Hi Ashfaque Alam

Yes and no! There's a number of fields which welcome researchers into projects from what might be a non-linear point of view, and there are even some programmes to encourage cross-pollination. However, it doesn't sound like you want to do an anthology of physics project or similar (science and technology studies etc).

Activism studies is also an underfunded but tightknit area, which means you will be competing with people who have developed strong connections and a network through their masters and PhD. It is also now increasingly common to have published during your PhD.

However, there are quite a few opportunities to volunteer on research projects, esp with monitoring and evaluation with charities/third sector organisations. This would help you build up your connects in relation to the area you want to work in, and learn from experts.

It also depends on your long term goals -if you want to work in a uni long term, you are better getting a PhD in the subject you want to work within. If you want to go into international or charity work, then I don't think there would be a value in that. Instead, it is more important to build up a coherent narrative of your background and showing that you have connects.

Good luck!

In that case, you may start from a social science PhD rather than a postdoc. But that's just my judgment. Hope you find the best road in your life. Best.

Dear @ Ashfaque Alam ,

yes, of course! I would absolutely encourage you to do this! In fact, it is much easier to do it the way you are envisioning than to do it "the other way around". Career-wise, there may be some obstacles on the way, but you can absolutely do it and many people have done it before. May I ask which domains of research in the social sciences specifically you are interested in to conduct your research?

Good luck & keep us posted about how you're proceeding!

Best,

Julius

Dear You Chen ,

Thanks for your reply. I understand what you mean, but it is not just a matter of learning, it is a matter of career progression too.

Dear Julius Riese ,

Thank you for the reply. It is good to know that people have done that before. However, it'd have been great to hear some first-hand experiences. FYI, I am interested to work on activism studies. Hope that helps.

Best

Dear Ashfaque Alama,

I do not see how any selection committee could opt for a non-specialist to work as a postdoc on a research program. A postdoc captures an important share of a research project budget. Having recruited a few postdoc myself as a research coordinator, we always try to find the best match for the position, which of course includes demonstrable disciplinary skills. So yes, I agree with You Chen that it would require undertaking a Phd in social sciences as a first step. And I disagree with Julius Reese: getting qualified, at the postdoc level, in any social sciences discipline requires a very long training, as in any other scientific discipline.

I hope this helps,

Best

I can't speak for other disciplines, nor can I guess the extent to which he/she would be likely to get a post-doc position in other social sciences. However, anthropology has always been open to collaboration across disciplinary boundaries. Indeed anthropology in the United States was founded by Franz Boas, a physicist who got his PhD based on a study of the color of seawater. I believe we would all profit from reaching beyond our disciplinary confines.

Hi Ashfaque Alam

Yes and no! There's a number of fields which welcome researchers into projects from what might be a non-linear point of view, and there are even some programmes to encourage cross-pollination. However, it doesn't sound like you want to do an anthology of physics project or similar (science and technology studies etc).

Activism studies is also an underfunded but tightknit area, which means you will be competing with people who have developed strong connections and a network through their masters and PhD. It is also now increasingly common to have published during your PhD.

However, there are quite a few opportunities to volunteer on research projects, esp with monitoring and evaluation with charities/third sector organisations. This would help you build up your connects in relation to the area you want to work in, and learn from experts.

It also depends on your long term goals -if you want to work in a uni long term, you are better getting a PhD in the subject you want to work within. If you want to go into international or charity work, then I don't think there would be a value in that. Instead, it is more important to build up a coherent narrative of your background and showing that you have connects.

Good luck!

Actually, not to Limit somebody in a certain area of a research, it is difficult for someone Graduated in Natural Science can go for Post Doctoral programme. B/c in a Post doc a PhD holder is going to conduct experiment on his subject area than the other Science area, In short it very difficulty .

I think it is possible as long as you can show strong reasons for doing postdocs across your major. It could be from your career background or perhaps the future plans and future career that you want to pursue.

Dear Douglas Raybeck ,

Thanks for the interesting information. It is fascinating to know about Franz Boas. To be honest, I have kept myself volunteering in research projects consisting of anthropologists and psychologists for the last year and half. Partly, that is where I have learnt certain skills and grown interest about the filed. So, it is great to know that there are big names in this field who were primarily trained in natural science. Many thanks again.

Dear Ingrid Holme ,

Thank you so very much for your detailed explanation. Like I told Douglas above- since the past couple of years I am volunteering in ongoing research projects those are ran by social scientists and I went through some skill development training those are mainly applicable in this discipline. I am also looking to co-author a potential publication as an independent contributor. Now, what I am actually interested in is adding institutional affiliations to my credential for greater acceptance of my thoughts and opinion in the long run. I know I am institutionally accepted to opine on topics related to physics/energy science; but I also know that I have academic opinions to share on social scientific topics too and chances are that I will not be taken as seriously as I should be taken only due to the lack of my institutional affiliation. This discussion has been opened solely based on that predetermination. I understand there is no binary solution to it, and I appreciate your words for it. Best

Ashfaque Alam Sounds like you are on the right road! There are a few more things that might be helpful.

Volunteering is often good for the first year or two -but there needs to be a progression. It is hard for academics to turn down offers of 'free labour' and so it is important to be clear what you are getting from the projects in return. An adjunct or affiliated status can be given by universities to non-paid connections.

There are increasing numbers of independent academics publishing and I don't think journals make a call based on this. Instead, it has to do with how citations, journal impact and ref (https://www.ref.ac.uk/) in the UK works. Journals favour papers which will get citations, and typically this is for studies which are larger than an independent academic can achieve. They often require ethical approval as well -which is hard if one is independent. Basically, the type of research which independent academics can carry out faces a number of challenges and which can make it hard to get them published. However, I'm not clear that you are an independent researcher! It seems to me that you are affiliated to Sheffield Uni. This means you can apply for ethics approval and you can use the resources of that university (literature searching etc).

The core thing might be actually what you want to become. Do you want to be a social scientist (general, typically positivist, realist, applied work), sociologist (wide variety of different traditions and focuses, but you need to know which theoretical framework is your 'home'), anthropologist (which is different from sociology but the difference is problematic) etc?. I suspect, coming from physics, you might be a realist/positivist and you might have highly developed quantitative skills. It is important that you understand how these fit with the wider discipline you are seeking to enter.

I would also caution that it is not uncommon for postdocs to feel that they have gone down in status after their PhD and their own research ideas are not valued -their PhD was their own project, whereas when they work as a postdoc they are carrying out research for others. Again, this has to do with how the REF creates a demand that the project lead gets their name on every paper coming from 'their' group. Thus I've worked in contexts where Postdocs were ranked lower than PhD students and enjoyed much less freedom and status. If you do want to become a high-status author in one of the social sciences, doing a PhD might give you this space.