BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
13
MAY
2014
siblewith yourmentor. Strive toproduce pre-
liminary data tousewhen applying for transition
awards and faculty positions.
Q:
Arepublications in “high-impact” jour-
nals required inorder tobe considered?
Most search committees are looking simply for the
applicantwhose experience best fits the position.
Therefore, highprofile publications are not neces-
sary, but a goodpublication record that reflects
the focus of the search is.
Q:
Doyouneed fundingprior tobeing
hired?
Funding expectations vary by institution and
department. Some positions require that you come
with funding, while other programs donot. Being
a PI, co-PI, or having assisted inwriting a grant
is valuable experienceworth including in your
application. It alsohelps if you candemonstrate
that youknowhow to get funding and/or publish
as a senior author. Career transition awards like
theNIHK99/R00Pathway to Independence
or theAmericanHeart AssociationScientist
DevelopmentGrants are designed to facilitate
the transition to independence for postdocs and
research associateswhohave held their PhD for
nomore than five years. Later in your career, R01s
are available for research associateswhobecome
research associate professors.
Q:
What do I need toknowabout
negotiatingandacceptingaposition?
When entertaining anoffer, seek advice and
consult yourmentors todeterminewhat you
should ask for. It is important that you com-
municate clearlywhat youwill need to succeed.
Be sure to include time todo research, access to
equipment and facilities, and research spacewith
adequate plumbing, electric, and ventilation. Be
clear about your time commitments; for example,
make it clear if for the first year youwon’t serve
on any committees, or for the first semester you
won’t teach, etc.Make sure youwill have time to
develop your own researchprogram. Most depart-
ments have a finite budget for a start-uppackage
that leaves a 5-10%margin for negotiating. Make
sure the final terms of the position are clearly
stated in the offer letter before accepting.
Q:
Howdifficult is the transition from
postdoc to faculty?
The transition is very difficult. Youmay be able
tonegotiate a one- year delay before teaching re-
sponsibilities start, whichwill give you time to fo-
cus on setting up your lab, securing funding, and
publishing a paper. Try tohave all of your equip-
ment ordered and ready for researchwhen you
arrive. Also, learn to sayno topotential collabora-
tions thatwill not help youpublishwithin the first
year. It is also important not to get involved in
committeeswithin your first year so that you can
focus on getting your labup and running.
There is no guarantee that youwill secure a tenure
track academic position immediately. Both the
timing and your experience lining upwith a par-
ticular positionwill be rare.Make sure topursue
options other than tenure-track faculty positions at
researchuniversities in your search in case you are
unable to secure such a position.
NetworkingEvents
Looking for an opportunity tonetwork
with biophysicists inFrance?Check out the
upcoming networking event.
June 6
Institut Pasteur
Centre deBiologie Intégrative des
Maladies Emergentes
Paris, France
Visit
and click 'Meetings' then
'NetworkingEvents' for
more information.
