r/postdoc

Hi everyone,

I defended my thesis on 18 may and joined the postdoc on 1st june. Right after my PhD I could not relax since I had to move to another city before joining my postdoc. The first two weeks of work were really fine, I was able to get so much work done but from the past two weeks, every time I open work I feel like throwing up. The work is still interesting but my mind is procrastinating a lot. I just stare at the screen, I can't write a single sentence. I read papers, but my mind is not absorbing the information.

I feel so guilty about that, I had a paper deadline from one of the papers I was working on during my PhD, and I could not submit it on time. I just gave up, my mind straightaway refused to work. I know what needs to be done, but I am being so lazy. I just don't feel like working.

Has anyone experienced something like this? I would really appreciate some guidance. I could be lazy here too I just don't know what is wrong with me.

I am a PhD student in astrophysics, currently working on my first paper. Today I had one of our regular weekly meetings with my supervisor. Near the end, I asked about future postdocs, when to apply, and how to think about the next step. He said, kindly but honestly, that he does not think I am ready for a postdoc yet. He was not harsh, and I do trust his judgement, but it was still painful to hear. He said that I need to be independent before doing a postdoc. At least he thinks that researchers who will hire a postdoc will look for independence. He thinks that other students who got postdoc positions had that capability whereas I am taking his suggestion/ideas for what to do next.

I want to take the feedback seriously rather than just feel bad about it. For people who have been through this: How did you guys become independent? Did you feel independent before starting your first postdoc? How should I use the remaining time (~14 months) to become a stronger postdoc candidate (I have probably less time because applications will start before I finish my PhD)? I feel like what needs to be done never finishes. Should I separate some time from producing results and doing new analysis into thinking/reading more?

Quick note about me: I am finishing my 3rd year, and I have exactly 1 year and 2 months more until the end of my PhD in September/October 2027. My current paper is my first paper in PhD and it is almost done. Co-authors have already read the manuscript and they shared their comments. I think it will be ready to submit in a week. I have changed a sub-area in astrophysics (from high-energy astrophysics to galaxies), which made me slow down a lot because I needed to learn a lot. I have 5 more published articles (1 first authored) from my 3 years of research before PhD (2 years of MSc plus 1 year of PhD before I won a nice funding and moved to my current PhD).

Hi all!

I just got my K99 impact score back from NIA: a 34. My project is on cardiac aging and is not AD/dementia related. Going in, I didn't fully know (I am an idiot) that NIA effectively funds AD/ADRD out of a separate congressional appropriation, so non-AD basic aging projects compete in a much tighter pool.

My rough understanding is that AD/ADRD applications have historically been fundable at considerably higher (less competitive) impact scores (~32), while non-AD projects need to score much lower, roughly the high teens (~18). I know there are no hard published paylines this year, so this is approximate. A 34 for a non-AD project at NIA feels well outside the fundable range. The added pressure: my K99 eligibility window closes later this year, so I realistically have one more submission. I don't have my summary statement yet, so I can't judge the critiques, but I'm trying to think through the highest-probability path now.

The options as I see them:

1. Resubmit to NIA as an A1 and try to jump from 34 to ~18. Big improvement needed, same tough non-AD pool.

2. Resubmit as an A1 but request a change of primary institute to NHLBI (my science is fundamentally cardiovascular). Keeps the resubmission advantage, but the NIA critiques follow the application to the new reviewers.

3. Submit a fresh A0 to NHLBI. Clean slate, new reviewers, no prior critiques attached, but I lose the resubmission "bump" and can't formally respond to reviewers.

My gut says leaving NIA is smart, since NHLBI has no hard payline and historically funds K99s at more forgiving scores, so I'd need a smaller improvement. But I'm torn between options 2 and 3. Specifically: - If you've requested a change of primary institute on a K99 resubmission, how did it go? Did DRR honor it? - For a cardiovascular project, roughly where does an NHLBI K99 realistically need to score these days? - Given only one remaining shot, would you keep the A1 resubmission advantage or go in fresh as an A0 at the new institute?

Thanks so much. Any perspective is appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I’ll be moving to the US for a two-year postdoctoral research period at Stanford University and will be applying for a J-1 Research Scholar visa. As my position is funded through Italian research funds, I will not be eligible for Stanford’s postdoctoral health insurance benefits and will therefore need to arrange my own insurance coverage.

I’m currently looking for a suitable health/travel insurance plan that meets the J-1 requirements, but which, at the same time, provides adequate healthcare cover. For those who have been in a similar situation, which insurance providers or plans would you recommend?

I also have a question about the length of coverage. Do I need to purchase insurance covering the full 24 months of my J-1 program from the beginning, or is it acceptable to have coverage for the first 12 months and then renew the same policy or purchase a different compliant plan for the second year? If 24 months of coverage are required from the outset, do you know of any insurance plans that provide coverage for the full two-year period?

Thank you so much in advance!

Eleonora

Hello everyone,

I am a PhD holder and I am currently try to land a Postdoc contract in the field of geology / planetary science.

Following my PhD defense (Winter 2025), I was feeling so lost as no one prepared me for what was about to happen. I started sending out emails to potential postdoc supervisors, with ideas of project drafts. The problem was that most of these ideas were already being considered by my PhD supervisor and collaborators. I don't know about your experience, but my PhD supervisor did not help me at all in guiding me. He just told me I needed to visit new labs, make new connections, and expand my field of expertise. In any case, I decided to drop my old ideas and started reading about something new, something on a different topic.

Therefore I contacted a new potential collaborator (X) which I could write a proposal with on this new topic. The idea is that he submits this proposal and if accepted, hire me as his postdoc. This guy accepted and right now we are about to submit a proposal. At the same time I kept looking for ads for postdocs, and found a PI that was looking for a PhD in order to work on a Marie Curie project. I sent my resume and got shortlisted. With this latter supervisor I also participated in an online Marie Curie masterclass for free. Eventually, I have been selected by him to write the Marie Curie proposal together.

I am now torn between these two opportunities. On the one hand, I really love this project that I wrote with collaborator X, which deals with something completely new to me and exciting. It will also be based in the same country where my girlfriend and I are staying. On the other hand, I don't want to disappoint the other Marie Curie guy, who was so nice. Tbh, the foundations of the project are more fragile as I don't feel I have a solid grip on this project (which deals only partially with my PhD thesis), and honestly I don't feel that invested in working on it.

What do you guys think of this? Should I just give up my second opportunity to invest fully (something which I already do) on my first one? What do you think this second Marie Curie guy would take it? Honestly, I feel I am letting down some people.

PS

By the way, amongst many other things, people in academia warned me against having a fixed relationship with someone during a PhD (I guess because in their mind, a stable relationship wouldn't allow me to be open to explore new potential places to live, visit less countries, ...). I mean, these are the same people that did their PhD and most of their careers in their home countries! And now they are lecturing me on not moving much? (By the way I got my PhD in Belgium, and I am from Italy).

I recently commenced my postdoctoral position in Australia. Before that, I completed a 3.5‑year PhD in Australia and a seven‑year combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in China. However, I feel that my English is not fully professional, and my spoken English is only at a moderate level. During my student years, staff and students were always very kind to me.

In the past several years, the rapid development of AI tools has also influenced my writing skills. For example, I used to polish and check my emails carefully before sending them, but now I often rely on AI tools to make my writing sound perfect.

Another challenge is that I now work closely with native English speakers. Everything feels new, and I understand that there is less tolerance for mistakes in an employee role.

Therefore, I am wondering how I can improve my English through both leisure activities and academic work.

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​Hey everyone,

​I’m about 3–4 months away from submitting my PhD thesis in Australia. My research and experience sit right at the intersection of Healthcare AI, Generative AI, and Computer Vision.

​As graduation approaches, I’m hitting a bit of a crossroads and could really use some perspective from those who have been here:

​1. The Dilemma: Industry R&D vs. Postdoc

​I’m feeling torn between jumping straight into the industry or looking for postdoctoral opportunities.

​On one hand, I love the pace and practical impact of industry, especially with how fast GenAI is moving.

​On the other hand, a postdoc offers deep research freedom, though I worry it might delay a transition to industry later if I choose to leave academia. For those who transitioned either way, what factors tipped the scale for you? How is the current market viewing postdocs vs. industry fresh grads?

​2. Job Hunting Strategy for Health AI / GenAI

​What is the best, most effective way to actually secure a role in this niche right now? The market feels highly competitive but also starved for deep technical expertise.

​Should I focus on traditional applications, cold-outreach to health-tech startups, or target specific tech hubs?

​For anyone working in Health AI or GenAI: What does a standout resume/portfolio look like to a hiring manager?

​I’d love to hear your stories, realities of the current job market, or any brutal honesty you can throw my way. Thanks in advance!

Hi. I have been been exchanging msgs with my potential PI for 2 months and he has helped me a lot in terms of PhD application and what to work on to get published. Eversince, I have always been feeling reluctant with this opportunity due to low stipend. (Dorm and tuition are covered).

Yesterday I got a much better offer in terms of funding, institution’s credibility, facility, and PI’s global contributions. It’s a big dream come true for me and it will leverage my potential + network much more.

But how do I turn down my first potential PI? I feel bad about disappointing him especially since he’s been really assistive eversince.

No contract or any sort has been formalized/ presented yet in both opportunities, which are btw within the same southeast asian country.

To organize my questions:

1. Does it make me a bad egg to leave my 1st potential PI hanging? Since September intake is coming.
2. Is it normal to be honest in turning down a PhD offer?
3. Should I just think of another alibi so things will feel lighter?
4. Should I help or offer help in finding a replacement instead?

Pls help :( Thank you :)

So as I’ve said, I got my PhD in developmental psychology in the UK, my area of research is autism and trauma. I’ve been in the UK for around 8 years with my Masters, PhD, and graduate visa. My visa comes to an ends in August 2027. My current contract ends in Feb 2027 and there’s no possibility for that to be extended, I have a funding application going in soon but the start date is August 2027.

My question is basically how hard is it to transition from academia from the UK back to the U.S.? It seems like I don’t have a lot of options for staying, if I’m out of a job in Feb 2027. What’s the research climate like in the U.S.? Is it feasible for me to try and get a postdoc position in the U.S., if I need to?

I want to stay in academia, and I’m wondering how bad it looks to do a postdoc at the same university where I did my PhD.

Does it hurt future faculty applications, even if the postdoc is with a different PI or research group?

I know moving institutions can help show independence and expand your network, but how much does this actually matter compared with publications, funding, and research fit?

Would appreciate advice from people who have done this or been on hiring committees.

Hi! Anyone here who has experience applying for a PhD abroad with an assistantship?

I'm already an M.Ed. graduate, and I really want to study abroad to expand my academic, cultural, and international experience. Right now, though, I feel kind of lost about what steps I should be taking.

So far, I'm reviewing for the IELTS, working on a few academic papers in case universities require publications, and I've also been emailing professors abroad. Luckily, some of them have replied.

I'm just worried about the English proficiency requirement. Do most universities strictly require IELTS, or is the Duolingo English Test (DET) accepted by some schools?

Any advice on what else I should be preparing or doing at this stage would really help. Thanks in advance!

I’m so sad.

Backstory:
I am in the US.
I moved back to my hometown for a family medical emergency. My parents and I are first generation. They’ve depended on me basically my entire life and I was the default English learner for our family. They aren’t doing amazing health wise and needed me here to help them. I’ve been lucky enough to leave my home state to pursue a PhD.

I’ve done a 3 year postdoc already, though I was in the middle of my major project and never got to finish. My advisor was supportive of my leaving and is on the lookout for jobs in the area for me.

I’ve done 6 postdoc interviews in the area. All of which are with labs that either do exactly the thing I did in my prior postdoc, or have major aspects of their lab which I have strong technical expertise in.

I’ve been interviewing for a little over 7 months now and all of the answers from these labs have been the same. Issues with funding or budgeting. This was surprising to me also since some labs would put up job listings for PD positions, I targeted these thinking they’ve already budgeted for this position.

I am my own biggest critic, so instinctively I thought it was all my fault. I even asked my previous mentors and colleagues if they thought I could be doing anything incorrectly - if they thought I could be better at any aspect of interviewing. They assured me it was the state of funding in the United States… though I can’t get that little voice out my head telling me that it’s me.

Let me know how you’re coping if you’re in the same boat, experiencing something similar. Family obligations compounding with a bad job market is extremely stressful.

Hi. Just wondering if anyone out there can help.

My gf will be graduating August 8, 2026 with her PHD in medical science.

She had her defense April 24th.

How long would it take for her to get a post doc job if she just started applying all over the US a week and a half ago?

What is that timeline like in general for this field and what im asking?

This is basically a vent post.

I started looking actively for postdoc opportunities after submitting my thesis in last December. To give a context, I have multiple publications in the top most journal(s) in my research area, published over the duration of my PhD. My research-topic (STEM) is decently thriving and I was hoping to get in some top-grade university and applied for several posts that aligned with my broad research area (not the specific topic but the domain). I was so confident that I started preparing for interviews and started preparing for moving. But oh boy, was I humbled !

Over the next few months, rejections started coming from left and right. My email inbox had three different mail types from every university that I applied to (account created, thanks for applying, after careful consideration...). I gradually realized that the postdoc market isn't that strong right now and there maybe a single post must have been getting many many applications. It is only fair that they must be shortlisting only people with the exact research background, or that could be a genuine filter.

But in March, I saw an advertisement. One of the top-most Institute, top-most group. But the PI was only an emerging researcher. The position was a 90% match with my research area. I had all the qualifications that the advertisement demanded. In fact the proposal sounded exactly like the continuation of my PhD thesis.

I mailed the PI just to make him know that I exist and avoid any HR intervention. However his response was very off-putting (red flag 1). I asked some deep technical doubts about the proposal which to he had no strong answers (red flag 2). Nevertheless, I applied for the post, hoping to showcase my expertise in the interview.

Fast forward 2 months, I got a reply mail from the PI that they found an even suitable candidate. This actually broke me. The fact that they didn't give me a chance at interview, despite being one of the most qualified person for the job, made me realize that the job posting itself may have been pre-fixed.

6 months now into the postdoc searching era, I have started to realize that most of the advertisements that I see (at least in my domain) are mostly pre-fixed or get filled through PI-contacts. The PIs put up advertisements for the sake of it and it is the time, effort and energy of hopeful candidates like me that gets wasted.

Disclaimer : English is not my native language. Kindly excuse mistakes.

Edit 1 : Looking at some of the comments, I feel that some you have misinterpreted my email to the PI. This may have also been due to my bad language. When I said I asked 'doubts', I didn't mean that I questioned their project or their approach. I asked curiously about the methodology they were planning to implement. I wanted to make sure how much it was connecting to my own thesis and how I could improve my application to fit the position.

Also my rant is not because I was not given the position. I was confident of landing the interview because of the position's perfect fit with my own research background. Not given that chance made me question the genuinety of the whole process and hence the post.

However I realize that my post may not have come out as intended and I respect the opinion of everyone who supported me, assured me and even questioned me.

Edit 2 : Where I am from, we use the word doubts and questions interchangeably. Asking a doubt is same as asking as a question.  For instance, you ask doubts to your teacher about the topic when they are teaching, if something is not clear. In this case, I didnt 'doubt' the PI or their methodology, I asked them some 'questions'.

But unfortunately, miscommunication occured !!

Hi, I got a postdoc offer at Inria, Côte d'Azur, France. I am having doubts regarding the pay scale. I want to know more about the living conditions, rents, and savings options. What helped you the most in making the decision? Any suggestions would be really helpful.

Oi, pessoal. Terminei meu doutorado em 2024 e trabalhei com projetos de pesquisa na industria de engenharia (fora da minha área, que é ciencias aplicadas), dei aulas e orientei pesquisas lato sensu. Recentemente tomei a atitude de começar a participar de concursos e me candidatei a um posdoc em uma universidade estadual, que tbm contempla oito horas semanais de sala de aula. Edit: passei nesse edital, o que é bem legal.
Estou em um grande dilema, pois gostaria bastante de retomar meu foco na academia, mas abrir mão do trabalho clt e meu cnpj que presto consultoria me deixa muito inseguro, pois a bolsa desse pppd dura apenas 12 meses, pela universidade. A renovação depende de orçamento da universidade. Um terrivel porém dessa bolsa: a palhaçada de irpf por ter atividade fixa em sala de aula (irei substituir professor em disciplinas relacionadas ao meu projeto) - sim, atipico, mas já foi confirmado pelo DGRH da universidade.
Gostaria da opinião de vcs, que possuem mais tempo nessa vida sobre as possibilidades que esse posdoc pode trazer, mesmo eu tendo ficado afastado dois anos (publiquei pouco, fui a congressos, publiquei livros no país).
Com um bom desempenho, vcs enxergam possibilidade de outros editais sendo abertos por esse retorno? Que dicas poderiam me dar? Abrir mão do meu trabalho, que é estável, apesar de não ser na minha área de pesquisa, me gera um desconforto, pela falta de visão para além dos doze meses. Alguém aqui já passou por isso aqui?

So, at what point do you acknowledge someone's contribution to a study and at what level?

If someone helps you write a protocol that leads to publishable data generation, they should get a good acknowledgement: authorship, mentioned in talks.

What about if someone shows you the basics of something and you develop a protocol independently?

A PI recently advertised on LinkedIn that she was recruiting three postdocs. My research area overlaps closely with hers, so I emailed her with my CV and cover letter. In my cover letter, I also mentioned that I currently live in City X, while the position is in City Y, so I would need to relocate if offered the position.

Two days later, she replied. The email was very brief and mainly pointed out the salary, almost as if she wanted to make sure I was aware of it before going any further. She also included her phone number.
To be honest, although the salary is lower than I’d ideally like, I genuinely like the research topic, so I decided it wasn’t a dealbreaker.
Since she had shared her number, I called. She answered, said she was in a meeting, and told me she would call me back later that day. She never did🥲
The next day, instead of calling again, I sent a polite email saying that I’d tried to reach her, understood she was busy, and that I am still very interested in the position. I said I’d be happy to discuss it further whenever she have time.
She replied saying, “Sorry, I forgot to call you. Let’s meet online on Friday at 10:30.”
I replied immediately confirming that the date and time worked for me.
Friday came… and I never received a meeting link or any further message from her.

At this point, I’m not sure what to do. Should I send one more follow-up email, or should I take this as a sign that she’s no longer interested and move on? Has anyone experienced something similar?

Hi all, I have been through many academic interviews and have been ghosted so many times. In one case, I even had an in-person interview that lasted half a day, following an initial 30-minute screening interview. I know I can't really say anything to those PIs, but it is such a disrespectful practice, and I have no idea what I could try to change.

First, I completely understand that this is a honeymoon period. But I Iam trying to how it is this far, and I am baffled:

• On my first day, during onboarding, the corporate service assigned me PTO. Apparently I can use it right away, I don’t have to wait for how many months after starting work to use it. During my postdoc, I was not assigned any PTO. Instead, I was told ‘You just need to ask if you need some time away’. I did not have any right to PTO, and the contract never stipulated it either. It was based on the benevolence of the PI.
• I was assigned a line manager and was introduced to how the organisation works. There is a line manager, and there are project leads. Below line manager, everyone takes turn to be a project leads. The project leads manage 2-3 people in a small projects, and typically any person is assigned to 4-5 different projects. So there is a lot of movement and it is very dynamic. During my postdoc, I was assigned to a ‘babysitter’ who was clearly not interested in working with me. In the end she either gave me a task that is impossible to achieve and later bitched about me to the PI, or she would ghost me. Nothing in between. When she ‘coached’ me, she would constantly reminded me how i don’t know anything.
• I was told to read some corporate protocols, the usual stuff. However, two documents caught my eyes: digital disconnection, and harassment. Apparently in this job, I am expected not to reply to any email outside of working hour. In my postdoc, my PI asked me to bring laptop even when I was on a holiday, and he reprimanded me for taking holiday during the university closure time because in his word: ‘we‘re not clerk, we researcher works 24/7’. In the harassment protocol document, there was a list of behaviours considered to be ‘psychological mobbing’. I experienced EVERY SINGLE ONE of them with my postdoc team.
• My new job pays me a median salary in the city. I can rent an apartment like an adult with the salary. Perks include free lunch for every day I am working from the office, some sport subscription, and annual bonus. My old job paid me a money that was barely enough to rent a room, and due to the stupid regulation, I had to pay additional 2000 EUR out of pocket for healthcare. Yet, I was told that I should be grateful for the pay since i was still in training.
• People treat me like I am actually a professional. My colleagues are genuinely interested in what i have done, and they constantly try to see if i can fit into adjacent projects. I have a phd, and I was treated as such. In my postdoc, I was constantly reminded that I was not even an independent researcher yet, because i was still in training. My PI insinuated multiple times that I was Stupid.
• The onboarding process keep on reminding me the importance of work life balance and whistleblowing if I experience anything negative at work. During my postdoc, I got gaslighted so badly by my ‘babysitter’ and PI that I started seeing therapist and seek psychiatrist help. Then my PI knew about it and told me that ‘everyone in your generation seems to have mental health problem’
• When I work in a project, there is a clear discussion about tasks and how to achieve them. Everyone’s young but eager to problem solve. During my postdoc, the PI and ’babysitter’ practically threw me one paper, and told me ‘make something out of it’. After I wrote a paper (I did 80% of the work), suddenly there are 4 authors and I was listed as 2nd. The babysitter who even ghosted me multiple times during our agreed upon scheduled call got 4th authorship and she did not even breath within the vicinity of the laptop that wrote the paper.
• Lastly the contract. My first contract is a permanent contract! Which means I can actually get a mortgage like an adult. With my postdoc it was a constant 2 years contract and there was no guarantee it would ever turn permanent. One of the senior team member is a 50 years old woman who is hyper productive (minus the fact that she has to produce thousands of technical papers that are not considered to be peer-reviewed) who has been kept as a postdoc for 10+ years and now untenured assistant professorship with biannual contract. She could not leave the job because she’s super rooted and there is no other employer there, and the PI definitely exploit that fact.

Sorry, just need to get this out of my chest.