Postdocs

Being the boss is new territory for young investigators. Kendall Powell screens strategies for managing a successful group.

Budgeting wisely can be critical to a young lab's early success. Kendall Powell finds out how to stretch funds for maximum effect.

Engaging presentations can land jobs and increase visibility. Kendall Powell learns the art of a good talk.

Are women being held back by an ‘innate difference’: their ability to give birth? With better academic policies, motherhood and scientific excellence would not seem mutually exclusive, says Virginia Gewin.

Should young scientists be tightening their belts to save for the future? Kendall Powell compounds the interest.

Could Spain kick off its legacy of inertia and win as much fame for research as for football? It's backing some of its star players with schemes to promote fresh talent, says Quirin Schiermeier.

Drinks with a few dozen friends or a visit to an interesting employer: Myrna Watanabe meets groups finding informal ways into work.

Faster than a speeding centrifuge... able to write grant proposals in a single bound... it's Superpostdoc! Kendall Powell tracks down these all-action figures.

A postdoc stint in industry can mean better pay and superior facilities. But will doing such a fellowship jeopardize your academic aspirations? Beth Martin investigates.

Graduate-student pay levels mean tight budgets and inventive cost-cutting, but is the five-year pay freeze worth it? Kendall Powell calculates the bottom line.

In Europe, short-term contracts are no longer just for the first postdoc. Karen Kreeger looks at the bewildering variety of terms and conditions on offer.

The US National Institutes of Health stipends are being used as de facto guidelines for postdoc salaries. But do institutions try to meet them? Karen Kreeger investigates.

Young, aspiring researchers often have to learn the hard way when it comes to writing a killer grant application. But a range of European initiatives aims to give them a helping hand. Karen Kreeger reports.

A varied training path is trickier to navigate than traditional specialized routes — but can be more rewarding, says Myrna Watanabe

The training takes longer, but those willing to invest extra time in getting to grips with both basic and clinical research can reap the benefits, not least in job satisfaction, says Karen Kreeger.

Students starting their PhD and postdocs moving into fresh areas of research often find themselves in need of different technical skills. How does everyone get up to speed? Karen Kreeger reports.

Economic conditions are making it harder for young German postdocs to stay in their home country. But a few programmes offer some hope, says Quirin Schiermeier.

Postdoctoral associations on both sides of the Atlantic are mobilizing to tackle long-standing problems and smooth the path through this transitional phase in a scientist's career. Sally Goodman and Karen Kreeger report.

Without doing the homework, choosing a postdoc position is a bit like picking a playing card at random. Karen Kreeger advises on how to come up trumps.

Tight new security measures aimed at preventing terrorism mean that postdocs and students travelling to the United States need to make plans a long way in advance and expect delays, says Karen Kreeger.