Published online 27 May 2009
Postdoc journal
Postdoc, you'd better network!
Julia Boughner
Julia Boughner is a postdoc in evolutionary developmental biology at the University of Calgary, Canada.
Schmooze to the left, mingle to the right! I network it at a major conference as I hunt for my elusive dream job.
This imperative phrase rang in my brain as I attended a major conference in my field recently. The meeting-abstract deadline had passed me by as I was ensconced in new motherhood. But mindful of a modest travel allowance that I must spend this year, I packed a bag, left my son with his capable dad and flew off for some excellent networking adventures.
I looked forward to reuniting with long-time colleagues and mentors, as well as meeting new researchers with whom collaborations might be fruitful. And, for better or for worse, I would give prospective search-committee members a face and a personality to match my CV, should it cross their desks. As a fledgling scientist, I feel I must ply all the tools of the trade at my disposal to find that right tenure-track opportunity. That said, I'm not a natural networker.
To motivate my keen self, I aimed to meet at least five new colleagues a day during the four-day conference. As I weaved among symposia, coffee breaks and receptions, I swapped business cards, clinked pints and mentally sketched hypotheses (not always best done alongside beer, as the hypotheses seldom look as pretty the next morning).
An excess of late nights and early mornings led quite literally to 'conference-itis', as I came down with a cold when I arrived home. Yet my trip was worthwhile. I achieved most of my networking goals, which I can only hope will translate into job opportunities in the near future.
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.
