Tools for the Grad School to Faculty Transition
The goal of these links is to provide undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs with as much information as possible as they prepare to take the next step in a career as a scientist. Some pages cover a specific career stage and others are quite general. All contributions are welcome. Also see below for a section on job negotiations our page on time management.
- The Academic Job Search Handbook - book by Julia Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong that assists job seekers in all academic disciplines in their search for faculty positions.
- American Association of University Professors - home page of the professional assocation of university faculty and adminstrators, with useful information about academic careers, academic freedom, salaries, tenure policy and other relevant issues.
- Applying for a job, haggling for a job, and keeping a job - advice from Louis Gross, University of Tennessee (October 2006)
- B&B primer on first job haggling - an excellent synopsis of the in's and out's of applying, interviewing and negotiating for your first faculty position (1990). Also available as a PDF document
- Building a sustainable career in science - article from Nature Biotechnology (April 2010)
- Careers in Science and Engineering: A Student Planning Guide to Grad School and Beyond - a 1996 report by the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy
- Council on Undergraduate Research - focus is to strengthen the research programs of faculty at predominantly undergraduate institutions, and to promote research by undergraduates in all scientific settings. They are very interested in new faculty mentorship.
- Early Career Geoscience Faculty - a resource from On the Cutting Edge, professional development workshops for geoscience faculty
- Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers - an online book from the National Academies Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy
- Grant & job resources - a page of well-organized links from the Baskett Lab, UC Davis.
- How to Get a Teaching Job at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution - a 1996 document by Malcolm Campbell of Davidson College that emphasizes designing your Ph.D. program to make you a viable candidate at this large group of institutions (as well as tips for applying and interviewing).
- Landing an Academic Job: The process and the pitfalls - a document by Jonathan Dantzig at the University of Illinois describing the process of applying and interviewing for positions in mechanical engineering. Most of the topics covered are not specific to mechanical engineering. Also available as a PDF document
- Looking beyond research in doctoral education - an article from Frontiers in Ecology recommending a shift from a focus on dissertation research to a broader conception of doctoral education that includes training and mentoring relevant to future careers.
- Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty - a highly recommended collection of advice, experiences, and opinions from seasoned biomedical investigators and other professionals. Published by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
- Nature: Survive in Science - a continuing series of articles for postdocs and students, including:
- Making a move - changing labs (20 July 2006)
- Winning ways - coping with competition (17 Aug 2006)
- When it’s personal - resolving a personal crisis (14 Sep 2006)
- PhDs.Org - a very well developed site covering most aspects of pursuing careers in math, engineering and sciences. Includes excellent resources for undergraduate research, choosing and succeeding in graduate school, and getting a job.
- Preparing for an Academic Career in the Geosciences - a resource from On the Cutting Edge, professional development workshops from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers for geoscience faculty
- The quest for an ecological postdoc - article from Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (February 2008)
- Questions To Ask When Thinking About Pursuing a Ph.D. - summary of advice from a 2001 survey of doctoral students intended to provide a snapshot of their experiences and goals.
- Resources for Graduate Students and Post-Docs: A compilation - excellent list of links compiled by Spencer Hall of the Indiana University Department of Biology
- SciCentral - another very broad site for all science related careers. Covers all fields and many sub-fields as well as policy, ethics, and scientific news. A very useful resource for career and general information.
- SCIENCE Careers - a site maintained by Science. Links to their job listings as well as other job searching information. NextWave section has an emphasis on scientific career choices for those entering the field when jobs are more limited than in the past. A variety of resources for career alternatives to academia, changing careers, and handling.
Some articles from Science: - Some Modest Advice for Graduate Students and Reply to Stearns: Some Acynical Advice for Graduate Students - humorously cynical advice by Stephen Stearns followed by a less cynical reply by Ray Huey (ESA Bulletin, 1987)
- The Survival Guide or How To Be A Graduate Student - a guide to essential skills for all Ph.D. students from the Utah Biology Department
- Surviving as a Postdoc - a commentary drawn from personal experience by Charmaine Tam (Science Careers, 3/6/2013)
- Trends in the Early Careers of Life Scientists - a 1998 report by the Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council
- What it takes to be great - article from Fortune Magazine 10/19/06
Job Negotiations
- A Dean's Take On Salary Negotiation by Roger Sinclair (The Chronicle of Higher Education 8/24/2006)
- The NEA 2012 Almanac of Higher Education - tips from the National Education Association
- Negotiating a Faculty Job Offer by Cheryl Reed and Dawn M. Formo (Inside Higher Ed 4/11/12)
- Negotiating for What You Need to be Successful - from National Association of Geoscience Teachers workshop to help geoscience faculty
- Negotiating: "Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?" by Vid Mohan-Ram (Science 1/28/2000)
- Negotiating Your Salary And Position - links compiled by PhDs.org
- Negotiation Tactics and Strategies by Vid Mohan-Ram (Science 3/10/2000)
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