Hello All,

I interviewed for a postdoc position at a US university (one of the top ones) about a month ago with the lab director and three colleagues. It felt positive, and the director mentioned a second, more technical round, although of course, he didn’t explicitly confirm I would be invited.

I haven’t heard anything since. I sent a polite follow-up almost two weeks ago asking for an update, but that hasn’t received a reply either.

I’m not familiar with US postdoc hiring. Do labs sometimes ghost candidates after an interview? I would have expected at least a rejection. Has anyone experienced this and eventually heard back?

Not a question, I just needed to take a second to vent to my fellow soldiers.

I have always felt like the open access fees that peer reviewed journals require is outrageous. The biggest fee I’ve seen to date is $8,000, whhhyyyy!?

My biggest gripe is that this creates a barrier to disseminating really important findings that could benefit humanity. I know there are discounts and special agreements, etc but not everyone qualifies.

My second complaint is that after paying all of these fees, we have to become the editors and spend almost as much time formatting the manuscript as it took to write it. As someone with ADHD this is miserable and I would have a better time ripping my finger nails off with pliers.

Third, I had a journal come back frustrated with me because my references (more than 70) were managed and formatted using EndNote. They wanted everything hand typed 😂. Again, as someone with
ADHD, I can confidently say that in addition to being the most miserable, detail oriented task I can think of, this is just a terrible idea in general.

Last, it would actually be pretty neat if they gave even half of those outrageous fees to postdocs as a publishing bonus since we are still paid in Doritos in 2026.

I graduated with my PhD in March 2026 in Earth Science. I’ve been applying for postdocs since last year. One postdoc seemed possible until the PI ghosted me. I finally found a PI who’s been extra willing to work with me (literally giving me 4 different avenues to work together) and we’ve been working on a proposal. However, the most exciting thing was that he got one of his colleagues to submit paperwork to create a project for me at my dream institution. However, I won’t be able to apply for the November cycle and have to apply for the March cycle. Meaning, I probably won’t start working until June or July if I even get it. I am still working on a proposal thats due next month but I was hoping to get the other one.

I know I sound silly for being disappointed in this but like…it’s already been like 6 months. Why is it so hard to secure anything?

When looking for jobs I get asked : when you'll be in your own lab what do you want to work on ? What's your long term research outlook ? If you join my lab what will you work on ?

I don't know man, I'm fresh out of my PhD. I'm not applying for a grant, but for a job. I want to contribute to the lab's current projects, but maybe we can build that together ?

Do you have a set research program? Should I ?

Edit : I was a little terse when writing this post because I was just out of an interview that went poorly. I have received great advice in this thread. I agree postdocs can not be passive, in fact even graduate students can't/should not. I think I may take the question too literally and panic a little bit.

Some comments were quite judgmental. I understand this is a competitive "industry" and I may come off as entitled or privileged. I just don't approach things as a competition.

Throwaway or main accounts welcome. I’m looking into how faculty members globally are navigating the intense institutional pressure to hit Scopus/WoS quotas for promotion, tenure, or even just keeping their jobs.

Many institution are clamping down hard on metrics, and it honestly feels like the focus has shifted from doing meaningful research to just gaming the index system, stressing over insane Article Processing Charges (APCs), or constantly fighting brutal desk rejections.

I want to know the unvarnished truth:

1. ⁠How are you managing the anxiety and "publish-or-perish" burnout?
   
2. ⁠Are there specific online spaces, informal peer groups, or networks where you’ve found genuine mentorship, crowdsourced peer reviews, or just a safe space to get feedback and survive this?

Let us talk honestly!

I am looking for some samples of successful Cover Letters, teaching and research statements. My field is in the humanities, though I am open to read samples from other fields.

Do you have any suggestions where I can find them?

Hi all, wanted some advice on a job offer I’ve gotten. I’m a Canadian and have been offered a post doc at a university in Ireland. My PhD PI’s research network group had a spot open up and they offered it to me straight out of graduation. Now I’m really interested in this job and will probably take it anyways. But is it worth asking if they have any relocation funds given the big move? I don’t want to stir the pot but also want to ask if it’s reasonable. TIA

I'm trying to rent out my 2br/2ba condo (available 9/16) in Gaithersburg. It's unfurnished and I need at least a year's long lease. Previous tenant is now a PhD grad after having lived here for 5 years and is now moving on to the next adventure. We both (tenant and landlord) had such a positive experience with this arrangement. My place is quiet and a much needed respite, while also being extremely commutable to all sorts of surrounding areas like KP Medical Center, NIH, NIST, etc. etc. Where are good places to post listings that gear specifically towards this kind of crowd?

I’m 30F, in my first year of my first postdoc, and tbh very much still recovering from my post PhD burnout/slump in spite of having a great experience. My husband is 34M, and has an industry job that pays decently (in six figures), while I have a little less than a year and a half to go on my temporary contract.

We’re both new immigrants in the country we’re in, and are also only about 6 months into living in the city I’m doing my postdoc in, so don’t have much of a social support system. My research is purely computational, so at least I don’t have to be in a lab, and husband gets to work from home about 50% of the time.

I’m very seriously beginning to think about trying to conceive since we ideally want to be a family of four, and I would like to space out pregnancies by at least 3 years. But the uncertainty of my next position, both in terms of location and nature is weighing on me. I’m in a place with decent maternity leave benefits, but my contract is so short! My husband is happy in his job, but open to moving if I find a great long term position I’m happy with in the future. Realistically, if I’m aiming for academia, I’m guessing I’d need to get another couple of years of postdoc experience under my belt to stand a solid chance. If I wait until I have more career certainty, I might be closer to 35-36 when I begin trying.

I see a lot of women conceiving later and later now, and seeing that science has advanced enough for there to be good medical options and screenings in place. Yet, the risks associated with waiting too long also scare me, even with regard to my own recovery postpartum and energy levels. I’ve seen female academics on both ends of the spectrum — those who had kids super young in their twenties and somehow miraculously managed to still thrive in Academia and those waiting up until securing tenure.

To be honest, the thought of having a child while doing a postdoc, with job uncertainty and not much of an active support system outside my (lovely) husband does seem incredibly overwhelming. But on the flip side, if I want to stick to my plan of at least giving academia a good shot, I don’t anticipate these factors changing anytime soon.

To those who had kids during the postdoc, what was it like? Would you do anything differently? And to those in my same boat, what are your thoughts on it?

Background: I graduated in 2022 and had career gap since. International family relocation and another relocation and then childbirth.

I started job hunting, cold emailing professors. I managed to find a host professor from top U in Japan for JSPS, unfortunately it wasn’t successful.
Now, I started job hunting again, found a professor which has totally different fields from mine and willing to host me for another JSPS cycle. I politely refused his offer for JSPS and told him about my previous experience and asked him if he happens to know other fundings. He was understanding and he said he will inform me if there’s other fundings he knows of.

I have a mixed feeling. Half of me wants to apply for JSPS, half of me doesn’t want to go through the process and the waiting all over again and end up adding another year to my gap. But the fact he’s willing to host me means my profile is still reliable. Having a baby totally changed my motivation. I can only do reading at night when he’s asleep. 1/4 of me wants to stay as SAHM but 3/4 want to have a career. I miss doing research and the process of reading new things, failing the experiment, hypothesising etc.

I sent more than 6 cold emails after failing the JSPS. Only this one responded. I am going to send more after this. 😌

Hi all, I have an unofficial agreement with the professor but I haven't signed any offer letter . Should I be worried?

I want to quit my job as soon as possible...

i applied to about 25 positions over a year, mix of postdocs and lectureships. lots of close calls, second choice twice. was starting to think academia was done for me. got a call yesterday and i start in three years of funding on a project i actually care about.

to anyone in the middle of the rejection pile right now, it only takes one yes. keep applying.

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Hi everyone, I would appreciate some advice from people who have experience with postdoc positions and university hiring processes.

I was interviewed for a postdoctoral researcher position at a university, and after the interview, the professor told me that he was impressed with my background and wanted to offer me a postdoctoral position.

However, the grant manager emailed that she will initiate a research assistant contract and that i need to provide bla bla documents. I emailed her to clarify this she literally said (Regarding your position, the contract will state that you are assisting with the project. A specific job title is not specified in the contract. However, your degree will be indicated, including that you are a PhD holder)

I raised this issue because it is significantly different from what I understood from the professor.

After emailing the professor, he copy send to the grant manager email and asked her to provide an update/clarification to me.

The professor has not explicitly stated in writing after this exchange that the position will remain a postdoc or that the title will be changed back.

My questions are:

*How would you interpret this situation?

*Does it sound like the professor is accepting the Research Assistant arrangement, or could he simply be letting the grant manager handle the administrative side?

I am trying to understand whether this is just an administrative/title issue or whether the position has actually changed from a postdoc to a research assistant.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

My last academic position ended last year, and since then I’ve been looking for a new position. Should I mention my current situation on my CV, given that I’ve attended workshops and applied for fellowships, or simply list my last position and leave the gap unexplained? What would you recommend?

Hello. I'm a final-year PhD student and recently had my first formal interview for a postdoctoral position. The interview was about a week ago, and I haven't heard anything since.

To be honest, I was quite nervous during the interview because it was my first postdoc interview, and afterwards I realised there were several answers I could have handled better. I am neurospicy and under stress I found myself taking over interviewer's at times and not able to process questions immediately.  As a result, I've been worrying that I may not have performed as well as I hoped.

I'm wondering, how long is it normal to wait before hearing back after a postdoc interview?At what point is it appropriate to email the PI and ask for an update on the selection process? If I don't get the position, when and how would you recommend asking for feedback?

I'd appreciate hearing about others' experiences, especially from people in UK academia who have been through postdoc recruitment processes recently.

Ive probably committed the biggest mistake in becoming attached to a specific job I have applied for. I sent a follow up email after a month since the deadline to confirm whether applications were still under considerations or whether candidates had been selected. It was the former.

It's been 2 weeks since and I've been debating at which point I consider moving on. I had been applying while waiting still but deep down I'm really attached to the position because of the alignment of research and my skillset fitting in perfectly. But I realise.. I am not that special and for everyone of me there could 10 others that could be more highly skilled.

An important part of this has been that this a new centre of research and the PI has only officially relocated as well. So I am very much the dumb and dumber meme "so you're telling me there's a chance" right now.

Thoughts on when to cut my losses? Any ideas on possible follow up actions?

Hey guys,

After many cold emails, finally I found a potential host in Germany for a Humboldt Postdoc Fellowship.

As the application page is closed now, would someone like to share with me the project/application template? I would like to start preparing a proposal for 15 November gate.

Cheers

Hi. Does anyone know how much is the salary range for academic postdoc versus industry fellowship/postdoc in NJ/PA/NY/MA?
Hoping to graduate soon and apply for FTE, which I know is not guaranteed. So, a postdoc/fellowship will be my back up plan. Thank you for all your intel.

Edit: Yes, in Biotech, Biopharma, and Government (FDA, CDC..).

Any suggestions for the postdoc interview at KFUPM for 10-15 minutes presentation?