Build your profile

A postdoctoral position is a nice next step after PhD. How useful it is for your career, that is influenced by the host.

Are they promoting your career opportunities?

If your main activity is to do research and publish, then you maybe in reality is a paper producing postdoc for them. They support the research expertise build up, but the result is improved publishing merits for them. If they share their network with you, that is positive. However, the supervisor will be invited if there is a consortium buiiding happening. Most likely not you. You do not have the same weight of merits (funding has fierce competition), and you do not have the host orgaization. Once your postdoc period is ending, you will more or less need a permanent position in order to be relevant in an EU proposal. In some cases such may be agreed, but often not.

So the limbo stage is not only career. It is also funding.

You are not in practice very relevant for FP10 funding if you lean on the host.

So how to open up opportunities? Build your profile. Your own network. Make other professionals to recognize your contributions and expertize. Many think this happens by publishing and presenting at conferences. That alone is not sufficient. Collaborations are between people. Yes, they have expertise but a consortium wants a reliable partners that contribute and support to deliverables and milestones. That is a personal character more than expertise in the topic.

One step forward for profile is forum. You will have visibility when you are the organizer. Your expertise is confirmed when you are active in discussion. But once it comes to consortium building, you may still be “that postdoc in Prof X group”.

Another step is exploitation, outcomes and impact. That is not tied to the publishing in the same way as ending up with unfair weight for supervisor even though you are first author. People will remember your name because exploitation and valorisation is the main thing to hook an activity on. It will be linked with you, and further build your profile.

Still, how to be partner in EU project proposal is a main challenge. Maybe the solution is not by fully academic track. A start-up can be invited to proposal, but still use university infrastructure. There is no solution more than your personal path. Be active in various ways, find your personal partnerships in network, and in that way will be more visible and find opportunities. The general recommendation is: start early.

Postdoc Professionals

The postdoc limbo phase has been on our mind for a while. There are no clear answers. Paths are unique, choices are individual. No matter how many recommendations that you get, the final choice is yours. But the more recommendations and aspects that you get, the more for you to consider and mix to what feels right.

Postdoc professionals is a meeting space. It will grow from its activity, with those active. Some years ago I was part of building up an activity in a certain topic: advanced materials as part of regional economic growth. This was related to the smart specialisation strategy that was initiated by the European Commission. The activities at that time were initial. We had one workshop. Next workshop was based on the interests and people active in the first workshop. That led to a cluster arena that today is self managing community.

That was a real example how things grow from those who are contributing. Often in our field, it is recommended to include that and that person. Like some professor. But if that person is not active, no matter how famous they are, that will not contribute to develop the concept.

In business it is recommended to have a strong team. That can make wonders of great ideas, but great ideas do not progress unless people are truly active and active together. Team is stronger than the idea.

Postdoc Professionals is intended for those researchers who are being active together. Let it start from that.