Post-Doctoral Employment
There is no precise definition of "postdoc," but the term generally refers to a person who holds a temporary appointment, usually awarded in academe, industry, or government, for the purpose of gaining additional training in research. Between 30 to 60% of all PhD recipients in science and math complete at least one postdoc (the frequency depends on their particular field of study).
Postdocs have the freedom of doing research full time without the complications of academic committees or administrative concerns. Many say it is the most productive period of their research career.
On the other hand, postdocs sometimes have an unclear status---They aren’t students. They aren’t faculty. What are they? Benefits and salaries are often an area of concern.
Learn more about postdocs at:
- Finding the perfect postdoc
- Issues to consider in choosing your postdoc
- National Academies PostDoc Webguide
- Read it online: Enhancing The Postdoc Experience
- National PostDoc Association
- Trends in Postdoctoral Research (NSF, 2004)
- Best Places to work for PostDocs, 2005. (in BioMedSci Library: The Scientist, Vol. 19(3) 2005)
Find a postdoctoral position:
- Post-Docs.com
- PostDocJobs.com
- National PostDoc Association Job Board
- Discipline and industry specific resources
- Academic job search resources