The theory

Postdoctoral researchers occupy a transition zone between well-defined PhD study and equally well-defined PI positions. In effect, postdocs can be compared to medieval journeymen – having finished an apprenticeship, they would hone their skills by travelling from one master to another until they were competent enough to become masters themselves (Harris, 2008). But how do modern-day journeymen find a job that pays a salary and has future employment prospects? Most postdocs are funded by personal fellowships or by research grants awarded to PIs. As a PI, you have to consider very carefully who you want to employ on a grant, particularly as it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract research funding. Unlike graduate students who embark on a course of study with the defined endpoint and goal, postdocs embark on a project for many different reasons. Maximising the potential of both your research programme and of your postdocs’ careers (be they ultimately in science or not) requires that you recognise what these reasons are.

Recruitment

There are a number of reasons why people decide to carry out postdoctoral research – for example:

1. They are committed to a career in academia and this is the next step towards becoming a PI.

2. They are interested in research, but are not yet sure whether they want to stay in academia or move across to industry. They see a postdoc in academia as less likely to close doors at this stage.

3. They know they don’t want to stay in scientific research but recognise that scientific skills are important. They want to hone these skills further before doing something different.

4. They don’t really know what they want to do, but they are good experimentalists. A postdoc is thus a job to fill the time and pay the bills while they think of an alternative career.

Depending on an individual’s motivation for doing postdoctoral research, they will have different needs and expectations. You will also have different expectations, depending on the type of project that needs to be carried out. For example, do you want someone who will challenge you and who will take the work in directions you might not think of, or do you want someone to complete a defined piece of work that requires a certain skill? Either way, it is crucial to clarify expectations on both sides before you hire someone and you therefore need to ask penetrating questions at interview (see examples in Box 14.1).