Not all Postdocs are created equal

Your are thinking about doing a Postdoc? Great idea! But be aware that not all Postdoc positions are created equal. Thus, not every Postdoc will suit your particular needs or help you achieve your goals. Read this article to learn about the considerable differences between five common types of Postdocs.

The academic Postdoc

Doing a Postdoc in academia is the obvious choice especially if you want to pursue an academic career. Yet, be aware that not all academic Postdocs are the same.

The Postdoc that is an extension of your PhD

A popular way of doing a Postdoc is staying in your supervisor‘s research group after you finish your PhD. There are many reasons for doing so.

On the one hand, there are scientific reasons. There might still be open scientific questions to answer, which arose during your PhD project. Possibly, you want to complete scientific publications. You might need to write scientific grands to ensure your work is continued. Or you are teaching undergrads and supervise grad students.

One the other hand you might do this Postdoc to earn money, to be employed, or to look for other jobs. All these are good and valid reasons to stay on.

Filling an open Postdoc Position in another lab

Instead of staying in your supervisor‘s research group, you could also apply for a Postdoc position in another group. Here, you broaden your scientific experience a bit more instead of just deepening it.

But there might be also a downside. When the position becomes available, the Postdoc project is already defined. You can still influence the details and execution of this project, but the direction is already set.

Securing your own funding for your Postdoc

You might also secure your own Postdoc funding by winning a research grand or a stipend. This is a great situation for a Postdoc. You are scientifically independent. You can pursue your very own research interest and realize your own ideas.

For many PhD students the challenging part is securing the Postdoc funding. Applying for highly competitive grands or stipends while still being in their final and hectic phase of their PhD is not easy.

Industry Postdocs

Industry Postdocs are a great opportunity for scientists who want to venture out and gain some industry experience. But be aware of the fact that not all industry Postdocs are created equal.

Actual publishing industry Postdocs

This kind of industry Postdocs do basic or applied research. They publish papers, write patent applications, and go to scientific conferences. Of course, there are still a few differences to academia. But overall, it is similar to an academic Postdoc.

Industry Postdocs who do not publish

There is much to be said for working in industry, but be aware of the downsides of doing this kind of Postdoc. Oftentimes, companies advertise their scientist positions with the label „Postdoc“. They are attractive and interesting roles for jobseekers. who recently finished their PhD. But they are not real Postdoc positions.

This kind of Postdoc might work on assay optimization or process development. But the big difference is that they are not an active member of an scientific community. They do not publish research papers and they do not go to conferences.

These kind of Postdocs are great entry-level positions for a wonderful career in industry. But they will make it difficult for you to return to academia since you won’t improve your publication list here.