By: Ritu Raman, Ph.D.
There are many resources targeted at helping graduate students navigate their doctoral degrees, and more recently, an increasing number of resources aimed at helping young tenure-track faculty do the same. However, the postdoc – that transitory phase between these two established periods in the life of an academic – remains largely undefined and unsupported.
Why is this? A big reason is timing. Unlike graduate programs, or faculty tenure clocks, expectations for the duration of an academic postdoc vary wildly between fields and between individuals. Moreover, start-dates for postdocs are not aligned with academic semesters. As a result, incoming postdocs rarely interact with others in similar positions, fostering an incredibly isolating environment.
There are many resources targeted at helping graduate students navigate their doctoral degrees, and more recently, an increasing number of resources aimed at helping young tenure-track faculty do the same. However, the postdoc – that transitory phase between these two established periods in the life of an academic – remains largely undefined and unsupported.
Why is this? A big reason is timing. Unlike graduate programs, or faculty tenure clocks, expectations for the duration of an academic postdoc vary wildly between fields and between individuals. Moreover, start-dates for postdocs are not aligned with academic semesters. As a result, incoming postdocs rarely interact with others in similar positions, fostering an incredibly isolating environment.
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