowledged that while pharmaceutical companies often hire Ph.D. scientists
with postdoctoral experience, the industry is currently in turmoil.
Applicants who have between 4 and 5 years of
postdoctoral experience by that date (who would have had an additional year of eligibility under the old guidelines) will be able to resubmit until 12 December 2013, effectively giving them a few extra months of eligibility past the 12 October 2013 deadline for everyone else.
MANCHESTER, U.K. — Old age may not be something European scientists think about as they hop around the continent in search of exciting Ph.D. opportunities,
broader postdoctoral experience, or attractive faculty positions.
About half of employed toxicologists hold Ph.D. s, and among employers who hire toxicologists, 29 %
say postdoctoral experience is «absolutely» required and 38 % say such experience is «desired,» according to an SOT survey.
«You can do internships that are focused around trying to develop your experience in drug development, something you might not get with a
standard postdoctoral experience.»
She encouraged «all awardees — particularly those with no previous experience as a postdoctoral supervisor — to explore the full range of activities that contribute to a
meaningful postdoctoral experience,» including those for «facilitating transitions into and out of the postdoctorate and... enhanc [ing] the development and choices of careers.»
After a mind - boggling hunt which seemed to take me to every career - related site on the planet, I came to the conclusion that there wasn't anything that would demonstrate how
transferable postdoctoral experience can be to new fields, so I eventually wrote my CV from scratch!
This premier web portal on the minority
postdoctoral experience features news, articles, resources, and events about jobs, career advice, professional development, funding, fellowships, mentoring, and diversity issues... (Read more).
Applicants with 5 or more years of
relevant postdoctoral experience are not eligible, with the exception of M.D. applicants, who should not include years of residency in this calculation.
Applicants may apply prior to coming to NIH, or they may have started postdoctoral research on - site at NIH as long as they will have no more than 2 years of
postdoctoral experience at NIH by the time of appointment to the PRAT program.
Dear CareerDoctor, I am currently trying to pursue a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) career, but as I have a PhD and 3 years
postdoctoral experience in neuroscience I am finding it very difficult to break into this field.
«I would define a
successful postdoctoral experience as one that moves the fellow forward to the next stage of his or her career, whatever that may be, and provides the fellow with opportunities to acquire skills and experience that will be necessary for that career,» he says.
With good performance and accumulated skills, B.S. or M.S. scientists can be promoted into positions to which a Ph.D.
with postdoctoral experience would be hired, says Morrison, vice president of human resources for research and development at Amgen.
Danish students complete Master's and Ph.D. projects in different laboratories, and their Ph.D. training includes a period abroad, but professorships do not
require postdoctoral experience.
One program that has been discussed — by those involved in administering the institutional training grants and also the postdocs themselves — is the initiation of postdoctoral advisory committees to facilitate a
better postdoctoral experience.
Lorraine Tracey, chair of the NPA Board of Directors, said, «The NPA applauds these recommendations and believes that the implementation of these recommendations will significantly improve the
U.S. postdoctoral experience.»
The combined efforts of the OACD and UPPDA will establish at the University of Pittsburgh a new type
of postdoctoral experience that, it is hoped, will migrate to other institutions.
Principal investigators (PIs) at European institutions with 2 to 9 years of
postdoctoral experience were invited to compete for 5 years of funding — as much as 2 million euros — via Starting Independent Researcher Grants.
Davis, «Improving
the Postdoctoral Experience: An Empirical Approach», in The Science and Engineering Workforce in the United States, R. Freeman, D. Goroff, Eds.
According to a 2006 survey, postdocs who devised a structured plan and discussed it with their mentors were more satisfied with
their postdoctoral experience.
In the 2012 Science Careers postdoc survey, respondents rated opportunities and support for career advancement and funding as the two most important ingredients for a successful
postdoctoral experience.
Dear CareerDoctorWhat are the real alternatives to bench science after several years of
postdoctoral experience?
Postdocs who had a structured plan and discussed it with their mentors were more satisfied with
their postdoctoral experience, more satisfied with their relationships with their PIs, and more productive (30 % more first - author papers and 25 % more grant proposals) than those without a plan.
It's the sequel to the seminal report from 2000, Enhancing
the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers.
A small number of postdocs, however, «do not face the same problems as academic postdoctoral researchers,» states the U.S. National Academies» 2014 report,
The Postdoctoral Experience Revisited.
So starts the report,
The Postdoctoral Experience Revisited, issued today by the U.S. National Academies.