Postdoc Definition and 64 Threads

what is so bad about these "postdoc" positions? I'm in the last year of my MPhys course and now considering applying for a PhD in some aspect of physics, and I keep coming across statements like "do a physics Ph. D. and you will get stuck working postdoc positions for years". The tone is always...

I wonder how does the topic you choose to specalise in during your PhD affect what you'll research later on in your postdoc years? I mean assuming you specalise in number theory and decide you want to change to geometry or analysis in postdoc who would even give you a job if your'e not...

(In case you don't know me, I just finished a physics phd) Based on my current job hunt, it appears that physicists are no longer highly sought after on Wall st. Physicists can get quant jobs, but the positions are highly competitive. To make myself a more competitive candidate, I'm...

Hello everyone, I'm about to finish my undergrad physics degree, and I'm going to apply to a US grad school for a physics PhD. I'm not from the US. Once I get my PhD, the logical next step would be to look for a postdoc position in the US, as I want to dedicate myself to physics and possibly...

Hi, I'm beginning Physics graduate school this Fall. I have an undergrad in EE, and I have interests in various areas. I intend to make up my mind about the exact field of Physics I would like to specialize in, by the end of my first year in grad school. I have a few questions about how the...

I will start a PhD in physics (high energy theory) this fall, probably in a British graduate school. How many papers should I publish during PhD to get a decent postdoc position? I know this is a vague question, but I just want to get a feeling for the level of competitiveness for an academic...

Is this the right subforum? This is my friend's question but he is not very fluent in English. He has a bachelor degree in biology and now he is working towards a PhD in science (biology-oriented) and technology education in a Southeast Asian university. However, it seems that his true...

This is probably going to sound like a ridiculous question, but I'll throw it out there anyway. I'm a third year PhD student in particle astrophysics (experimental). As such, almost all of my graduate coursework is in physics (quantum, E&M, stat mech, nuclear, particle, quantum field theory...

Since we seem to have a few professors and grad students on this forum, I was hoping to open a discussion on the current employment trends in math academia. It seems as is the road to tenure is incredibly difficult and it takes more than just writing a good thesis to get a job. I am posting...

I need some help picking which math PhD program to attend. My interests are Differential Geometry/Riemannian Geometry, geometric analysis, General Relativity (or Lorentzian geometry in general) and Mathematical Physics. I have been fortunate enough to receive some nice offers from a few...

I am a postdoc in Spain, ending my first year of research. My bosses are currently trying to terminate my contract a year early, since (a) I haven't published anything (given 8 talks and attended 3 teleconferences, though), and (b) the PhD student whose dissertation they assigned me to direct...

For those of you who have had postdocs, how much did you expect of them when they first arrived? Did you expect them to already know a lot? I just started my first postdoc and I'm finding I'm really lacking confidence, and I'm starting to feel really isolated. The reason is, compared to...

How many people out of the original number entering as a physics or physics/math undergrad (overall, not at any specific university) will: 1. Get their B.Sc.? 2. Get their Ph.D.? 3. Become a PostDoc, or stay in the academic stream in some way? 4. Become a professor? 5. Become a tenure...

A deepset culture bias says that too much limelight destroys scholars. The tradition goes back to monastery roots or even earlier. We expect scholars to withdraw to a quiet place: labor in the scriptorium and meditate in the monastery garden. I know (my culture prepares me to expect) that...