Getting an

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Getting an Academic Job
Bilge Birsoy, MD, PhD Post-doctoral
Fellow Rothman Lab. UC Santa Barbara
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Overview

• Yes, you can get a job (and keep it, too).
• It does not have to be in the academia (consider
  alternatives such as the industry)?
• Everyone/every department is different.
• Decide what YOU want!
• Publish.
• Learn how the system works (soft vs hard money,
  FTEs, two-body problem etc.).
• Publish some more.
• Interact with people.
• Apply.
• Yes, you can do it.

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What I did to prepare this talk

• Interviewed 6 men, 4 women faculty (UCSB Dept.
  MCDB, 34 faculty (only 4 women!)?
• Interviewed 6 post-docs
• Participated in the recruitment effort
• Read papers on the topic
• Recruitment _at_ UCSB MCDB 300 applicants (80 men,
  20 women), 6 interviewees

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They want you to be

• productive
• able to work in teams
• able to network
• In the Industry

• productive
• independent
• innovative
• funded/fundable
• collaborative
• able/willing to teach
• good fit
• In the Academia

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3 major factors that determine the interview
decision

• 1) Publications
• 2) Publications
• 3) Recommendation letters and an exciting
  research plan

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To get the interview

• Very good track record
• Strong and personalized recommendation letters
  (from your mentor plus people who know you/your
  work well)?
• Does pedigree matter?
• PhD, South Harmon Institute of Technology
• Post-doctoral advisor Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde
• Concise but clear and personalized cover letter
  (show you are a good fit to the department, show
  your strengths)?

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They want you to be Productive

• High quality and high quantity publications
• High impact work (it helps to have people
  well-known in the field know about your work and
  write letters for you)?
• Publications Quantity vs Quality
• To a lower degree Presentations at meetings
• Good excuse why you took 8 years to finish your
  post-doc

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They want you to be Independent and Innovative

• These have to come through in your cover letter,
  your recommendation letters and your research
  plan
• Have a vision Make a clear plan for the next
  3-5-10 years
• Compare your vision with the vision of the
  departments you apply to (find out how long the
  chair/dean will remain in office).

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They want you to be Fundable

• Make sure you and your mentor have an
  understanding about your project
• Can you take it with you? Will you be competing
  with them?
• Try to generate preliminary data for your first
  grant in the final years of post-doc
• Get your mentor to help you write your first
  grant
• Write a clear, exciting and novel research
  proposal

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Some Funding Resources

• http//fundingopps.cos.com/
• http//www.library.uiuc.edu/iris/
• http//www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/biopostdoc.html
• http//www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/newfaculty.html
• http//www.postdocjobs.com/jobseekers/search_fello
  wships.shtml

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What can the mentor do for the post-doc?

• Allow them the opportunity to develop their
  independent research
• Network
• Provide good rec. letters (give specific examples
  about the candidates strengths and no BS!)?
• Put out papers in a timely fashion
• Help write grants/fellowships and the cover
  letters
• Continue to mentor them even after post-doc has
  left the lab

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What can the institute do for the post-doc/new
faculty?

• On campus affordable, day- care (Guaranteed for
  all)?
• Encourage interdisciplinary interactions
• Provide supplemental funding
• Solve the two-body problem
• Provide flexibility for families (need this from
  funding agencies as well)?

• Organize workshops on
• Career development
• Funding
• Time management
• People management
• Conflict resolution

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Things to consider when interviewing

• Startup money/ Salary/ Summer support
• Space
• Teaching/Service responsibilities
• Grad student profile
• Collaboration among faculty/other departments
• Facilities/Library-journal access
• Tenure
• Formal mentoring system for new faculty
• Benefits
• Strengths and weaknesses of the department
• Highest ranking woman/minority in the department
• Where/how do you want to live outside of work?

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Why did the faculty choose UCSB?

• Location (California)?
• Weather
• Personal reasons
• Nice people/Collegiality/Good fit
• To be in the academia, to be my own boss
• To teach
• Because I got the offer

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UC Santa Barbara Dept. MCDBRothman Lab.Chris
Wylie and Janet HeasmanFunding Agency My husband