Applying for a postdoc position - advice from Nobel Laureate Randy Schekman

Nobel Laureate Randy Schekman answers the question 'How do you respond when people ask to join your lab?'

Dr Schekman visited Maryland, United States, as part of the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative. He offered advice to young scientists, discussed his influential discoveries and explained his views on scientific publishing.

[azmainmuhtasimturzo]

Being kind and humble is the first and foremost condition for becoming an excellent academic. I am disappointed to see this professor disrespect different values and understandings that people carry when starting a conversation with him. It's a pitty that the system has situated the researchers at the bottom of job security while all the other fancy things are celebrated. He has actually validated this once again, standing against inclusivity and recognition of young researchers. I never wanted a Nobel Laureate professor but someone who would be kind and supportive to guide me through the process. I am fortunate and thankful to the almighty that I have such excellent supervisors, and those who are nice and humble are usually the most brilliant.

[nbharakey]

They forget to mention why this nonsensical "postdoc" position exists in the first place. Too many researchers are trained. It is a cheap way for governments to manufacture medium quality research through doctoral training programmes while paying PhD students peanuts and essentially wasting several years of their lives. This also creates a competitive hell in academic research and elsewhere. Plus, it creates diploma inflation where now you need a PhD to perform basically a technician's job in industry.
The whole thing is broken beyond repair. Just think of the grant system, academic publishing, PIs becoming managers on the account of being productive scientists, understaffed laboratories where PhDs and postdocs have to maintain all the equipment, insane expectations and work hours...

[ericfelli]

So If I understood well...You study the articles from a Lab, you work on a brilliant idea for months and you put all your know how. After that you give everything in ONE email to the PI who decide if you can be treated as human being and receive an answer, or not. Moreover, if the idea is really nice, he can just let apply for the funds to his son’s colleague or whatever is the guy politically closer to him. This is why this is not working at all.

[DarioCortese]

"...I don't even answer those!" - That tells me that you might be brilliant and busy, but you are also rude, arrogant, and self-important, Professor Schekmnan. I wish I didn't see so much of that attitude as I do in academia.

[laserlaser]

Hallo Professor, my work has been stolen twice in my life. The first one was a patent and now i am without a job in europe while people have some contacts relatives, or boyfriends can get position at the uni. I respect your opnion but the reality is much far away.

[khalidbashir]

Many big scientists have got no Nobel prize but they really did wonderful experiments. Prize should not be the motive, neither the prize winner should be inspiration. What actually matters is idea. And the idea cannot be put on social media for free.

[wahaajali]

I don't agree. The time in the end of phd is quite pressurizing. You can expect prospective postdoc to detailed customized letters to profs whose majority dont even reply

[teymoorsaifollahi]

I’m not sure if all these professors can make it through academia nowadays…

[souryabanik]

I dont care if a Nobel laureate says it or not, a postdoc is a bogus thing to do. A postdoc is a way of getting work done cheaply by the professors.

[neetzmaria]

Honestly I've written a lot of customized cover letters. I spend days on their current projects and came up with a short proposal. I've not got noticed in these labs too. I just think it's the skill that matters. Because I'm transitioning from yeast biology to translational research. But I do have skills that are transferrable. Only if someone would give me an opportunity. I worked really hard. I hope I don't have to quit and move into a desk job because research is what gets me excited.

[shekoofe]

Ideas are very expensive and you need to pay for it!

[mathematics]

To Randy Schekman, did you find it easy to communicate your thoughts when you were just starting out as a post doc, as you expect others to? I have come across many academics, who are terrible communicators and who are very selfabsorbed. One, finally after about 17 years of knowing him, and hearing him critisise my errors in comunications, finally admitted that he had also make mistakes in the past. I think you are being rather unfair to junior scientist, unless you can convince me that you are perfect and never make mistakes. I woulnd't believe that anyway, as there is no such person. Many scientist are introverted and struggle to communicate. The physicist, Paul Dirac, hardly spoke. Junior scientists are often shy about expressing their ideas. What got him jobs, were references, according to the Biograpy, by Graham Farmelo. Mr FW Hooton, BSc, MSc Biochemistry, MRSC, Ecology research student

[muhammadaminkhan]

I think contacts and references are playing key role. However, do your work as per your capacity rest be patient and wait for your consideration

[mukeshmaharjan]

It seems... all they need is a labor who can do HIS work ... where is the thought for what kind of person you are selecting for science ? In this way all you will gather is people who want to show how many publication they will have and just sit in lab, do science and do not care about what is important for this world or even his life but just pursue your mere self-centered desire...

[Salah-vgtn]

So one should spend months reading somebody else’s work only to get a response? Huh. You must be kidding. This is rude, and I won't even want to work with a person of such an attitude.

[mathematics]

Randy Schekmanm I don't know to wriite letters, to persuade lab leaders to interview me. Paper work tells you nothing. You have to meet people and talk to them. If you gave me data or a graph to analyse, I would analyse them to death.

[mintusaren]

Was alfred noble had post doctoral degree

[Rockyraccoon]

How many peoples work you will read and generate a thought process before getting a confirmation prof. Schekman? Its easier said then done.

[ParvezAhmadamu]

He must be straightforward to say that they look for the required skillset in applicants to hire them for the labor job viz. 'Postdoc'

[pedrovanni]

Good advice for me. Thank you so much, Dear Professor Schekman.