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?
A thought-provoking piece from Jovana Milosavljevic Ardeljan appearing in Inside Higher Ed's Carpe Careers column. In the piece she shares her thoughts on the use of ChatGPT by graduate students and postdocs as an aid in writing—specifically for the first draft of a project. She argues against its use for this particular purpose, because she believe it robs us all of the opportunity to go through the creative process of writing and producing something that’s authentic and written in our own voice. She sees the question of whether or not to use ChatGPT as a triple-A issue—one of authorship, authenticity and audience.
Programs Worth Promoting
The Strategic Postdoc Course
The process of choosing a postdoc lab that satisfies both your personal and professional needs is often not very clear. But choosing the ‘right’ postdoc is one of the most critical choices you will make in your academic career. How do you start? Where do you start? What personal factors should you consider and which ones should you prioritize? How do you choose a postdoc that aligns well with your career goals?
This course, called ‘The Strategic Postdoc’, addresses these questions and considerations. In the first module, ‘Positioning Yourself for the Postdoc’, we will guide you through identifying your needs, preferences, and values (NPVs), reverse-engineering your postdoc search based on your NPVs, and building a game plan to leave your PhD. The second module, ‘Applying for a Postdoc’ will guide you through the process of finding, interviewing, and choosing a postdoc lab, as well as leaving your PhD lab.
Succeeding as a Postdoc online course launches March 18th
This course provides skill development for postdocs from orientation to their next career step. Using inclusive, active-learning approaches, participants in this course will build skills to
find success as a postdoc
draft an actionable career plan
develop resilience
work effectively in an intercultural environment
This course explores the research related to postdoc success and guides participants in applying it to their environments. Discussion boards available through the edX platform allow for engagement with other postdocs enrolled in the online course. In addition, you can join a specific learning community (PALS) to engage with others around course topics via weekly meetings either virtually or in-person. Register for PALS here.
National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Programming & Resources
The NPA's SmartSkills program returns 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.
Time is our most precious resource. We often seek to "optimize" it but to enjoy our finite lives requires us to think carefully about what is really important to us.
What can Pixar Animation and Walt Disney Imagineering teach us about the often long road to impact? A combination of hard work, teamwork, talent, technology, and innovation are often needed to achieve results that impact the lives of others.
