How to find a postdoc position

How to find a Postdoc Position?

22 November 2020

The common scenario for many PhD graduates is finding an answer to the question, “What should I do next?” “Do I have to do a postdoc?” “How can I find a postdoc position?” and many similar questions.

In this post, we’re trying to address the questions mentioned and provide you with some advice on how to find the right postdoc position. If you’re not sure if you should do a postdoc or not, read our other post, which discusses if you should do a postdoc or not.

Where should I do a postdoc? How to find a postdoc position?

It sounds like common sense to say that doing a postdoc in a research group on similar subjects to your PhD is the easiest. But there is two problems:

  • First, finding a research group with a similar research interest to your PhD is not that easy. Or, the number of research groups with similar research themes is limited, which reduces your chances of success in securing a postdoc position.
  • Second, if you are willing to become an academic, the expectation is that you move away from what you have done as your PhD and work on something new in your postdoc.

Now, the question is what should you do? Our advice is to go for a Postdoc program in a subject that has some overlap with your PhD background, but is not fundamentally the same. It sounds like maybe a bit of a contradiction! In the following, we will tell you what to do for the first issue and then we go for the next.

You might have worked on a niche research subject that not many research groups (professors) are working on. The way to find all researchers who are active in that particular subject is to find all relevant papers/articles published on that subject and find the name and affiliation of the authors. How? It’s very simple. You’ll browse through Google Scholar and find the articles related to your subject of interest. Then, open each article and look at the affiliation of the authors. Most of the time, the corresponding author is the leader of the project, i.e. the professor. So, you should then contact that guy for your postdoc inquiry.

Expanding the Network enhances the chance of finding a Postdoc

Besides finding the host professor based on the article, you can ask your current supervisor to introduce you to other researchers in the field. This way of networking helps you to get to know many people in your field and ultimately finding your future postdoc mentor. But as mentioned above, doing the same type of research as your PhD is not a very smart decision. The best approach is then to slightly change the direction of your research and work on a different subject than that of your PhD. For instance, if you have done research on nanomaterial synthesis by click-chemistry, you could try working on the application of bottom-up based nanostructures in sensing.

As you could see, the name of the two research sounds very different, but indeed the latter one is the complementary subject to the former. So it means your PhD experience makes you a suitable candidate to move laboratory-made nanostructures to applications in sensing. In this way, you kill two birds with one stone! In other words, you have changed your research theme (a very positive asset in your future academic career) and also made use of your PhD experience.

5 Benefits of Doing a Postdoc

Postdoctoral programs offer a lot of benefits such as:

– You will have the opportunity to learn and grow in a professional environment.

– You will have access to more resources and funding opportunities.

– You will gain valuable experience in your field of study.

– You can work with people who are more experienced than you.

– You can get paid for your work.

The postdoc program is not just about gaining knowledge, but also about gaining experience in the industry that you want to enter after your PhD program.

Now, you have found the way to find the potential professors or mentors for your Postdoc. Now the tough task is to secure the Postdoc position. If you are in this stage, you can read the following post on “how to contact a professor for a Postdoc possibility?

Postdoc Positions in Europe:

Postdoc Positions Beyond Europe:

Would you like to know the salary amount of PhD and postdoc positions in Europe? 

Fastepo Team will update all different types of academic positions (the latest ones) and so you can find them on our Home Page, and also the Academic Jobs page. Therefore, make sure to follow our page on Facebook not to miss any new vacancy, and also enjoy our tips and advice on academic jobs. But if you are bored reading text, watch our PhD and Postdoc related videos on our Youtube Channel.