Published online 25 March 2009
Postdoc journal
How low can I go?
Julia Boughner
Julia Boughner is a postdoc in evolutionary developmental biology at the University of Calgary, Canada.
I'm in serious postdoc limbo. Hopefully I won't fall flat on my face.
It's tiring to be in limbo as a postdoc, awaiting the right opportunity. Meanwhile, another cruel sort of limbo goes on: I feel like my lab bench is gradually lowering even as the bar for successful applicants rises higher and higher. Soon you may find me underneath it, sneaking a beer.
My latest job application did not lead to an interview. As a scientist, I hesitate to believe in fate, but my inner cheer squad shouts: "Everything's for a reason and the right job for you is just down the road!" My inner cynic then muses as to whether I took a wrong turn on that road, making the 'right job' hard to find.
So I've gained nothing — but neither have I lost anything. I'm planning to submit papers in the coming months, and to help with grant applications to ensure our lab's financial future. I'm also pursuing an independent research programme that I hope will lay the groundwork for my own science empire.
Still, contingency plans are at the fore of my frontal lobe as I note how often things fail to go as planned at the bench (PCR — ugh!). In fact, technical snags and the immediacy of grant deadlines seem to correlate tightly (p < 0.001). With our grant madness finally past, I will find time to network with some industry contacts. I'm curious about life-sciences consultancy opportunities. Perhaps that's where I'll be able to deftly dance my way to success.
Postdoc Journal Keepers 2009
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Julia BoughnerJulia Boughner is a postdoc in evolutionary developmental biology at the University of Calgary, Canada.
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Bryan VentersBryan Venters is a postdoc in biochemistry and molecular biology at Pennsylvania State University.
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Joanne IsaacJoanne Isaac was a postdoc studying the effect of climate change on biodiversity at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. She is now in the United States so that her husband can complete a postdoc.
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Sam WalcottSam Walcott is a postdoc in theoretical biophysics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
