Biophysical Netsletter - May 2014

13

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2014

MAY

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. 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 Q: What do I need toknowabout negotiatingandacceptingaposition?

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 www.biophysics.org and click 'Meetings' then 'NetworkingEvents' for more information.