The Path to Happiness in Research
The Ideal Postdoc Duration: Get Out Before You Get Old
In our continued examination of the milestones along the research career pathway, we turn today to perhaps one of the most amorphous stages in our development. While certain factors like funding access may place restrictions on the duration of a postdoc, they’re rarely hard-stops. A postdoc is an important extension of our scientific training and due to the diversity in our experiences, it may be difficult to accommodate all situations with a standard length of time. For example, projects that require the development of a new system (assay, organism, knock-out, etc.) may be expected to take longer than those that plug-in to the existing expertise of the lab. Or individuals who switch fields from their graduate work may anticipate an extra year or two as a result of the learning curve they’ll face in their new discipline. And of course, there are a number of personal factors that may influence the postdoc duration such as having children, buying a house, or waiting for a job in the same city due to the two-body problem.
It’s also important to acknowledge that the eventual employment outcome of a situation also effects the ideal postdoc duration. For example, a lab that averages 7-year postdocs may actually be acceptable if they place 99% of the postdocs into their dream job. On the other hand, a 2-year postdoc that places 10% of individuals in the jobs they wanted may not seem like such a great deal after all.
While each of us can appreciate the variability inherent in each postdoctoral experience, we also know that at some point – regardless of the factors in play – we get a queasy feeling in our gut telling us “we’ve been here too long.” It’s the point at which we start to feel we’ve hit the point of diminishing returns. With every additional day, we think we may actually be harming our own prospects for career advancement and, if nothing else, we know we’re damaging our energy and enthusiasm for the research.
Top 10 Reasons to Attend Mount Sinai School of Medicine!
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Mount Sinai is a research powerhouse.
We were the first to describe Tay Sachs disease (1887), first to publish human blood compatibility antigens (1908), developed the first cystoscope for children (1911), invented the modern ophthalmoscope (1914), developed the first estrogen blood test (1926), performed the country's first kidney dialysis (1947), developed polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for separating proteins (1959), first to use sequential combination chemotherapy for breast, ovarian cancers (1962, 1963), mapped the influenza virus genome (1977), first direct evidence of the involvement of dopamine in schizophrenia (1985), first blood transfusion of an unborn fetus (1986), identified gene most commonly mutated in prostate cancer (2001), pioneered the use of enzyme replacement therapy by targeting Fabry disease (2003), performed first successful composite tracheal transplant (2005), linked Olig2 to schizophrenia (2006), the first to use adult stem cells to explore the genetic details of a specific inherited disease (LEOPARD syndrome, 2010),and dozens more. We have named many diseases. Come join us and create your own first.
Now is our time. We are the fastest growing research enterprise in New York and one of the fastest growing in the country. Mount Sinai now has America's third highest NIH funding per faculty among America’s 130 Medical Schools. With this success, it's no wonder we have the buzz as the new elite place to train.
Our research diversity. We have established departments and institutes devoted to excellence in neuroscience, microbiology, systems biology, genomics, stem cells, cancer biology, development, immunology, and many many more. What's your area of interest?
Our faculty. We are leaders in our fields and have brought in a new wave of elite faculty including internationally recognized leaders in neurobiology, stem cells, genomics, development, and immunology. You will train with the best.
Our students. We are proud to have created a community of learning, support, and excellence. We value our students' input on both the scientific and social structures needed to be a successful student. Come meet our remarkable student body.
Our diversity. At Mount Sinai we value diversity in our students and in our faculty. Reflecting the diversity of our beloved city, we embrace students from around the world. We are proud that 15% of our M.D/Ph.D. students consider themselves under-represented minorities, helping us to build a new and more diverse generation of scientists.
Our courses. We offer PhD students eight concentration areas tailored to reflect the strengths and priorities of modern biomedical science. We will structure your training to prepare you for the remarkable world of science.
Live in the world's greatest city. Dream of the Big City? Come train with us. Not sure about New York? Let us show you why it is the greatest city on earth- and the safest big city in America. Located on the Museum Mile in the Upper East Side and right next to Central Park, we have a ringside seat to the most astonishing collection of culture you will find. Anywhere. In a city that never sleeps. Warning: if you come here, you will never want to leave.
Dream big. Training at an elite Medical School in the heart of New York will inspire you. Be surrounded by the people who Dream Big and revolutionize the world in every sphere of society from fashion to art to music to finance. And science.
Achieve your dreams. Our graduates have populated many of the world's elite research institutions to do great science. If you want to take part in the magical world of science at its highest levels... then your dreams are our dreams.
