Revamping Postdoc Training

Blogger Professor in Training, a self-described second-year assistant professor at a large university, offers some ways in which the postdoc training experience could be improved. First, the author suggests that annual reviews should be conducted by others beyond the principal investigator to hold the PI accountable for mentoring and training. Next, the author proposes setting a time limit on postdoc positions to avoid “an ongoing situation that often turns into exploitation of cheap labor.” Finally, the blogger writes, there should be a strong institutional commitment to ― and recognition of ― postdoctoral researchers. “For me as a new PI, the first step is to make sure that my own postdocs don’t experience the same problems that I did,” Professor in Training writes.