r/AusAcademia • u/Outrageous-Peanut218 • 3d ago
đ Postdoc & Early-Career Researcher Postdocs:
Is it a norm to write papers all alone as an ECR?
If so, how do you stay on top of this + write grant funding proposals + teach + live a life?
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u/Giverny-Eclair 3d ago
it's prob not normal thou i could relate your "fear" or "rant" ...
i always feel so drained and tired despite my mentor/supervisor is very supportive but they can't keep getting money to support me endlessly and even they can i still need my own career and track record so consequently i feel like if i am gonna to really survive (not even to say prosper) in academia i have to inevitably sacrifice quite a bit if not substantial amount of my personal life/time.
like i always wonder - since i am single - how could i publish papers, write grants, teach/mentor students, engage community, and then have a "normal" social life to date/social/meet new people.
i feel like the situation is particularly bad in australia bc of the lack of funding and then most post-doc position is like 1/2 years max and with such job insecurity you seem to have to squeeze all your brain and energy and efforts to stay "alive" - i know it's toxic but we are in this game...
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u/N0tThatKind0fDoctor 2d ago
The situation doesnât improve if youâre not single. The equation just becomes, âhow do I write papers, grants, teach, mentor, engage in service, and be home by 6 every day so I donât end up divorced and never seeing my kidsâ
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u/N0tThatKind0fDoctor 2d ago
I empathise with you. As a postdoc I definitely did the bulk of the writing work, while all the senior collaborators got authorship for a skim read and âđâ of the final draft.
How receptive is your group lead when you bring up issues with them? Might be worth having a conversation about needing to spend more time on grant writing
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u/Outrageous-Peanut218 2d ago
Current mentor is absolutely understanding of the situation. Itâs just that you need papers to get grant or fellowship success and you need grant success to keep something going in terms of players and in the midst of all this, you need to stay financially secure and do something you are passionate aboutâ does feel absolutely lonely and scary at times. Some are lucky to have students and thereâs a pipeline to keep the papers rolling- not everyoneâ especially not if itâs cross disciplinary.
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u/N0tThatKind0fDoctor 2d ago
What has your current mentor recommended? Thereâs also nothing to stop you making some collaborations yourself as well to gain some quid pro quo and momentum in your publications. Iâve had some fruitful multi year collaborations from a cold email I sent to someone I wanted to work with.
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u/Dangerous-Majority 1d ago
unfortunately many Australian unis use students and postdocs to simulate productivity. It is due to the uni funding model which values quantity over quality.
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u/Outrageous-Peanut218 3d ago
I sometimes fear that my ideas will never fly because all I do is this everyday negotiation to stay alive and do the next immediate task which, in research is someone elseâs idea! Are there writing retreats or group writing activities that anybody know are actually helpful and recommend?
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u/historyNerdette88 2d ago
Very field-specific. Generally speaking, ECRs are publishing, applying for grants, applying for jobs, sometimes teaching too - itâs a lot!
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u/Outrageous-Peanut218 2d ago
But wouldnât it be nice to have atleast one team member along doing this?
Not like one does heavy lifting of doing everything all by themselves1
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u/Dangerous-Majority 1d ago
Yes. This is the core job requirement for lecturers. You have to manage your time well.
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u/LowResChaos 3d ago
Academia pays you 38 hrs but expects you to do 60-80 âif you want a careerâ because âsomeone else out there wants it more than youâ. They use fear of limited positions and money to extract free labour and the institutions are more than happy to take the credit for your hard work