What can I be with a PhD in Biology? In collaboration with Chaperone
Pedro Resende, GABBA 11th, Co-Founder and Director at Chaperone
Applying for group leader positions: tips to consider
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tatistics are clear, becoming a group leader is a hyper competitive career path to follow. Thus, to start applying for group leader positions without a plan is not a good judgment. In this article, I would like to share with you some key tips for those considering embarking on this challenge. I gathered dozens of tips in conversations I had with group leaders while preparing to write this article. I selected a few that, in my biased view, I perceived as very important, while not being the most obvious ones. Divided in three chronological stages, by any means this is supposed to be seen as a complete roadmap for success in this endeavour. For that purpose, more space would be needed, and most certainly a personalized plan rather than general (one size fits all) tips. However, I do hope it helps some of you who are considering applying for group leader positions to avoid certain mistakes, and that it quenches the curiosity of those who are not considering this journey but are interested in this topic. Before pressing send - first things first ¬ Get professional help from career consultants to design your application and prepare/coach you for interviews In academia, many of us have a very dangerous belief that to get help from other professionals to advance our career is like cheating. Don’t let this stigma harm your progress. Most of the most young researchers who succeeded in making this competitive transition, took advantage of career development services to help them in writing their applications, designing their scientific presentation, and coaching for interviews, etc.
¬ Ask for feedback from other group leaders In addition to career development professionals, other group leaders can give you valuable feedback in different aspects and steps of your applications, to be used in a complementary manner to the help from career development professionals. ¬ Plan in advance Be aware that the entire process (from starting to work on your applications) to get an offer most times takes more than one year. Consider this when planning your personal and professional life. ¬ Highlight your scientific network Your research plan is very important, but institutions are also very interested in how good your scientific network is. Many scientists underestimate the importance of this factor. In Europe, the majority of funding opportunities require international collaborations of some sort, by showing that you developed a healthy network, with undergoing, and potential future collaborations, you ́re providing strong evidence that you ́ll be competitive in these calls. ¬ Study the work culture of the hosting institutions You want to avoid Institutions with toxic environments, and try to find those where your values are aligned with the institutional leadership. Basically, you want to find a work culture that can nurture your personal and professional growth, and this requires some due diligence that should not be underestimated. Talk to researchers at different levels (group leaders, Postdocs, students) currently working in that institution, and also with some that worked there but left recently. If possible, talk also with people from scientific facilities, human resources, etc, and try to get a sense of how happy they feel about their work environment. 27
