Guest post by Parnaz Daneshpajouhnejad, M.D., a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The following is not Daneshpajouhnejad's own personal experience but rather inspired by a talk by Megan Bohn, assistant director of postdoctoral affairs, during the event, “Exit Interview: How to Tell the Boss(...)
Postdoc
Tips on How to Choose the Right Laboratory
Posted by | A Day in the LifeFor a graduate student or postdoc, choosing the right laboratory can be a daunting prospect. There are many factors that one must consider, but deciding which to prioritize is often challenging. Individual learning styles, interests and career goals vary vastly, so an environment perfectly suited to one person may be one where another flounders. That(...)
Updated Department of Labor Rules Will Impact Postdoctoral Researcher Salaries This December
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchThe U.S. Department of Labor has issued new rules on overtime wages, raising the yearly salary limit for which overtime pay must be provided to $47,476. This executive branch decision may have broad implications for academia among other industries as postdoctoral researchers were specifically identified as being affected by this ruling. Postdoctoral researchers typically perform(...)
From Academia to Industry: Lessons from a Johns Hopkins Graduate
Posted by | A Day in the LifeThe majority of postdoctoral appointments are at educational institutions. This includes my postdoctoral fellow position at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Approximately 75 percent of doctoral scientists and engineers who have postdoctoral appointments are employed at an educational institute, compared to only 14 percent in the business/industrial sector, according to data collected from a(...)
Tips for Tackling the Postdoc Search and Application Process
Posted by | A Day in the LifeThe search for a postdoc position can be a daunting task in your last year of graduate school. I’ve recently undertaken this exhausting adventure and hope the lessons I’ve learned help those of you planning to take that step. 1. Don't rely on job postings This is what makes the postdoc search so hard. Yes,(...)
Postdocs Seek Alternative Careers as Funding Declines
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchIt was a long-held belief that, after graduate school, newly conferred doctors would seek out postdoctoral openings in labs where they could focus on furthering their studies, eventually transitioning to a faculty appointment. Though designed to be a temporary position, postdocs came to represent one of the largest and most productive components of the biomedical(...)
Getting a Ph.D.? Consider “Alternative” Careers
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchIt’s fair to say that the majority of us who come to graduate school have a similar career goal in mind: a faculty position. The Ph.D. is viewed as the gateway to academia and deciding to venture away from that is taboo. We go as far as to call nonacademic jobs “alternative,” which carries a(...)
Johns Hopkins Postdocs Receive Crash Course in Leadership
Posted by | Events and HappeningsWhat makes someone a leader? Is it an individual who makes the important decisions in a group setting? Or is it someone who is able to dream and carry out his or her vision? For many new postdocs beginning their careers around the country, being put in leadership positions for the first time can be(...)