You have passed your qualifying exam, you have some data in hand, and you're working away at crafting your PhD chapters. Maybe you're even doing outreach, managing to attend seminars or conferences occasionally, and hopefully taking care of your mental health. The end is finally in sight. Now how in the world do you find a postdoc?
A postdoc is an exciting time. In the words of one survey respondent: “Be excited! A postdoc was the most free and exciting time of my academic career. An opportunity to work independently without the additional responsibilities of being a student or faculty member. I love being a faculty member, but being a postdoc was the best job I've ever had.” Another replied: “I found a post doc to be the most rewarding experience. I moved internationally (to the US) and met an amazing community of motivated and enthusiastic scientists. The insecure work really does suck, but I never could complain about what I got to do and what opportunities were opened up as a result. Having the support to develop my own research ideas, make mistakes, and try new things, has been hugely influential in my growth as a scientist.”
Finding (and landing) a postdoc position can be tricky! Below we have advice from 23 current and recent postdocs on finding a great postdoc position. At the end of this post, we also provide a list of the major earth science postdoc employers. One of the main themes is that the best way to find a postdoc is by getting to know lots of people in your discipline as early as possible and getting them interested you and in your research. Most of our respondents started reaching out or applying to positions over 1 year before defending.
Start by talking to folks at conferences years before you plan to defend. Find mutual interests and keep in touch. If you have an idea that would make a great postdoc for you, suggest writing a proposal together (either an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship or a full proposal, or both!). Like graduate school, most of the time the postdoc finds the advisor, not the other way around. Realize that you’ll be much more competitive for a position tailored to you (like if you’re written into a proposal) than for a position that is advertised on a website for all to apply. We recognize crafting potentially multiple new projects from scratch is a lot of work. If you are pursuing tenure track or research positions, you will need these ideas fleshed out anyway! Win win!
Here's a rough timeline, and as one participant reminds us “you can (usually) defer the start of a post doc by 6 months or 1 year” so don’t worry getting a position before you can actually start.
Advice on searching for positions:
“Network, network, network - start early, do this often, and keep in periodic contact with your network members. Finding people you want to work with after your PhD years before defending provides ample time to access a range of funding proposal opportunities.”
“Many opportunities are not advertised or planned. They result from the fortuitous circumstances of funding for a PI (extra money for personnel because they couldn't recruit a grad student or their grad student got their own funding, they have start-up money, etc). Conferencing and networking in the last years of your PhD are important for establishing those connections that can open such unplanned doors.”
“Look for someone who is in a different research network/academic family than your PhD advisor. Expand your network! Ideally also go to a different institution.”
“The best connections will come at the edges of your professional network—collaborators of collaborators, not necessarily people you already know well. Don’t be shy about reaching out to people you admire.”
“Don't be afraid to reach out to people to see if they have any postdoc funding coming up. Think about people you've met at your posters and talks, at conferences, during conference field trips, at colloquia, etc. All of these contacts are potential PIs! Cast your net broadly - apply to as many opportunities as you have the energy to complete, and have a couple different projects in mind. I wouldn't recommend shopping around the same project at every institution.”
“Using the online job posting sites (e.g., GSA Jobs Board) and listservs (e.g., geo-tectonics) are great resources for searching out positions”
“For international students, many NSF, DOE, EPA, USFS, and NASA fellowships are not available. Focus on the departmental fellowships and grant fundings in your search, and apply to as many of those as possible.”
Advice on applications:
“Be sure you communicate with the prospective PI before and during the application process. They should not be surprised to see your application and should be championing your proposal through the selection process to the extent they are able.”
“Make sure you define your research topic clearly - remember, this might be a much shorter position than your PhD. You need to propose something that you'll be able to actually do in that time.”
“Have peers and committee member(s) review your application materials as you write them.”
“Think about your vision for the future and what it is that defines you independent from your advisor. If you approach someone about postdoc opportunities who isn't specifically advertising a postdoc position, come prepared with your own project ideas. A PI is more likely to support you if you add to their group. If they already have a predefined project they want someone to work on, they will probably just recruit a cheaper graduate student than an expensive postdoc.”
“(1) Don't hesitate to ask for advices from PhD advisor, faculty members, peers about the research proposal/personal statement, (2) if possible send the proposal draft to the potential postdoc advisor/host to ask for feedback, (3) if applying for a specific project, research about the project as much as possible and know what kind of background the PI is looking for and emphasize those in the personal statement, (4) if possible, taking part in a review panel (NSF/NASA) can be good as it gives an idea of how proposals are evaluated and what the reviewers look for.”
“Spend effort to individualize the applications, you are a specialist and people are looking for highly specialized researchers.”
“It was super useful to write with a number of potential mentors and learn from their feedback - so even those that didn’t get funded were overall positive mentorship and training experiences”
“For a specific advertised role: be specific- how are your skills going to benefit the project? What kind of outcomes can one expect. For a general funding application: be ambitious, try to envision the most interesting way applying your research. How would you achieve that?”
“There are positives and negative with working with big name people vs working with early career people, weigh these options carefully, and choose the option that will set you up for the career you want.”
“The tradeoff to writing something large like NSF EAR-PF or full NSF proposals with a mentor is less time available for institutional / departmental fellowships, which may mean less total fellowship applications that ultimately get submitted.”
“Diversify your skill set, learn new methods or new applications of your known methods. Do not only propose academic goals but also propose ways you will contribute to the diversity and outreach goal for your potential lab group. Sell yourself as a mutually beneficial addition to the lab group, demonstrate what unique skills you have the bring to the lab.”
“Once you get a fixed term post-doc, keep applying for more opportunities. You may not get a faculty job in that time and trying to set up a second postdoc quickly is tough.”
Most respondents applied to between 2 to 7 positions.
Now for some specifics on the types of positions… We’ve asked current and recent postdocs for the pros and cons of their positions. Some of these positions come with less than a year of funding, and others can extend for 5+ years. Some positions include funding for conferences, field work, analyses, and publishing costs. Here’s a breakdown of the funding particulars of our respondents, and as you can see, it’s variable!
Departmental Fellowships
Many schools offer departmental postdoc fellowships. Here’s some that come to mind, but also check at institutions that you’re interested in. Departmental fellowships are a great avenue to a postdoc, and often come with both salary and a research budget. And if you know of other departmental fellowships, please let us know so we can grow our list!
CONS:
not necessarily tied to a specific PI, so there can be a lack of a support structure
funding for analyses isn’t always included
geographically fixed
PROS:
autonomy and freedom to direct research
Note: there’s a big difference between institutional and departmental postdocs. Many schools offer institutional postdocs BUT then you’re competing against all other departments and usually earth science folks won’t be super competitive. On the other hand, departmental fellowships are a great way to get $$$ for a postdoc at prestigious institutions!
Arizona State University Exploration Fellowship
Harvard Daly Postdoc and General Postdoc
Princeton Hess Fellowship
Yale Bateman, Interdepartmental and Flint Postdoctoral Fellowships
University of Chicago TC Chamberlin Postdoctoral Fellowship
MIT Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship
Johns Hopkins Blaustein Earth & Planetary Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship
Caltech offers several postdoctoral fellowships
Brown University
University of Texas Jackson School Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship
Scripps Institutional Postdoctoral Program (while this is an institutional fellowship, it is an oceanographic institution)
Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellowship
Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program
Lamont-Doherty (Columbia) LDEO Postdoctoral Fellowships
Rice Pan Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
Fellowships where you write a project proposal to get funded
NSF EAR Postdoctoral Fellowships provide 2 years of funding with research funds. October deadline. Great opportunity to figure out what you want to pursue next, even if it doesn’t get funded.
CONS:
fixed national rate, which can be tough in pricey parts of the US
usually must pay for your own health insurance (not covered by university)
might be less involved with active projects in a research group
PROS:
Intellectual freedom / flexibility to develop research agenda
control budget and can take it with you
comes with $25k of research funds per year
time for research
NOAA Global Change Fellowships: Appointed fellows are employees of UCAR and receive a fixed annual salary plus UCAR employment benefits. Fellows can be hosted at participating U.S. universities and research institutions. The program focuses on observing, understanding, modeling, and predicting climate variability and change on seasonal and longer time scales. This includes the documentation and analysis of past, current, or possible future climate variability and change as well as the study of the underlying physical, chemical, and biological processes.
USGS Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program: Positions are advertised online and require a proposal. The themes of the solicitations are often set by initiated grad students who find a potential mentor, and get a solicitation written around what they want to do! Mendenhall postdoc positions often lead to full time employment with the USGS.
NASA Postdoctoral Programs: can be a good fit for those interested in planetary science, astrobiology, remote sensing, and much more!
Other Federal Agencies
Department of Energy
Department of Defense
EPA
other types of postdocs
National Labs are located all over the US and offer postdoc positions. The positions are usually targeted and have predefined research goals. Each lab hosts its own list of positions, so check the websites for solicitations!
State agencies also put out solicitations for postdocs
Private Foundations sometimes sponsor postdoc positions related to their mission, like the Agouron Geobiology postdoc, or the Simons Foundation Origins of Life program.
Lab-based postdocs: Many labs hire postdocs to run day to day operations or get new techniques online. These are exciting, and might be advertised, but are often discovered through word of mouth.
CONS:
lots of time working on lab upkeep
PROS:
cutting edge techniques
Advertised positions: Sometimes, you get lucky, and a PI is looking for a postdoc with your skillset! Job boards and listservs are a great way to find about postdoc (and faculty) positions, while also keeping a pulse on the long-term goals of the community. These will be discipline specific so ask your advisor and colleagues which listservs they follow.
CONS:
often shorter positions/less time with guaranteed funding
can lead to workload overreach
can be hard to obtain funds for tangentially related work (or side projects)
PROS:
know what you’re getting into
don’t have to manage funding but are generally well-supported
training
Here are some recommended job boards where postdoc opportunities are advertised:
Earth Science Women’s Network hosts a crowdsourced list of many postdoc and faculty positions, as well as an active listserv. It’s a great resource!
Earth Science Jobs is the mailing list hosted by Earth Science Women’s Network
Geotectonics
Gilbert Club (for geomorphology)
Geo-metamorphism
Postdocs abroad
In addition to postdoc positions advertised by a specific PI, there are some international fellowship programs.
CONS:
far from home
challenging logistics!
sometimes no moving expenses
PROS:
build international collaborations and networks
Marie Curie Fellowship Program: Usually due in September. Fund 1-2 years of research in Europe. EU nationals can also apply for a separate program to work outside the EU.
Humboldt Research Fellowship: Rolling deadline. Funds 6 months to 2 years of research in Germany.
Fulbright Postdoctoral and Early Career Awards
As a slight aside, we’d also encourage you to start applying for faculty jobs as soon as possible if that’s the route you want to go. Writing research, teaching, and diversity statements takes time, and applying early is a great way to start ironing out the issues. Recognize that it might (probably will!) take several rounds of applications to land a faculty job, so why not start early? You can almost always defer the start date for a faculty position if you do manage to land both a postdoc and a faculty job.
For postdoc positions, there are lots of sites, fellowship programs, and listservs to check out. Our list is written from a US centric point of view, but we’d love to hear from international colleagues about other opportunities!
Happy searching,
The futureROCKdoc team
A sincere thank you to our respondents: Nathan Stevens, Kara Brugman, Daniel Ibarra, Zach Sickmann, Christina Richardson, Marjorie Cantine, Robert Holder, Tyson Smith, Kei Shimizu, Gilby Jepson, Jeremy Patterson, Penny Wieser, Sophie Goliber, Nikki Seymour, Yuxin Zhou, Allie Nagurney, Margo Odlum, Chelsea Mackaman-Lofland, Kelly Thomson, Martin, Tarryn, and a few anonymous contributors.
Written by Sarah W.M. George
Edited by Kristina L. Butler and Emily E. Mixon
