“Getting that first post-doc” Jane Endicott Professor of Cancer Structural Biology (With thanks to Professor Anthony Moorman, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology for the slide set)

Overview of session Negotiating the academic career pathway Selecting the right post-doc for you Applying for the job Questions

The dream

The reality

Career pathway of PhD graduates

More and more competition!

Academic Career Pathway PhD Student Tenured Academic Position Research Technician / Assistant / Associate Post-doc Independent Researcher Fellowship Team Scientist Lecturer Senior Lecturer Professor

Get a five year plan Where do you want to be in five years? Fellowship Joint application on grant Expert in particular technique / field Lecturing Industry How are you going to get? Which elements will this post-doc fulfil? What else do you need to do?

Get a mentor http://www.ncl.ac.uk/fms/postgrad/mentoring

Seek out other sources of advice Peer support groups Talk to visiting speakers (organised postdoc/student sessions after talks), Colleagues at meetings Journal web ages (E.g, Nature Career Column, see https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07860-6, "Six project-management tips for your PhD” and https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07332-x, “Twenty things I wish I’d known when I started my PhD” as examples of recent relevant articles” Colleagues at meetings. Journal career columns (Eg. two recent articles in the Nature Career Column https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07332-x, “Twenty things I wish I’d known when I started my PhD”) and https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07860-6, “Six project-management tips for your PhD ”

Laying the foundations of a good CV Finish your PhD on time Publications First author > Joint first author > Second author Techniques (quantify) Basic State-of-the-art Present research at conferences Spoken / Platform presentation Poster presentation International > National > Local Outreach, Impact and Public understanding of Science Make the most of in-house training courses (formal training in methods, presentation, writing, management, being a mentor/supervisor) Networking

Networking It's not what you know but who you know that makes the difference. [Anon] It isn't just what you know, and it isn't just who you know. It's actually who you know, who knows you, and what you do for a living. [Bob Burg]

Networking Make yourself known Attend conferences Talk to PIs etc in your institute Accept any invitation to meet external speakers Do “research in progress” talks. Prepare well in advance. Attend conferences Don’t be afraid to ask questions Introduce yourself to leaders in the field Ask your supervisor(s) to introduce you If you have a poster make sure to display on time and for full length of time. Be in attendance during “poster” sessions. Use conferences as ways to gauge where a field is going, hear potential supervisors speak- think ahead

External Fellowships UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships: See https://www.ukri.org/funding/funding-opportunities/future-leaders-fellowships/- long-term, flexible, comprehensive package including fellow's salary and justified research, staff and training costs. Seven years of support available on a 4+3 model, with a review in year four. Host institution support essential. MRC support Wellcome Trust: Sir Henry Wellcome, Sir Henry Dale, Research Career re-entry, Seed /Springboard Awards Other Charities. Landscape is changing!

Newcastle Fellowships Currently two main research fellowship schemes for outstanding post-doctoral scientists: Faculty Fellowships for early career scientists and Newcastle University Research Fellowships (NURF) for early to mid-career scientists. Fellows will be based in one of the following Institutes. See https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medicalsciences/research/career-development/fellowship/#overview Landscape is changing!

Goals for your first-doc? First author publications Experience of grant preparation / writing Learning new techniques/skills including management and people skills Teaching experience – didactic/lab-based, UG

Selecting the right post-doc In the same field or something different? Technique driven/biology driven? Start looking early- (i) you need some time to consider possibilities and giving yourself enough time to read around the subject; (ii) the best labs fill positions quickly (iii) try to attend meetings where you can hear your potential group leader speak Explore bringing your own funding “Should I stay or should I go” But be careful ..... Very important decision

Assessing a potential position (1) Are they .... ... leaders in the field? ... the next big thing? ... journeymen? ... the weakest link? What is environment like? What would make you attractive to them? Aim as high as possible Look up the RAE (REF) rating of university/department/unit Literature search – including citation index Money How much have they got and from where Cross reference their website from funders’ websites

Assessing a potential position (2) Group metrics / dynamics Who is publishing as first author / corresponding author? Size of group Ratio of senior : junior staff Clinically active heads of lab Who do they collaborate with? Website PLUS publications Use your contacts to gather informal information

Preparing your CV Clear & Concise Divide into sections Publications Qualifications (including training courses) Research Skills Be honest, Quantify, Official training Other skills (e.g. languages etc) Meetings / Conferences Presentations Publications Mission / Personal Statements

Applying for a position Do not apply cold. Contact PI in advance. Ask questions about project and team. Read their papers. Try to find project application via funder website. Covering letter Write, re-write, re-write and re-write

Interview Smart dress Don’t bullshit!

Interview (cont’d) Be prepared to …. Ask some questions Give a brief interesting overview of PhD – contextualise Discuss research interests of PI offering the job What your ideal next experiment would be if there were no financial or logistical problems. Describe how did you trouble-shoot a technical problem How you approach writing your first author paper Ask some questions Research related What have former post-docs gone on to do? Teaching opportunities

Final thoughts