This year FECS made a splash at the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting by co-organizing an event aimed to help early career scientists navigate applying and interviewing for faculty and postdoc positions. The event featured four panelists: Lance Collins (Dean at Cornell), Anette (Peko) Hosoi (Dean at MIT), Bill Schultz (Professor at U. Michigan), and James Chen (Assistant Professor at U. Buffalo, SUNY). The panelists shared their thoughts on the process for securing a postdoc or faculty job in academia. Below is my attempt to organize the ideas the panelists shared.

Preparing for Success

Before you apply for positions, you need to prepare yourself to be successful. As a graduate student or a postdoc, you need to do good research and publish it in quality journals. The number of publications depends on where you are in your career (grad student, postdoc), but the consensus of the panel is that it is better to publish fewer high-quality papers than many low-quality papers, especially in the mature field of fluid dynamics. You should also work to build a network so that potential future employers know who you are. You can network by reaching out to people at conferences and making a point to interact with visitors to your university. Be sure to be involved in other activities such as outreach and teaching to prepare yourself for other aspects of a faculty position. These activities, when done thoughtfully, will help you distinguish yourself from other applicants.

Job Application

Your application is the first part of the job search process. A typical application consists of a cover letter, teaching statement, research statement, and CV. Your task is to differentiate your application from the hundreds of other applications for the position. Look closely at the job listing and think about how you would fit in at the institution, and express this in your cover letter. Customize your documents for each institution you apply to by including potential collaborators you could work with, research labs or equipment you can use, courses you can teach, and why the institution is a good fit for you. Pictures or other unique items that highlight your research, teaching, or skillset can help get the attention of the search committee.

Phone Interview

The phone interview is your chance for you to showcase why you are the person for this job. Preparing is very important, and you should have a clear plan for the future in terms of research and teaching activities (the balance depends on the focus of the institution you are applying to). For research-intensive positions, have a plan for the first few grants you will write, where you will submit them, and how they connect together to establish your research program. Put together a budget for a startup package that includes items that are essential, items that would be nice, and items that would really set you up for success. For teaching, reiterate how you have prepared yourself to be a successful teacher, and have a list of courses you can teach that includes one to two proposed courses (use the numbering system of the institution you are applying to).

Interview

The interview is your time to shine. At this point, your application has demonstrated your qualifications, and your phone interview has resonated with the search committee. Take this opportunity to learn as much as you can about research, labs, resources, and the overall culture at the institution you are applying to. Also, explore the area to see if it is a good fit for your life outside of work.

Your interview will likely involve talking with a lot of faculty, giving a research presentation, and potentially giving a chalk talk or teaching seminar. When meeting with faculty, you get the chance to share your work but also learn about the work faculty are currently doing at the institution. Think about future collaborations, how younger faculty are performing in the environment, and what it is like to live in the location of the institution.

The research presentation is an opportunity to share the research work you have been doing and plans for the future. The length is about 45 minutes. During this time, you should aim to inform the entire audience, not impress the one or two people in room that may be in your research area. The technical level should be appropriate for everyone, including undergraduates. If you feel you must impress, limit technical content to a few slides and explain it thoroughly.

Many interviews contain a chalk talk, which is an interactive discussion on your plans for the future. The panelists agreed that many people struggle here, and therefore encouraged applicants to prepare. Know your first three to five projects, including funding sources (specific programs) and thesis projects. Be ready to answer questions related to the proposed work. Keep in mind that you need to present a logical plan, but you will not be held to this plan as a faculty member.

General Advice

A faculty member needs to differentiate themselves from their advisors. Think about new directions (and funding sources) for your research. Doing a thorough literature review is one way to start a new direction. Reading many papers on a topic will allow you to learn about a topic and identify key researchers in the new area who you can network with. Consider a postdoc that gives you a unique combination of skills, some from your graduate work and some from your postdoc. Apply for fellowships to support your postdoc, which gives you latitude to create a postdoc experience that fits your goals. Keep in mind that the process of obtaining a postdoc can happen fast, so be prepared to accept opportunities. Once you start a postdoc, be sure you have an exit plan to move on to something new.

Securing a postdoc or a faculty position can be challenging. Good luck with the process!