Coming to you a week early to read before the Holidays.
This newsletter is typically distributed the last Thursday of the month and contains a variety of resources, links, and reflections on graduate-level career & professional development, higher education, and an occasional detour into neuroscience topics, the area I formally trained in as a graduate student and postdoc.
Missed the inaugural newsletter from January 2021?
Time is our most precious resource and while we are quite adept as a species in dwelling on the past and/or planning for the future we only really "live" in the present. While balancing present responsibilities and planning for the future is critical, in this piece I reflect on how we can appreciate the limited time we have on Earth and make space in our schedules for what matters most.
Great advice in this Carpe Careers post from the Kay Kimball Gruder how to be more intentional about creating relationships that can lead to strong letters of reference.
On Friday, December 15th, a National Institutes of Health working group released their report on recommendations to improve postdoctoral training. While highlights were covered in both Science and STAT News, I share a few points I thought were salient, below:
Call for increased postdoc salaries (proposed new min of $70,000)
Expectation of at least 10% of postdocs' time spend on career & professional development activities
New NIH-funded pathways to support international postdocs and individuals pursuing non-faculty researcher roles at academic institutions
Improved mentoring training for faculty and postdocs
Accountability, outcome tracking, and improved data on the postdoc experience
While these recommendations hold the promise of improving the postdoc experience, the new NIH Director and others at the Dec 15th meeting were weary of "unintended consequences". It will be interesting to see which of these recommendations are put into place first. Stay tuned.
NOTE: The NPA will host a webinar with NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives and postdoc working group co-chair Tara Schwetz on Thursday, January 18, at 2:30 PM ET where some of the findings will be shared.
Are you deciding on the next step after your postdoc? Need help looking for jobs that excite you and then figuring out how to apply?
The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) is proud to partner with SciPhD and provide a free, permanent license for all NPA members to their online web application tool – Flamingo™. Flamingo™ is SciPhD’s web application that guides you in finding jobs, importing those job descriptions, analyzing the job descriptions to identify the critical technical, business, and social skills, relating those skills to your own experiences and accomplishments, and generating a targeted resume for that job. In addition, Flamingo™ has an extensive resources section with crash courses in project management, leadership, communications, interviewing skills, negotiations, and much more.
Reminder: Many individuals at universities in the United States can create a FREE NPA affiliate account using their institutional email. Learn more.
National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Programming & Resources
The NPA's SmartSkills program will return in 2024 featuring webinars on a variety of topics related to postdocs' career and professional development and well-being.
And check out the NPA's Resource Library for more guides and resources including a guide to the postdoc timeline, mentoring, and more.
From January 2022. I speak to the importance of engaging with organizations and causes you care about to develop new skills, build your network, and get a sense of fulfillment in the process.
Big outcomes can eventually come from small actions over time. Hope this piece inspires you to take little actions today for a big payoff in the future.
