Best postdoc to prep for a SLAC position?

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Best postdoc to prep for a SLAC position?

weeble (guest) 03 Mar 2015 01:19

Hi all, I've been avidly reading the boards all season, but this is my first time posting. Thanks to everyone for the tips and info posted here, it's been a great help throughout this crazy process.

My career goal is to end up at a SLAC with a relatively even balance between research and teaching (think University of Richmond, Skidmore, Colby College). Right now I'm looking at a couple of possible postdoc positions and seeking some opinions on which will advance my goals best. I'm currently at an R1, so all the advice I'm getting is a bit skewed. Postdoc A is at an R1 university and would be 100% research. I'd have the chance to learn some new methods, get more first author pubs, work with someone I (so far) get along well with, and work on some pretty cool research topics. Postdoc B is at the type of SLAC I ultimately want to end up at and is 50% research/50% teaching. I would get to develop new courses for the department and work on my own research as well as possibly mentor student research projects.

My CV is fairly sparse right now, so getting more pubs is important, and I'd definitely get more pubs at Postdoc A. I do have teaching experience right now (basic course in my area as well as research methods), so I'm not sure how much additional teaching experience will buy me. My questions for all of you are: which postdoc would look better to a SLAC search committee and would postdoc A actually hurt my chances at getting a SLAC position.

asstprof (guest) 03 Mar 2015 03:02

This is a great question.

Normally I'd say go for postdoc B, but if your c.v. is very thin then you're going to have a hard time landing a position at the schools you've listed without more pubs. Still, though, my gut says B. You need to demonstrate what you're interested in, you might want to get a bit more teaching experience, and you should show that you can supervise student projects. Also, if there is a potential opening at school B then you'd be well positioned for it.

That said, I do not think that elite or even middle-of-the-road SLACs will hold postdoc A against you. Some of these places might have preferred postdoc B, but most/all of them will prefer your postdoc A over just applying right now with neither as experience. I'm at a regional SLAC (non-elite; less prestigious than the ones you listed) and they appreciated my elite, 100% research postdoc experience (retrospectively I wish I had done a postdoc like "B," though.)

Good luck! Those (and others like them) would be great schools to work for.

SLACprof (guest) 03 Mar 2015 17:00

This is an interesting question.

I currently teach at a SLAC that is in line with those weeble mentioned above. As a new faculty member I was on the inside of my first faculty search this past year, so I can share what I learned. Publishing is important to SLACs because we want to see that you are successful in conducting your research. Research conducted with undergraduate students is very important to us. You will want to show that you can involve students in research and demonstrate how they will be involved (specifically).

That said teaching experience is really a non-negotiable. If a candidate had very little teaching experience (particularly experience leading their own courses as instructor) they were not seriously considered for the position. The importance placed on quality teaching is very high and we want to see that your experiences thus far will lead to success in your classroom. I see you have some teaching experience which is great. I am not sure more could ever hurt you if a SLAC is your goal.

My gut says B also but with caution that this might take you out of the running for R1 jobs. B affords research experiences with students and more teaching as well as publication opportunities. The additional teaching will be so helpful if you do end up at a SLAC. The first couple of years can feel a bit heavy with course prep.

qwerty (guest) 03 Mar 2015 17:09

Something else to consider is the type of research at A vs. B. If A is imaging (fmri) then that wouldn't translate well into a SLAC. My sense is that behavioral work and/or some additional method (eye tracking, eeg, etc.) might make you more marketable. Just look through the ads on this site … many explicitly state that they are looking for people who can do specific measures.

I did a postdoc at an R1 with fMRI, and the amount of pubs was small relative to beh-only postdocs. After all, a typical fMRI study may take 4-5 years from conception to pub. You may be able to bang out a behavioral study in 1-2 years.

asstprof (guest) 03 Mar 2015 21:29

I did mean to say what qwerty said as well. Don't do an fmri postdoc. Its could help you a few places where they might want you to develop and teach a methods course, but mainly it will slow down your publication rate and signal to these colleges that they can't support your research plan (or that you don't want to be at that type of school).

Re: Best postdoc to prep for a SLAC position?

DocJ 04 Mar 2015 03:32

A colleague and I each ended up in TT positions at the exact sort of SLACs you describe. Neither of us had a ton of publications (around 3 or 4 articles, only a couple as first author, and nothing in something as big as, say, Psych Science).

Hands down, go with the second Post Doc option. At any SLAC with a balanced teaching emphasis, teaching is extraordinarily important. You need to keep that going. Taking more than a year "off" from teaching will likely drastically impact your chances at getting a SLAC offer. Also, older faculty at many SLACs can be very wary of candidates who come across as being research oriented. There's this sort of mentality carried over from the past that faculty are either researchers or educators. I've seen situations where a candidate who has very strong research, or a research post doc without concurrent teaching, is perceived suspiciously by SLAC committees. Some committee members may wonder if the applicant really wants the job on a permanent basis or is merely applying as a "back up" to R1 aspirations.

As a final thought, Post Doc B seems the better option as it will prepare you for the reality of SLAC work. Those of us here need to juggle teaching, research, advising, and tons of service involving students, committees, and otherwise. If you can budget your time and find a way to balance things out such that you're productive with your research, too, then you're set to excel in a SLAC position. The first option might allow you to work on research plenty, but to me it seems less likely to really allow you to grow as a future SLAC faculty member.

I hope this is useful and hope you land a future SLAC position! :)

optionAer (guest) 04 Mar 2015 13:30

In a similar position I took option A, and while I certainly added to my pubs (similar concerns about the sparse CV), I had a hard time convincing SLACs this job market that I was really interested in teaching. If you want to end up at a SLAC, go with option B and fill out your CV with research that involves undergraduates.

anonnnnn (guest) 04 Mar 2015 14:11

Just to chime in with a different note, some high-ranked SLACs have become more research-oriented in recent years. I can only speak from experience at one highly ranked SLAC where I spent a few years myself, but it was astonishing to me how much they valued research and top-tier publications over teaching experience for their new hires. Some applicants they interviewed for their tenure-track positions had very little teaching experience — a couple TA classes maybe — but they had numerous publications and some in high-tier journals. Impressive teaching resumes were not really getting applicants anywhere unless their research was also very strong. I remember it seemed sad that someone who seemed like a great SLAC-fit with a lot of teaching experience and decent publications (maybe numerous in mid-tier journals) would be overlooked for the little-to-no teaching experience and high-tier journal candidate. Thus, at this particular institution older faculty were not wary of research-oriented candidates but were, in fact, seeking them out.

I guess the moral of the story is, though I hope most SLACs are not like this and indeed value the candidate that is more "balanced", be aware that SLACs can differ a little bit in criteria, and some will opt for the research stars when doing job searches.

I would personally take PostDoc B as it sounds like it would make you happier, given that it is similar to what you want to ultimately do. I love the SLAC model in general, and am currently at a SLAC that would likely prefer that well-rounded candidate with prior SLAC experience :)

asstprof (guest) 04 Mar 2015 15:09

I think that SLACs with 2-2 (or less!) loads that are ranked in the top 10-20 are like anonnnnnn described. To get one of these jobs, you need to be someone who is also able to get R1 interviews. For example, someone I know a few years back got Pomona and Harvard interviews in the same year without a lot of teaching experience. Their research was what was extraordinary. OP would need postdoc A for one of these jobs and still might not get one given his/her record already being "thin" on pubs. I think these jobs go to people who already have Psych Sci or similar papers coming out of grad school and multiple first-authorships.

For selective liberal arts colleges that are very strong but not in the upper elite category (maybe like Skidmore or Richmond as the OP suggested) that usually have a 2-3 load, postdoc B is more appropriate. These are still amazing places with very strong student bodies. But the faculty at these schools don't go out of their way to poach R1 candidates, as do the faculty at Pomona, Swarthmore, etc.

Re: Best postdoc to prep for a SLAC position?

DocJ 04 Mar 2015 18:29

@anonnnnn is absolutely correct. SLACs vary considerably in their emphasis. As @asstprof notes, teaching load is insightful in this case. For places with a 2/2 load (or less), assume research is emphasized. SLACs with a 3/2 load get interesting, with some leaning research and others leaning teaching. In general, a place with a 3/3 load or greater will emphasize teaching. My suggestion still holds. If you're truly after a SLAC position, never skimp on the teaching experience and maximize research that involves undergrads.

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