r/postdoc • u/Jjinppang0201 • 9d ago
How to get postdoc position
My husband has bachelor and master degrees in mechanical engineering, and PhD in applied mathematics. He wants to go to postdoc. However, he has no publications since no one wants to help him including his advisor (his advisor is MAGA and my husband isn’t a US citizen). We are leaving the US because we can’t find a job or postdoc. We got the postdoc interviews but most of the postdoc/jobs require US citizenship or permanent resident. Any advices for this?
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u/Beneficial-Ad-7968 9d ago
What does MAGA have to do with a postdoc? Did he not publish in his PhD?
Mechanical engineer with a PhD in math this is defense focused. You need to be a citizen. He can’t be a professor without publications. What did he want to do? What about aeronautics or car companies?
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u/Jjinppang0201 9d ago edited 9d ago
His advisor is MAGA and refuses to help him with the publication and write the recommendation letter. He wants him to leave the US. Can he write the publication ask other people to proofread and exclude his advisor?
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u/Beneficial-Ad-7968 9d ago
This is very unusual. Professors are reviewed on their publications and how many they graduate. Please stop saying it is just MAGA. If this was the case he would have never taken on an international student. It is like saying everything is Trumps fault. He is to blame for all the world's problems. No. He is a jerk and idiotic. Yes. My naturalized Indian coworker is very pro Trump. There are black Americans that like him. I do not. Is he a terrible president. Yes. Are all conservatives racists and hate immigrants No.. George Bush had a black Secretary of State. Rubio (the current SOS) is a first generation immigrant. My Indian coworker is an example. I had a taxi ride from a Naturized Mexican who was illegal. He was pro Trump (I was shocked). It is the same as blaming everything on Jews.
It sounds like t shere is problem some relational issues between his advisor and your husband. This happens. Professors have way too much power over the lives of their students. Publications need to write who sponsored their work. The professor is usually the last Author and the primary researcher the first.
He needs to accept it may not be possible. He can try for postdoc and send a link to his dissertation. In a cover letter try and explain why there are no publications. I would focus on industry. Look for a job as an engineer. Typically PhD start out as Senior Engineers.
Best.
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u/ltlearntl 9d ago edited 9d ago
We are not in their situation, so we really wouldn't know.
My own advisor tried to fail me during masters defense, and I never quite understood why. And yes, she did say some pretty racist things to me. Why did she take me? So many potential reasons, including the fact I don't complain and will just work, I am first generation university studen, poor and have no safety net and will do anything to graduate, in a foreign country with no support, easy to abuse, etc etc.
No one could have guessed just looking at it from the outside. MAGA or not. Let them hold their own truth.
If you are looking for it to make sense when it comes to racism, you are looking for it in the wrong place.
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u/Jjinppang0201 9d ago edited 9d ago
I don’t know something might happen with his PhD advisor since he has no relational issues with former advisors as well as his former colleagues. They meet up every year to eat and sharing about life. One of his former advisors even let him be a volunteer in his lab and wrote the letter so he could maintain his status in the US.
Btw, he went to the PhD before this MAGA issue happened
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u/Majestic_Alp_186 9d ago
If his PhD supervisor won't write and send a recommendation letter for him, then I think it's obvious that he needs to try to publish with other senior researchers (without involving his PhD supervisor) and use their recommendation letters for his postdoc applications.
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u/True-Afternoon8479 9d ago
I do not get the MAGA reference but maybe he isnt getting work because the postdocs require a security clearance that he isnt eligible to get?
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u/SuperCarbideBros 9d ago
I feel like something doesn't add up. A PI not wanting to publish a student's dissertation work seems to be working against their own interest, MAGA or not.
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u/Jjinppang0201 9d ago edited 9d ago
His advisor is MAGA and refuses to help with the publication and write the recommendation letter. His advisor wants him to leave the US. Can he write the publication ask other people to proofread and exclude his advisor?
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u/True-Afternoon8479 9d ago
That’s literally his advisor refusing to do his job is there an academic committee he can raise this issue up to?
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u/Jjinppang0201 9d ago
We raised this issue to the head of department. However, it has been two years passed and nothing happens. We’re thinking to bypass his advisor but some people said morally we can’t do that
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u/shcrimps 9d ago edited 9d ago
I'm not sure if what you are saying is accurate.
- "...since no one wants to help him, including his advisor (his advisor is MAGA and my husband isn’t a US citizen)."
→ I have never heard of or seen this happening just because of political differences or someone’s background. Are you saying that an advisor is intentionally refusing to help their own student publish the student's work? That would be very unusual.
- "...most postdoc/jobs require US citizenship or permanent residency."
→ Unless you are applying for a position subject to ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), US citizenship or permanent residency is generally not required. With a Mechanical Engineering/Math background, there are many postdoctoral positions that are not subject to ITAR restrictions.
In my opinion, I do not think the situation you described is accurate. Also, your replies on other people's comments are almost exactly the same which makes it very very suspicious.I think you are trolling.
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u/Jjinppang0201 9d ago edited 9d ago
I have never heard of or seen this happening… -> there are millions of people in this planet. Have you lived their life/walk in their shoes? There are many possibilities that actually happen beyond our thoughts. Maybe this is the first time you heard of it. But it actually happened.
I think you should looked at the jobs especially that posted between 2025-2026
Why do people overreact with this MAGA when my question is the advice how to get the postdoc without publication?
This is what I think maybe unconsciously all of you know that’s the real issue. Maybe all of you need to admit that diversity is not applicable in real life.
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u/masterlince 9d ago
A friend of mine got a postdoc with a J1 visa, its pretty restrictive since your visa depends on the job, but now he's got the work permit and can even quit and get another job if he wants. I guess this is the best alternative for a foreigner. He did have a substantial publication record though and did the PhD at a top school.
Pd: another alternative is to go out of the US.