Despite the position being billed as a stepping stone on the way to tenure-track academic employment, many postdocs, discouraged by their poor prospects, are questioning their career choices and instead looking to non-academic jobs as an alternative. However, as Chris Hayter and Marla A. Parker reveal, making this transition is not as easy as it might first appear. Why are […]
Category: postdoctorate
Disseminating your research does carry risks and can leave you vulnerable, but it is vital to developing the courage to use your voice
All researchers are now encouraged to disseminate their work beyond academia, particularly if they aim to foster engagement and have an impact. However, the immediate benefits of research dissemination are not always clear and, for early-career researchers in particular, the prospect of attracting criticism or even hostility can feel daunting. But to Marte C.W. Solheim, there is great value in […]
Is pursuing an academic career a form of “cruel optimism”?
What does the future hold for PhD graduates? Marie-Alix Thouaille has found that for many the post-PhD transition is characterised by exploitative, often unsustainable working conditions, emotional upheaval, financial worry, and poor wellbeing. Despite this most PhD graduates remain absolutely determined to forge an academic career, unwilling to even entertain the idea of working in another sector. This paradoxical condition […]
PhD students should be taught more about research impact and engagement
The international research impact and engagement agenda continues to gain momentum. But are early-career researchers, shown to be under-represented in impact-generating research, being left behind? Many PhD students report a lack of any training on research impact throughout their research studies, and even continue to conflate impact with dissemination. Melinda Laundon argues that integrating research impact and engagement into PhD […]