Post Doctoral Network

Welcome to the Postdoctoral Network section of the BPS. Our aim is to build a nationwide network of contract research staff who have completed their PhD and wish to benefit from sharing ideas, career advice, and social support. In these pages you'll find our pick of the best resources for postdocs, as well as a message board forum. We hope in future to offer real-world workshops on essential skills such as writing grants, forming collaborations, and getting your research published in top journals. If there's anything you'd like to see us cover in this section of the website please email postdoc@bps.org.uk.

How to get a postdoc

There are several routes you can pursue to get yourself a postdoc after your PhD. The most obvious is to stay inside your current institution and, along with your supervisor, "spread the word" that you'll be submitting soon and looking to stay in academia. In particular, make sure that Principal Investigators (PIs) you'd like to work with know when you'll be available as they often have many grants under review at any one time and it'll make their life much easier to offer the post to someone they know.

The more independent, but riskier, option is to write your own grant proposal. Note that the majority of funders won't consider first-time postdocs as a primary applicant so you'll either have to go for early-career fellowships such as those provided by the ESRC. These tend to be short (<3 years) and focus on giving you time to write up papers from your PhD, as well as gain skills in grant-writing and collaboration to build a foundation for building your own career. Alternatively, you and your supervisor (or another PI in your institution) could write a grant application together to submit to one of your typical sources of funding (research councils, charities, industry collaboration). In either case, remember two things: First, the "hit rate" for even an experienced grant-writer is rarely more than 20%, and second, to write a good grant is probably going to take in the region of 2-3 months. Note that it's not the writing that takes the time, it's more to do with costing, salary grading, and getting appropriate signoffs from various bureaucrats. So, if you want to try your hand at writing grants by all means give it a go, but it's a lot of work and the odds are low. If this is your first postdoc and you're currently up to your neck in writing up your thesis, it might be too much to deal with. That said, if you manage to get external sources of funding it looks great on your CV and may mean you can climb the ranks more quickly.

The third option is to apply for jobs, just like you would with any career. You can check online databases such as http://www.findapostdoc.com/, www.jobs.ac.uk, The Guardian Society section, or the BPS Psychologist Magazine / Appointments Memoranda. This can be an exciting opportunity to learn new techniques, form new collaborations, and develop your career in another institution. However it may also mean problems relocating (along with partner, children, pets, etc.!), a period of settling in, and leaving friends behind. For some people with itchy feet, this suits them perfectly, but for some the moving around every few years makes them feel like a wondering nomad and causes frustration in their personal relationships. Having children to relocate certainly adds another element!

What it's like to be a postdoc

First, the good news. You've completed your thesis, survived your viva, and now you can relax a little bit and get back to doing research! Not having the PhD hurdles like regular supervision meetings, progress/monitoring forms, and compulsory training days certainly frees up your time. However, the downside is that some postdocs can feel isolated and without much guidance, especially if the friends you made during your PhD have left for pastures new. Once you start producing papers and speaking at conferences, you will find your academic reputation start to rise; the first thing that struck me was that other academics were far more likely to respond to an email address with "Dr." in it! You may also find yourself being invited to peer-review papers for academic journals, to present plenary sessions at conferences, and to help in selecting members of staff in your department. If you haven't already been doing so, you might also be called upon to do some lecturing, whether of undergrads or postgrads. You'll also find yourself acting as an unofficial mentor to PhD students in your group/lab, and providing a lot of the hands-on technical know how on a day-to-day basis.

Inevitably, there is a confusing period for many postdocs as they find they are no longer PhD students and that you're now a member of staff doing a job. This can mean there's less creative scope to do your own thing; achievement targets need to be met to satisfy funders, and juggling your time between multiple responsibilities can be difficult. Finances might also be a little different if you were used to a tax-free stipend; now you're paying council tax, income tax, national insurance, and a pension to boot! That said, most postdocs earn a bit more than PhD students and you might not have to stick to your supermarket's value range for much longer!

The postdoc experience is really an opportunity for you to test the academic waters and decide whether a life at university is right for you or whether you might want to explore other options, whether that be in industry, the public sector, or another job altogether. Enjoy it!

Social support, networking and reputation building

Establishing an excellent network of contacts and building a good reputation are crucial parts of the postdoc experience. Getting to know both the leading researchers and other postdocs in your field will open many doors. You’ll learn from other people’s experiences, find a source of social support, gain valuable input into your research and may even create job opportunities for yourself.

The best way to get yourself known in your field is to attend relevant conferences at both the national and international level. There are many conferences in the UK, including those hosted by The British Psychological Society (ww.bps.org.uk), the Experimental Psychology Society (www.eps.ac.uk), as well as events organised by charity and government bodies. There are also smaller, less formal meetings, such as those hosted by university research groups - look up the research seminars hosted by your own and other universities. International conferences are advertised in a number of places. Psychology Press advertise conferences by geographical location (http://www.psypress.com/resources/conferences.asp.), but you should also check with your PI and others in your field to see what interesting meetings are coming up.

Once you’re at the meeting, it’s not just a case of listening to the talks and taking copious notes; for you, it’s the coffee breaks and poster sessions that should be your busiest times. Scan delegate lists to try and identify people you should speak to by the end of the conference and ask your PI to make introductions where they can. Attending the social events at a conference, such as the conference dinner, is important - it is easier to talk to people and get to know them in a less formal context and it will provide you with the opportunity to meet other postdocs, who can provide that all important social support, and other researchers with whom you might want to collaborate in the future.

Some meetings cover specific areas of psychology and others are more general and it is important to attend a good mix of both to ensure you disseminate your research as widely as possible, and also to make sure you meet and get to know a wide range of people.

A second way to build your reputation as a postdoc is to write and referee articles. You may find that you are approached by journals and asked to review papers - this is a very good thing to do, but make sure you don’t take on too much! If you would like to review articles, but are not approached directly, try writing to the editor of a journal or asking your PI to recommend you.

On a smaller, but no less important scale, you need to establish yourself within your department. This can be achieved easily by attending departmental talks and seminars or by joining postgraduate, postdoctoral or early career groups (who often provide valuable training as well social events). If there is no suitable group, consider setting one up and perhaps asking for a small amount of departmental funding to cover refreshments and the occasional invited speaker.

Another key part of building your reputation is to take on administrative duties and get some teaching experience. Look for vacancies for postdoc representatives on different committees within your department and for different organisations. You need to make sure you are known as a well-rounded academic!

Networking doesn’t always mean leaving your desk. The internet is a great way to meet people and find answers to those questions you’re too embarrassed to ask - it can also be invaluable if you feel shy about meeting people face-to-face. Blogging, using discussion forums and joining mailing lists are easy to do and can be valuable sources of information. Here are few websites you might want to visit:

• http://www.psypag.co.uk/
• http://forum.psyclick.org.uk/
• http://www.clinpsy.org.uk/
• http://www.eps.ac.uk/members/postgrad.html