next »

[totoro]

In my main field, nothing can get published inside the year, so anyone giving a one year post-doc knows that they'll be somewhere else by the time the publications come out. My department is actually now funding (yeah we have loads of money from foreign student fees) post-docs for our own best PhD students to get published under our name.

[lab_gal]

I'm curious to watch this thread...

I think working on research collaborations is a good idea (per PP)

In STEM, postdocs are CHEAP, and the goal is to publish as much as (in)humanly possible, with the hope of expanding your field of study enough to be well rounded for a TT gig.

I think the issue of holding off on pubs will depend on the situation of the postdoc's lab. I don't think it would be fair to do that to a junior faculty member or someone about to go up for review/tenure, though. So any attempt to do something like that without talking to your supervisor about it would be really poor form, but it's possible that some PIs would be fine with the idea. My PI (very well established, tenured) is putting me as last author on a manuscript... his idea... and is in zero rush to get my other papers out (to the point of extreme frustration on my part). I feel like a few months delay for a tenured prof is not such a big deal.

Then again, I don't have any neck-and-neck competitors to worry about, so, again, this is field specific and merits a discussion with the PI.

[merinoblue]

I'm also watching this thread with interest, and fascinated that this person is a social scientist. This is a really interesting strategy he's taken. I'm impressed that he's sold it to his chair and dean.

[lab_gal]

Someone I knew in a hardcore STEM field took a similar (if slightly reverse) route. They secured a faculty position that was contingent on completion of a one year postdoc. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

In also know of two instances now of a postdoc being promote to associate research scientist under the umbrella of a senior PI before moving onto their faculty position at the same institution - also awesome, gives them an extra year or two on the tenure clock

[weedinthewheat]

Can't help but feel that some (most?) postdocs have no clue about what is involved in establishing and maintaining a well-funded research program, and that there are expectations to be fulfilled, and that a lack of productivity has real consequences, particularly in the current tight funding environment.

That is why I asked. Hopefully I am on the road to becoming a not-so-clueless postdoc (not that I have tried to gaming the system).

[totoro]

So I guess I didn't spell out the implications of my post -there'd be no point to trying to delay publication as it takes so long anyway.

[offthemarket]

I suggested on holding back on publishing stuff, but not holding back on publishing work *from the postdoc itself*.  There are thinks to be milked out of the dissertation that (presumably) have to yet come out, and also the postdoc probably - hopefully - has other data and collaborations in the works that aren't specifically tied to the postdoc job.

Yeah, you publish as early as you can for the postdoc and you do the deeds of your advisor. But any postdoc with an eye to the future should have his own agenda on top of the postdoc.  Otherwise, when funding dries up, you're dead in the water.

[bluezebracat]

It seems that there might be a split here in hardcore STEM vs. social science? Postdocs in the latter have to integrate themselves into a lab, are almost always on research postdocs and seem to be hired with lab money?  While social scientists often bring in their own money (not always), may be hired on either research or teaching postdocs and work more within a department instead of a tight-knit lab unit?  Does that sound right?

Hence in the hardcore STEM situation, the postdoc probably needs to be more sensitive to the goals of the PI while the social science postdoc probably has more freedom to set their own research and networking agenda.  With freedom, however, also comes the responsibility of having to set up your own goals or risk frittering away your time.  The challenges seem a bit different, if I understand the comments properly.

[shrek]

I have two postdocs and a research associate. They are all funded on different grant mechanisms.

One postdoc has specific goals for the postdoc: research is about 50% and the rest is research to practice (which is research, but focus is public and applied). Success here is to get out 1-2 papers and present at a conference. But, I'd like 3 papers out (and if they do this, I will hire them onto my NIH grant for year 2).

Postdoc 2 is one that the postdoc wrote (with my input) before coming to work with me. This is a 3 year postdoc and the goals there are to run a study on a specific topic. The postdoc proposed to write a certain number of papers. If they don't it's not really my problem b/c the grant is theirs. But, this person would like to find a TT job and so it's in their best interest to do so.

The research associate has to do specific things that are in support of the goals of one of my R01s. This is what they do. They do participate on writing up papers for publication. But, that's not the main job for this person, their job is to do what it takes (recruitment, data checking, reliability) to get the data ready to write up (and they are included on the author list when they participate in writing it up which they do).

Anyway, I think this is illustrative of the grant mechanism driving what gets done. And yes, it takes about a year to see a publication through so the earlier the better for all concerns.