Looking for some advice from current PI's or research managers of sorts.

I'm finishing up my PhD in the next 6 months, and my PI offered to let me stay on as a post-doc for as long (or short) as I want. There is no publication imminent, I'd likely be starting a new project that doesn't guarantee results. But it's comfortable and I'm happy for the most part and I want to have a baby and this kinda seems like a decent opportunity.

How bad is this for my next career move? If I stayed for a year? Less? Especially if I look for another post-doc or industry position?

Let me know what people think, especially if you have experience in the situation....

Thanks!

sumogirlie on Apr 22 2010, 05:06 PM said:

Hi sumogirlie,

I'm just curious...which potential bad career move are you referring to- staying in the same lab for your post-doc or starting a family?

I stayed in the same lab for my post-doc as I did my PhD. There were a number of factors involved:

1) My wife had a really good job at the university.
2) It was about my only opportunity to stay working with what I'm interested in working with.
3) It was an opportunity to be pretty productive in a short period of time. The PhD would've generated 1, maybe 2 papers. By finishing up a couple things and doing a couple other quick things, I'll turn that into 3, possibly 4. There was another student that graduated the same time as me, went to another institution, and between setting up the project, getting animal use approval, and other preliminary things, the actual lab work didn't start for a year.
4) The funding was fresh, and there were a couple opportunities for me to write for my own funding.

Of course, everything wasn't all rosy. I asked a number of other professors their opinions. The ones that came from my field told me it wasn't that big of a deal. The field is small, and my PI is well established, so it's a very good opportunity for me. The ones from outside the field basically told me I'm limiting myself, I need to get out and experience other labs and learn how they work, and that I'll always be viewed as a sidekick to my PI as opposed to my own person until I get out of the lab.

Essentially, the only way to make it work in my favor was to be very productive in the shortest time that I could.

Interestingly, a few months after I started, there was an NIH merit award winner, a guy that has been phenomenal in his field. He also did his post doc in his PhD lab. He obviously turned out alright being as productive as he has. He also said the same, though. He had to be really productive to get out of the shadow of his PI.

If you do a bunch of good work, publish a lot, and make a name for yourself, it doesn't matter where you do your post doc.

fishdoc on Apr 25 2010, 09:40 PM said:

Hi fishdoc,

I actually I agree with this but if you consider sumogirlie's case, she says she has no imminent publication, will probably change her topic and might even have a child.....so what do you think (I'm advocating the devil here and to get a discussion going as well)?

casandra on Apr 25 2010, 08:53 PM said:

Changing the topic is a good thing. More experience. Is there funding for a few years? If there's work being done, there's an imminent publication. My child came along a couple years before I graduated. Wife was on bed rest for a month. That's something to keep in mind, complications with the pregnancy. Once the child is born, there shouldn't be much of a problem. No more so than any other faculty member/researcher with kids, anyway. I would make sure the current PI knows the plans of a possible pregnancy.

Also, there will be stigma of being that person that "couldn't" leave, whether it's true or not.