Sfrazer wrote:
>I feel very uninformed/naive about how to go about getting information on
>places to work, and how to actually apply for a postdoc. I have no idea
>what funding is available, or how to apply for it. I am also wondering
>what the current feelings are on women in molecular biology taking
>maternity leave in their postdoc. In other words, is it frowned upon?
>How do you ask a prospective supervisor about things like that without
>losing all chance of getting the position?
Hi Sherri,
Just a couple of thoughts regarding your questions:
In my opinion the best way to find a good postdoc is talking with the
people that you meet when you attend professional conferences/meetings.
Also you could ask your advisor for help; he/she probably knows people in
the field and will be able to make some contacts for you. The last
resource would be to send your c.v in response to the ads in Science,
there are a lot of postdoc positions advertised out there (the
disadvantage of this is that you will go to work with a group that you
don't know, and you may end up in a less that an ideal situation.
Now, regarding babies : The best case scenario would be to plan your
babies so you could take maternity leave without interrupting your
program, ie, have the baby right after you graduate but before you start
your job as a postdoc, or have the baby (or your second baby) after you
finish your first or 2nd postdoc.
Since these kind of things don't always work according to planned, then I
would recommend to think about the kind of research group that you would
like to join. If it's a large and very competitive group, and most of the
investigators are male, then that might not be your group.
Try to find out in the course of the interview if some of the people have
young children, and what is the attitude of the main investigator towards
this. You could actually ask them !!. Most women in science (those in the
childbearing years, anyway) are going through the same dilemma.
My last piece of advice is: do not get pregnant as soon as you take a new
job..... that really would be frowned upon; wait at least a year.
Good luck!!
