Struggling in your postdoc? Try this
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23364396Keywords:
posdoct experience, working lifeAbstract
There is an entire genre of articles on how to make the most of a postdoc. Nature Careers, Science Careers, Times Higher Education, the professional development office of almost any university: all of them offer the same recipe. Take ownership of your project. Publish. Build a network. Watch your work-life balance. None of those articles answers a simpler and more uncomfortable question: what, concretely, does the person I depend on expect from me?
References
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D., Montaño-Centellas, F., Paudel, K., White, R. L., & Veríssimo, D. (2023). The manifold costs of being a non-native English speaker in science. PLOS Biology, 21(7), e3002184. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002184
Woolston, C. (2020). Postdoc survey reveals disenchantment with working life. Nature, 587(7834), 505–508. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03191-7
Kahn, S., & MacGarvie, M. (2024). New evidence on international postdocs in the US: Less pay, different experiences. Research Policy, 53(9), 105077.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Alejandro Anderson (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
