Based on "quality of research" and "remuneration" Asia, Europe, USA which region should be preferred for postdoc study.
The research culture in Europe is very good. The universities in Central Europe and Nordic countries pay the researchers above average than the most countries in the world and you can have decent savings. In US, I have recently learnt from my friends working there that the life of researchers is really miserable, but the experience from US universities count more if you are looking for a good position after postdoc. Japan also has an awesome research infrastructure and the positions are very well paid. Germany also has a plenty of opportunities and their Govt. is very supportive in this. For my first postdoc, I chose Finland over US and Australia and have no regrets.
Fact is that you need research documentation, availability of Journals and tools either software or experimental facility of high precision. Above all, you also need a group i.e. school of thought which can provide you correct direction to do research. These facilities are available in US,some European countries only though some countries like China, India are slowly trying to catch up but that will take some time.
Its not about the country, its about the institutes/universities which are best in some aspects or topics of science/technology/engineering. So, try to sort out by institutes.
I agree with Akeshwar. There are very many exceptionally good academic centres in the USA and Europe but there are numerous mediocre ones in both these places. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that not every course provided by a centre will be of high calibre. For instance, some may be outstanding in mathematics but may not be good in engineering or chemistry and so on. What you should do is choose your research subject first and then do a literature search on that subject. You will soon find out which centres are producing high quality research output. Don't forget, there are some outstanding centres in Japan, South Korea, China, Australia and Singapore.
Best wishes
Siva
Thank you for your answers. Could anyone comment on the best funding countries for postdoc positions with some examples.
Here's my biased response: Canada, the US, any EU member. Australia and New Zealand are beautiful AND expensive. Good luck, Mr. Ajitanshu!
A postdoc is a person who has received a doctoral degree and is pursuing additional research, training, or teaching to have better skills to pursue a career in academia, research, or other fields. Postdocs work closely with a faculty mentor. Postdocs play a crucial role in the university; they supplement the research expertise of faculty by sharing new techniques, collaborating with other institutions, and helping to manage the daily operations of a laboratory or research site. They also contribute teaching and advising support to undergraduate and graduate students.
Consider your long-term goals and why you want to do a postdoc: Do you want to stay in academia or are you looking at industry? Do you want to focus on teaching, research, or a combination of both? Are you getting a postdoc to learn new skills? Are you getting a postdoc to publish? Are you getting a postdoc to develop better teaching skills? Are you getting a postdocs to further develop your existing skills? Prepare for the job search: Develop your CV. You need a strong CV to get a position, so get help writing it from a career counselor in your college or in Career Services. This is a very important document, which you will keep updating for the rest of your career. Do mock interviews. Work on your interviewing skills and develop your job talk. Ask your advisor and other faculty members to be your references. Letters of recommendation are a key part of the application process. You need strong references who know you well. Give each reference an updated copy of your CV. Network. Let everyone know that you are looking for a postdoc
The country that gives you the best opportunity to publish your work and get your ideas out to the field while giving you a decent standard of living while you do it. Make sure that the language of your postdoc is the "standard" language of your field so that you have the best opportunity to get a good job afterwards.
hi ajitanshu,
it is better to go with universities than a particular country. Look out for ur chosen field in universities abroad. Look out for a good research group concentrating on the same domain, u r interested in. U can directly contact them through mail, most cases the people respond and give u good suggestions on how things are going, living, pay, etc..
well, in my opinion it is not only research for the post-doc position, but the improved and quality life style of the location. But it depends on number of factors e.g. availability of oppertunit(ies), scope of work and mainly your objectives of doing post-doc.
Canada, China & Germany is very good place for higher degree.Funding facility are also available in mentioned countries.
Research quality is one thing - and with that I agree that USA may be a good option. For me, however, a standard of life is also important - and considering that, I would vote for European Union. Healthcare, job opportunities for your family members, availability for childcare, to name a few, make a huge difference when you compare EU and e.g. USA. And then in Europe, Switzerland, Netherlands and Nordic countries provide good standard of living plus good money and great research. I study in Finland and would love to stay here for postdoc as well. Good luck!
The research culture in Europe is very good. The universities in Central Europe and Nordic countries pay the researchers above average than the most countries in the world and you can have decent savings. In US, I have recently learnt from my friends working there that the life of researchers is really miserable, but the experience from US universities count more if you are looking for a good position after postdoc. Japan also has an awesome research infrastructure and the positions are very well paid. Germany also has a plenty of opportunities and their Govt. is very supportive in this. For my first postdoc, I chose Finland over US and Australia and have no regrets.
The idea behind a post-doc is primarily to get into academic research jobs. Hence, if the plan is to go for a professorship in a designated country, I guess one should look for a post-doc in a place which brings higher chances to qualify for professorships in that country.
For e.g. I have noticed that in Germany, habitilants (very similar to assistant professor/junior professors) are selected from returning German/european students from class universities in the world, for e.g. the Ivy leagues of US.
I believe that post-doc is similar to PhD but with higher responsibilities and skill-development phase. Post-doc is also not a degree (but a job) and is carried for max 2-3 years in a specific country.
Hence, I would like to think that one should go for the BEST RESEARCH GROUPS, instead of BEST COUNTRIES, to perform post-docs. If one chooses a country based on pay, then he/she should be prepared to start his academic professorship/higher scientific position life in that country of choice. :)
Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia (e.g. KAUST), Switzerland pays a lot of salary (as I hear from friends). ;)
Cheers and good luck to all of your new positions.
In my perception apart from looking the geographic location whether a given institute falls in world top 500 is really important.
This is depend on work only. Every country may like good work.
Germany has good options, but actually apart from region the openings and quality matter.
Dear Ajitanshu,
There are some countries which can be elected for PostDOC based on job flexibility, holidays, spouse, life, stipend and hard good research. I shall quote couple of countries which can be better option if you really wish to go for your PostDOC. I shall prefer USA to pursue PostDOC research.
Germany and Netherlands are most flexible when it comes to giving good salary to postdocs and also allowing spouses to work. They also have better day care, medical benefits and Netherlands has special allowance for foreigners that can give you tax reduction. Holidays are generally between 4-5 weeks per year and if you don't take that much time off you get paid for unused holidays.
USA is biggest for research market for Postdoc search and salary ranges between $40,000-$50,000 per year with 25%-30% of this income going towards taxes. 15 days Holidays/year officially although, if your PI allows you might get extra time off. Maternity leaves are one of the worst in the world in the USA -not more than 30 days of paid time off, and only in second year of your job, paternal leaves are either non existent or range from 1-2 weeks- check with your potential HR department.
USA is not the best in terms of job flexibility, work life balance and ease of finding work for your spouse. If you do decide to come to the USA make sure you come on J1 visa and not H1B visa. Spouses of H1B visa holders are given H4 visa and not allowed to work (unless you have filed and cleared first stage of green card process- an expensive undertaking). J1 visa holder spouses are given J2 visa and it's easier for them to find part or full time work.
On the other hand you might be able to come to a place in the USA which provides better access to labs and expertise. To sum up, Europe is better for quality of life and more humane treatment of postdocs whereas, USA is better for neck break speed of science.Huge number of publications come out from USA PostDOC and later can get opportunity to work as a time tenure research assistant/ research professor designation.
These are general guidelines and best if to always ask your potential employer and/or HR department for specific rules. Make sure you have a written contract before you decide to finalize an offer. If you can, try to visit the lab in person before you decide to give it 3-6 most productive years of your life.
All the best!
Ashish
In India, how do I secure a postdoc position in Environmental Geoscience? I was reliably informed that opportunities exist in India for such research position but they rarely give it to foreigners. I dont know how true this statement is.
To the best of my knowledge, Post doctorate research is all about carrying out good quality researches that impact the economy and the lives of people. Therefore, this condition must be held with high esteem in deciding the place that is best for post doctorate studies in home and abroad. Where the necessary tools are available for quality research is the best place for postdoc.
Pay not suppose influence a postdoctoral decision but mentorship. In this sense, I suggest UK and US.
For US citizen, USA is the first preference for fullbright program. For innovation research incentive schemes Europe and USA is best.
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