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[stilllearning]

Hello Formites,

I'm a grad student.  It's occurred to me that I don't really know what the expectations are for finishing grad students and research in my field.  I'm in math and this question is directed at math faculty (including  postdocs): 

How many papers should a grad student in math have when applying for postdocs?  Does the number of papers even matter?

If you're not in math (or not faculty), feel free to chime in also.  I'm curious about the research expectations of grad students in other fields too.  Thanks.

StillLearning

[vortex]

Hi stillearning, I'm also in math.  Not in academia at the moment, but I can tell you from looking around during my job search that 3-4 pubs is a good number, but it also depends on content and the ranking of the journals.  It also depends on what kind of postdoc you're looking for.  If it's a run-of-the-mill type where Prof. X has a grant and needs some help, you don't need nearly the credentials for a named postdoc, like MIT's CLE Moore or UIUC's J. L. Doob where you'll be doing your own research and teaching.  These get 200-300 apps a year.

[stilllearning]

Thanks, vortex.  I've been quoted those applicant numbers for those big postdocs many times before.  The postdoc market is tough.

Hi stillearning, I'm also in math.  Not in academia at the moment, but I can tell you from looking around during my job search that 3-4 pubs is a good number, but it also depends on content and the ranking of the journals.  It also depends on what kind of postdoc you're looking for.  If it's a run-of-the-mill type where Prof. X has a grant and needs some help, you don't need nearly the credentials for a named postdoc, like MIT's CLE Moore or UIUC's J. L. Doob where you'll be doing your own research and teaching.  These get 200-300 apps a year.

[drothar]

FWIW, I had an nsf math sci postdoc with 3 going on 4 papers at the time of application.

Time in postdocs is both short and long.  You definitely need a plan to transition from postdoc to faculty, it's easy to fall prey to the lure of Hard Problems and think you have all the time in the world.  On the other hand, significant others that can handle time-in-postdoc are probably a rare breed.

[daniel_von_flanagan]

4 publications in pure mathematics before finishing the PhD is quite a lot, though more common now then it was decades ago.  I know several recent VIGREs who did not have nearly this many when they applied (but the quality of their work in unpublished form was known and very good). - DvF

[stilllearning]

Thanks to all those who replied.  I've asked around a bit (outside of these fora) and the consensus is that writing 3-4 papers before finishing a doctorate is more typical for a field like combinatorics, but not really in my field or most other fields of math. 

Having one or two relatively significant papers is the advice I'm getting.

Question for Daniel:  What is a VIGRE in relation to a person?  I thought VIGRE is a NSF grant to math departments, and, therefore, would all American grad students in the department be VIGREs?

4 publications in pure mathematics before finishing the PhD is quite a lot, though more common now then it was decades ago.  I know several recent VIGREs who did not have nearly this many when they applied (but the quality of their work in unpublished form was known and very good). - DvF

[daniel_von_flanagan]

Question for Daniel:  What is a VIGRE in relation to a person?  I thought VIGRE is a NSF grant to math departments, and, therefore, would all American grad students in the department be VIGREs?

You are correct that VIGRE is a grant to departments, but then the department hires specific postdocs under the aegis of the VIGRE program.  (It is supposed to support students as well, hence the acronym.)  Some departments have a mixture of VIGREs, of named postdocs, and of Visiting Assistant Professorships, all with roughly the same responsibilities (perhaps less teaching with the named one, and some vertical integration activities replacing some teaching in the VIGRE).  A person hired into a VIGRE postdoc is certainly entitled to put this qualifier on his/her CV, just as one would for any 'named' postdoc. - DvF