Reflections Newsletter

Issue 15, June/July 2022

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.

As this is the combined Summer 2022 issue, the next newsletter will hit your inbox in August. 

Missed the inaugural newsletter from January 2021?

Read it here​

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Reflections Blog: June 2022 
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Reimagining the Postdoctoral Experience​ (opinion)

As universities experience staffing shortages and many Ph.D. students question the value of postdoctoral training, a rethinking of how postdoctoral positions are structured could offer creative solutions.

In the process of offering diverse training opportunities and means of engagement for postdoctoral scholars on our campuses, we will provide these early career researchers with outlets for connection, service, and personal growth that will benefit both them and their institutions.

Worthy Reads

As professors struggle to recruit postdocs, calls for structural change in academia intensify

This recent piece in Science prompted this month's blog post. Many faculty contend it is getting more difficult to find individuals to fill postdoctoral positions. Challenges in pay/benefits and a perceived lack of future job prospects that would benefit from postdoctoral training may be leading many Ph.D.s to reconsider the value of pursuing a postdoctoral position.

Oh, the Places They'll Go With a Ph.D.​

2020 NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates data on careers and salaries of new Ph.D. graduates is highlighted in this Chronicle of Higher Education piece. 

How to Leave a Higher-Education Career on Your Own Terms

Advice for administrators who are on the fence about continuing their career on a college campus.

See also Brandy Simula​'s Inside Higher Ed series on careers beyond the academy: Part 1, 2, 3, & 4

Programs Worth Promoting
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The Postdoc Academy: Building Skills for a Successful Career

This FREE, online, self-paced course focuses on developing advanced skills to help postdocs transition to their chosen career path. During this 7-week course, learners are encouraged to network inside the edX platform with course instructors, career professionals, and postdoc colleagues.

Topics include:

  1. Exploring Leadership
  2. Building and Supervising a Team
  3. Project Management
  4. Applying Teaching Skills Beyond the Classroom
  5. Strategic Communications
  6. Finding and Landing the Job

Online edX course begins July 11th!
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​SmartSkills Series

  • ​SmartSkills is a free, virtual course for postdocs who are members of the NPA​. Monthly classes are taught by experts and focus on building skills critical to career and personal success.
    • Note that most US institutions of higher education have a sustaining membership to the NPA​, which you can use to access a FREE affiliate membership with your .edu email address. Learn more here. 

Revisiting Past Blog Posts


Resources and Advice for the Academic Job Search

The typical faculty job search cycle is about to ramp up for Fall 2022. This blog piece highlights online resources to assist you in putting your best foot forward in your application documents and additional advice on carefully considering if a faculty position aligns with your skills, interests, & values. 

Read More


Tales from the Academic Job Market

I reflect on my own period navigating the faculty job market (which I ultimately decided not to pursue further) and highlight the need to leverage informational interviews with a variety of faculty to better understand the right institutional fit for you.

Read More


Why you should get involved in things outside the lab/work

As we begin looking toward the fall semester and (hopefully) emerge from the COVID pandemic, finding ways to engage with your campus or local community can provide a needed outlet for social engagement and support.

Read More

More to Explore - Resources for Trainees & Those Supporting Them

Explore Job Search & Funding Resources On My Website

For Further Reading & Exploration
More About Me
Carpe Careers Column
National Science Foundation Data
Data on PhD & Postdoc Training: NGLS 
GCC Professional Development Webinars
Career & Professional Development Research

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