Postdoctoral Researcher Work Expectations

What I expect from you

By earning a Ph.D. degree, a postdoc has demonstrated the ability to think creatively and independently. I intend not merely to encourage such behavior, but to rely on it. Postdocs should feel free to explore new ideas with regard to their research and propose future directions. I expect you to contribute significantly to the preparation of papers, probably to include preparing first drafts. I further expect you to serve as leaders within the group and will assign you various responsibilities as they arise. Finally, your experience and expertise is a resource for the graduate students—don’t keep it under wraps.

  • You will take ownership of your training experience

  • You will keep me updated on your research progress and challenges in our biweekly meetings.

  • Seek out professional development opportunities – however, check with me before committing to any major programs (e.g., those requiring more than 4 hours/month).

  • You will develop your personal research skills. But come to me if you want funding to be able to participate in specific training opportunity.

  • Begin reading the scientific literature - read the papers I suggest, run a literature search and read papers suggested by this search. Spend some time each week updating your literature and just browsing.

  • Keep detailed lab notebooks – these are essential to turn your hard work into a finished paper, and will help to assign credit for authorship.

  • Develop your writing skills.  As you start to make progress, begin outlining a paper’s figures and drafting the text. Be prepared to go through rounds of revisions before submitting an abstract or paper. 

  • Although the availability of travel funds will vary, I encourage you to submit your work for presentation at one conference per year – note that you must get permission from me prior to submitting an abstract.

  • Attend relevant seminars – I suggest 1-2/month to learn both science and how to give a good talk.

  • For talks, please use the lab slide template – this makes it easier for me to incorporate into my talks when I present on your work.

  • Apply for fellowships, traineeships, and travel grants.  Not only will an award help your career and the overall lab funding situation, the experience of writing the proposal will help you think about what you are doing more deeply.

What you can expect from me

  • I will set the scientific direction for the lab and provide the means to pursue those directions.  This will include helping you to find a research topic, writing grants to fund the research, and maintaining the necessary university protocols for us to utilize the laboratory. Additionally, I will seek out collaborators for our work to further your opportunities.

  • I am committed to mentoring you now and in the future.  I am committed to your training while in my lab, and to advising and guiding your career development. I will work to promote you and your work.

  • I will encourage you to attend scientific meetings and make an effort to fund these activities. These meetings are important to showcase your work and for the networking opportunities as you pursue positions after your time in my lab ends.

  • I will be available for regular meetings and will provide timely review of research. For abstracts and small data questions, I will generally be able to review in 1-2 days, for papers or grants, I will need 1-2 weeks.

  • I will provide a work environment that is intellectually stimulating, supportive, safe, and free from harassment or discrimination. I take seriously any difficulties you experience in relationship to this statement – if there are conflicts with another lab member, please inform me and I will work with you and the other lab member to find a resolution. I will strive to understand your unique situation and am open to your suggestions on how to improve your experience in the lab.

Hours and Vacation

I do not believe in tracking hours – instead, I am interested to see that you are productive. However, if I sense that this is being taken advantage of, the situation will be addressed. Many appointments do not include vacation/sick/holiday leave. However, to maintain your productivity, I believe it is important to take a some time off for these purposes.  Therefore, you will have two weeks of vacation in addition to any official holiday provided by the NMSU. If you need more time I am happy to discuss an arrangement. I ask that you discuss with me at least 4 weeks before a planned absence - this way we can determine if it is an appropriate time for a vacation and if there are grant or other deadlines during that period we have ample time to prepare.

Annual Evaluations

Each year we will have an evaluation – this will help us to determine things that are going well or are areas for improvement. I will tell you if I am satisfied with your progress and help identify steps you can take to fix any concerns. As part of this process I will review your notebook, as a quality notebook is essential for future publications. This is also an opportunity for you to communicate to me what I can do to help you succeed. Tell me if you feel that you need more guidance, more independence, to meet more often, etc.

Preparing for your Future Career

A post-doc is a temporary position – from early on, we should have regular conversations on career goals and your ideal timeline to moving to your next career stage. This can help us to set the appropriate project goals – for example, more ambitious, longer projects are needed for academic careers. If your plans change, we can work together to determine how to shift your project to the correct goal. The earlier we discuss these shifts, the more likely you are to have successful outcomes from your time in my lab.