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Transition from Postdoc to Jr. Faculty: Surviving the Initial Years
Sponsored by the APS Trainee Advisory Committee

The increased competition for faculty positions, as well as the desire to enhance faculty diversity, has increased the demand for career development sessions. We recognize that the development of a career at any stage is critical; however with a growing number of quickly developing postdoctoral fellows ready to enter the academic job market, the transition from a postdoc to a Jr. faculty position may be the most critical, especially with the incessant ticking of the tenure clock ringing in the ears of a newly appointed Jr. faculty member.  Therefore, we have constructed a career development session that will address a few critical issues associated with the transition of postdocs to a faculty position such as negotiating a contract (including salary and start-up funding), setting up a lab and prioritizing time. After extended discussion and evaluation of the Trainee Advisory Committee’s survey, we concluded that the timing of this topic and its invited speakers were appropriate, and thus would be highly attractive to postdocs (at all stages) and Jr. faculty. This session may also be attractive to senior faculty involved in recruiting and hiring decisions or interested in the concerns of potential hires. A format encompassing both oral presentations by invited speakers at different stages in their careers followed by round-table discussion led by the speakers should be informative, valuable and attractive to trainees hoping to obtain broad insight and to participate in informal discussion.