If you’ve reached postdoc level as a life scientist, you’ll almost certainly have a wide range of skills and academic experience already under your belt. But which essential skills are still missing from your set? Could you use some help with grant writing? Perhaps your time management could be sharpened up a little?
If you have long-term goals to become an assistant professor or achieve tenure as a principal investigator (PI), there’s plenty you can do at postdoc level to enhance your chances. Skills like effective leadership, mentoring and science communication are all crucial for career advancement but can sometimes be overlooked during postdoctoral training.
This article takes a closer look at some of the vital skills that form the foundations of postdoc life, and consider how building on them will give you the best chance of success as you prepare yourself for a future tenure-track position. This article will help to expand your skill set for a successful postdoc!
Grant writing
Success at most stages of academia will depend on securing funding, and postdoc level is no exception. If you’re hoping to run your own lab someday, being able to write successful grant applications is an essential skill you’ll need to hone. Learning how to write compelling and engaging applications can put you ahead of the rest in terms of obtaining research funding, which is a key requirement for tenure-track faculty positions.
Where possible, make grant writing a regular exercise and set time aside in your working week to dedicate to finding funding opportunities and filling out applications. The more you practice the art of grant writing, the better your chances of success! SEE OUR GUIDE FOR GRANT WRITING & POSTDOC APPLICATIONS
Mentoring & Leadership
To move beyond postdoc to the level of assistant professor or PI, you’ll need to show strong leadership skills. You’ll need to know how to take charge of a team and to do so with authority as well as fairness. Leadership doesn’t come naturally to everybody, but there are plenty of opportunities to practice those skills in a variety of different environments.
Becoming a mentor to graduate students and junior researchers will help you to develop leadership skills while demonstrating your potential and willingness to step up in seniority. Mentoring is a vital aspect of science research that both mentor and mentee can gain a great deal from when delivered effectively. Seek out opportunities for mentoring, and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from your mentees. Knowing what works and what doesn’t will help you to define your leadership style.
Teaching
Developing a strong teaching portfolio during a postdoc can help to expand your career options beyond traditional research-focused roles. Many tenure-track positions will involve teaching responsibilities, so postdocs should be seeking out opportunities to teach courses, design curricula, and engage students through workshops in order to build a strong teaching portfolio.
By building a portfolio that showcases both research and teaching expertise, life science postdocs are not only more versatile candidates but are also prepared for a wider range of job opportunities. Most institutions will have teacher training programs and opportunities to develop your skills at a variety of levels.
Collaboration & Networking
Building strong professional relationships is something all scientists should be doing from day one of their career journey. The wider your network of contacts, the greater number of opportunities could potentially present themselves to you as your career progresses.
Postdocs in particular should be working on building collaborations not only within their own field but across other disciplines too in order to broaden their research impact and professional network. Interdisciplinary research is often valued highly in academia, and reaching out to senior scientists outside of your own institution can open up potential new career paths.
Science Communication
Learning how to effectively communicate your research work to others is another essential skill at any level in science. As you reach a more senior academic position you will undoubtedly be presented with more and more opportunities to write and speak about your research.
At postdoc level you should be honing your skills in writing for journals, as well as presenting at conferences in preparation for potential keynote speaker roles. The ability to communicate complex ideas to both scientific and non-scientific audiences is a key skill that will bring huge benefits to your career.
Project & Time Management
Your time as a PhD student will have helped you to hone some project management skills, but being able to juggle multiple projects at postdoc level is crucial. Postdocs should be developing the ability to plan, coordinate, and oversee several research projects at once while balancing other commitments such as teaching and mentoring.
Working to deadlines and sticking to strict budgets are skills which will also stand you in good stead when you eventually find yourself in charge of your own lab. It’s also important to ensure you make time for colleagues who might need additional support, and to be aware of the overall status of experiments and other work going on around you. Learning to prioritize your time and energy is a valuable skill that all senior academics should excel at.
Resilience & Persistence
As you move through the ranks of academia you’ll understand why resilience and persistence are essential skills at any level. Life science research is highly competitive, with frequent rejections and setbacks, so it’s vital as a postdoc to have self-confidence and determination if you hope to move higher in seniority.
Developing mental resilience and persistence will help postdocs to overcome challenges and continue pushing toward long-term goals like tenure. Being focused on your long-term career goals beyond your postdoc position is a great way to build resilience and see past the hurdles that might present themselves along the way.
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