Biophysical Society Newsletter - February 2016

19 / 20

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 19
FEBRUARY 2016
Molly Cule
How do I know if my postdoc
is a dead-end?
So, you spent 5+ years in graduate school working
towards your PhD. You were a successful student.
You published. You got along with your commit-
tee. You were happy overall. You finally graduated
and moved on to what you thought would be
an awesome postdoc in a top lab at a prestigious
institution. A few months went by, a year, maybe
two. Then one day, you woke up overworked,
bitter, angry, and depressed. It hasn’t turned out
the way you thought it would. So, how do you
know it is time to leave? There are a few questions
you should ask yourself before deciding to walk
away.
Does your lab lack the supervision and mentor-
ship you need? Are you spending your time in the
lab working more like a technician rather than
as an actual postdoc? Are you publishing and are
your papers in top-tier journals? Are you over-
worked and overburdened? Do you find yourself
constantly clashing with your PI or other mem-
bers of your lab? How long have you been at your
postdoc? Are you happy? Think hard about these
questions as you contemplate the idea of leaving.
In the end, the best thing to do is to always trust
your gut. You may spend time wondering if you
are imagining things. You may tell yourself that
everyone else seems fine, this is a new field of
study, or you haven’t read enough; but what you
are feeling is valid. It may truly be time to move
on. Do not hesitate to look elsewhere. It is easy to
fall into complacency within a postdoc, so it never
hurts to look.
Enjoy the newsletter and learning about
what is happening in the Society and in the
biophysics community?
Make sure to add the BPS Blog to your
reading list!
Most Read Blog Post of the 4th Quarter:
A Young Scientist’s Guide to the Annual Meeting
BPS Blog
2016 Summer Research
Program in Biophysics
May 10 – July 29, 2016 | University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Priority Application Deadline:
February 15, 2016
Interested in interdisciplinary science? Want
to work in the fast growing area of biomedi-
cal research? Looking to get some hands-on
lab experience this summer? This 11-week
scholarship program, hosted by the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, introduces
undergraduate minority students, disadvan-
taged students, and students with disabili-
ties to the field of biophysics. The program
includes lectures, seminars, lab work, team-
building activities, and field trips. The Sum-
mer Research Program is designed to reflect
a graduate-level research program. Students
who are US citizens or permanent residents
and who have a strong quantitative back-
ground in basic or applied sciences are encour-
aged to apply. All tuition and fees during the
course are covered, and participants receive
a stipend for living expenses throughout the
summer.
Apply today at
Questions? Contact Daniel McNulty, Summer
Research Program Administrator, at dmcnul-
or call (240) 290-5611.
The Biophysical Society Summer Program in Biophysics: Case
Studies in the Physics of Life is funded by The National Institute of
General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. [2 T36-
GM075791]