Monday, May 07, 2007

When to change your lab

Excerpted from:
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/3570/knowing_when_to_break_free_from_your_pi

"You should leave as soon as you feel there is more value in leaving than in staying. In the short term, staying in your current position is likely to yield more publications in high-impact journals. But, as you suspect, there is more to getting a lectureship than a compelling publication record."

"This is only one example, but we can draw some general conclusions:

Fellows are usually very attractive to universities because the fellowship has given them a chance to build an independent funding and publication record, as well as a research group. You can read more about Fellows' experiences in a recent International Career Report that was published jointly by Next Wave and Science magazine in April 2005. All institutions value a breadth of research experience. "This department looks to appoint the very best people from the best international labs, so competition is tough," explains Smith. If you only ever work with one PI, you are only seeing one approach to research. You are less likely to have learned to develop novel ideas and projects, as well as to work and think independently. If you try to argue that your existing work was based on your ideas, it begs the question, why weren't you trying to find a personal fellowship to do that work on your own?

You are still on-track for a fellowship, assuming your publication record is strong. Fellows in the International Career Report mentioned that a good time to start applying for a fellowship is between your 4th and 6th year of postdoc. That leaves you about 6 months to find a foreign postdoc and 3 years to carry it out.
......"

No comments: