Staying as a postdoc at my PhD institution

Summary:

Good idea?

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Staying as a postdoc at my PhD institution

abd (guest) 04 Apr 2016 20:17

Dear forum members,

I am ABD and did not receive any TT offers in this job cycle. I also applied for a few postdoc positions but have not heard back anything yet. Some of the deadlines were April 1st, though, so there is still time. In the meantime, my advisor suggested that I could stay as a postdoc at my current institution. If I accept this offer (for which I am very grateful) I will be working with the same advisor for at least 1 more year. They may ask me to make a 2-year commitment even but that part is still to be decided.

What should I do? I may not end up having any other options, in that case this question becomes irrelevant. But my advisor may ask me to make a decision in a few weeks, before I hear anything from other postdocs. They will want to advertise for the position if I am not willing to stay. But what if new postings pop up in the meantime with later deadlines? Would it be a bad move for my career to work with the same advisor for 7 years even though 2 of them will be as a postdoc?

My end goal is to work at an institution that has some research emphasis and not too heavy teaching requirements but it does not have to be an R1.

I will really appreciate your opinions. Thanks!

Re: Staying as a postdoc at my PhD institution

DocJ 04 Apr 2016 20:35

I've had colleagues who did something like this and went on to successful careers, albeit none at an R1. If your advisor is fairly prominent in your subfield and you're at a good institution, then this could be a viable option. It's not uncommon for many people to work with the same advisor for 7 years even en-route to the Ph.D. So, that is of little concern. Instead, the core factor here will be whether staying at your present institution will allow you to significantly publish and maybe teach a course or two on the side. If the position will offer that, it is sensible to take it.

abd (guest) 04 Apr 2016 22:40

This is very helpful, thank you!

asstprof (guest) 05 Apr 2016 01:05

I have also known a bunch of people who have done this and it's no big deal. A lot of the time they might do this and then do another postdoc somewhere else, and then get an R1 job. A number of people do this because they can't afford to move around so much for personal reasons. It's not a terrible thing if you keep getting papers out, and especially if you can collaborate with someone new during this time.

Anonamop (guest) 05 Apr 2016 02:26

My current student is going to do this next year (defending now, then doing a 1-year postdoc with another prof here). Plans to apply for R1 postdocs in the fall. She will be able to get several more papers published and in the pipeline, plus potentially secure some funding. This would likely work whether it was me or the other mentor, but I do think it helps to "branch out."

Also know 2 people who did a postdoc at their grad institution with a new mentor and got job offers from top schools in the UC system.

Based on this anecdotal evidence, I think/guess that your plan will work well for your intended targets. Good luck!

Anon (guest) 05 Apr 2016 16:45

I don't think this is bad at all. It's a nice way to stay productive and push some more things out. Especially if you do want to go on the job market next year, staying and doing a post-doc for a year is ideal I think.

Anon2 (guest) 06 Apr 2016 01:37

Another way to frame the question is, what will any postdoc add to your body of work and expertise? In theory it would be ideal if there were an outside site as that would provide novel additions. That being said, if you can do unique and new things at your current place, it sounds like others agree that it's not such a bad gig, especially if you like the working culture already. It may just be important to lobby for new duties, experiences, and trainings that will add to your CV and skillset as it might be easy to forever be seen as a super-grad student.

tacos (guest) 07 Apr 2016 20:25

I did this; stayed for 1 year at my PhD institution. Got lots of interviews the next year and took an offer. I love it and have been really productive since. No regrets. Do it.

Sometimespsych (guest) 08 Apr 2016 12:55

I do not think there is anything inherently wrong with staying with the same advisor as others have noted above.

I do think it is important to highlight and expand on Anon2's comment in that you do not want your CV to look like you're still a graduate student and you don't want to feel like a graduate student either (I assume). This is a new position that should come with different goals, expectations, and there should be a commensurate change in the relationship between you and your advisor.

It is imperative that you use this time to work on your PI skills and take your research (and/or teaching) in a direction that is distinctly yours. I suggest meeting with your advisor and being very clear about his/her expectations for what is going to happen during your post-doc. What are your goals? What are his/her goals? How will these be achieved? What do you need to be successful? What does your advisor need from you? You don't want to just slide into being a super-graduate student for another 1-2 years. Clear, respectful and honest communication is critical.

Good Luck!

name (guest) 28 Apr 2016 14:20

Hypothetically, would it be better to take a 1-year VAP or stay another year in grad school (not as a postdoc, as a grad student)?

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