What different roles does a post-doctoral fellow have from a PhD student in a typically successful engineering research collaboration?
As a current post doc fellow, let me offer a comment. In my view, a good post doc should act as an independent researcher. Independent in the sense that little or no day to day supervision needs be supplied by the principal investigator (PI). The PI should be able to say: 'Go find out about such and such.' or 'What's the answer to this question?', etc. In other words, be a scientist.
But, I don't think that's ALL a post doc should be. If you're working in a laboratory with other researchers at the graduate, or even undergraduate level, you should also be a mentor, or a teacher. You should be helping those junior to you to understand the scientific way, the meaning of good science and so forth. What are all the societal and ethical concerns about your research? How should that grad student approach answering a particular question? And, so forth.
Sometimes (and this is not the case for me), a PI will assign a number of students to the post doc in order to form a team for research. In this case, the post doc also must take on the role of manager. This is not actually science in the strict sense, but good management skills are an important part of being a good scientist. Just think, when the post doc 'graduates' to a full PI, a number of individuals will depend on him (or her) to insure they get paid, papers get published, a laboratory is provided for research, and so forth. This is a position of great responsibility and demands a very professional approach.
So, in a way, I don't consider my learning experience quite over yet. I've still got quite a bit to learn about being a good scientist despite spending a huge part of my life aspiring to be one.
As a current post doc fellow, let me offer a comment. In my view, a good post doc should act as an independent researcher. Independent in the sense that little or no day to day supervision needs be supplied by the principal investigator (PI). The PI should be able to say: 'Go find out about such and such.' or 'What's the answer to this question?', etc. In other words, be a scientist.
But, I don't think that's ALL a post doc should be. If you're working in a laboratory with other researchers at the graduate, or even undergraduate level, you should also be a mentor, or a teacher. You should be helping those junior to you to understand the scientific way, the meaning of good science and so forth. What are all the societal and ethical concerns about your research? How should that grad student approach answering a particular question? And, so forth.
Sometimes (and this is not the case for me), a PI will assign a number of students to the post doc in order to form a team for research. In this case, the post doc also must take on the role of manager. This is not actually science in the strict sense, but good management skills are an important part of being a good scientist. Just think, when the post doc 'graduates' to a full PI, a number of individuals will depend on him (or her) to insure they get paid, papers get published, a laboratory is provided for research, and so forth. This is a position of great responsibility and demands a very professional approach.
So, in a way, I don't consider my learning experience quite over yet. I've still got quite a bit to learn about being a good scientist despite spending a huge part of my life aspiring to be one.
Hello Patrick,
According to your explanation, there is great overlap between post doc and PhD student. Because the PhD is often independent, he should be able to manage two or more student (master or bachelor), Writing of papers is always a part of PhD program.
So what is the difference?
I think postdoc is more a management role in a lab. Under supervision of a professor, a postdoc fellow becomes head of lab and advise students and conduct the research line. As I heard, postdoc is like a job compared with being student in PhD course.
Dear Rasoul
Do u know what is the best method to find a postdoc? I mean, should we find a lab with relevant research or contact directly with professors? How must be the CV to be sure for finding such a fellowship?
Hello!
Really, I have seen that there are two main methods: 1) writing to the prof. asking them about the opportunities and 2) in some universities, each year you can write and submit a proposal about your interested topic, then they decide about your proposal.
In my opinion, the first method works better, but the second one (because of something that everybody knows!!!) doesn't work FAIRLY!
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