Professional Development
What is a postdoc?
Postdoctoral scholars are highly skilled individuals that contribute to the success of the research enterprise at Texas A&M. The definition of the postdoc position highlights the importance of mentored training in this stepping stone experience toward future careers.
National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation (2007) “An individual who has received a doctoral degree (or equivalent) and is engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue his or her chosen career path.”
National Postdoctoral Association (2007) “A postdoctoral scholar (‘postdoc’) is an individual holding a doctoral degree who is engaged in a temporary period of mentored research and/or scholarly training for the purpose of acquiring the professional skills needed to pursue a career path of his or her choosing.”
Association of American Medical Colleges (2006) “Postdoctoral appointees typically join an institution to advance their training in a chosen discipline after recently obtaining their terminal degree (e.g., PhD, MD, DVM). This training, which should be for a defined period of time, is conducted under the supervision of one or more investigators who are qualified to fulfill the responsibilities of a mentor. In addition to the primary responsibility of conducting research, the postdoctoral appointee may also undertake leadership, service, and teaching activities that together provide a training experience essential for professional development and career advancement.”
Why is it beneficial to have professional development activities for postdocs?
- Recruiting tool for new faculty and postdocs
- Enhancing success – support training grants and individual postdoc fellowships
- Enhance postdoc professional competencies to support their career goals
New Postdoctoral Orientation
New Postdoctoral Orientation takes place twice a year, once each in the fall and spring semesters. This Orientation is designed to help you jump-start your career at Texas A&M by providing an overview of the university resources available to postdoctoral scholars. The Orientation dates will be announced on the postdoctoral calendar and through the listserv.
Postdoctoral Handbook
The new Postdoctoral Handbook was created specifically for postdoctoral scholars and represents an excellent resource on a variety of topics, from your first day at Texas A&M to living in Bryan-College Station area. In addition, to facilitate your rapid accommodation to Texas A&M University campus and the Bryan/College Station surrounding area, we produced the Postdoctoral Frequently Asked Questions Booklet that complements the Texas A&M Postdoctoral Handbook. This Booklet contains a comprehensive collection of practical information useful to all members of the postdoctoral community, US citizens and international postdocs.
You have to use your TAMU Net ID to access the FAQ booklet.
Postdoctoral Handbook
Workshops
These workshops feature strategic topics for the professional development of postdoctoral scholars. Most of the workshops are on zoom while others are in-person.
Career Development Series
These workshops are focused on topics relevant to building a career in an academic or non-academic environment.
Teaching Workshop Series
These workshops are focused on topics relevant to building a career in teaching.
Mentoring Workshop Series
Evidence-based workshops to help postdoctoral scholars learn the skills necessary to be productive mentees and also mentors to undergraduate and graduate students in their labs.
Postdoc Affairs Series
These workshops are focused on other topics of interest for the postdoctoral fellows (wellness, visas, etc).
Compact Between Postdoctoral Scholars and Their Mentor
The Compact Between Postdoctoral Scholars and Their Mentor represents a framework for aligning the postdoctoral mentor-mentee expectations based on established general recommendations as accepted best practices. It can be used as:
- a recruitment tool to demonstrate institutional programmatic commitment to postdoctoral scholars;
- to initiate discussions about expectations between faculty and postdoctoral scholars;
- part of the orientation for new postdoctoral scholars and new faculty;
- a topic to be discussed in postdoctoral and faculty mentorship programs.
Individual Development Plan
An IDP provides a planning process that ‘looks ahead’ to identify both professional development needs and career objectives for the postdoctoral scholar. This workshop is offered every summer as a series of three sessions. The specific dates are announced on the postdoctoral calendar and through the listserv.
Goals
- Identify long-term career options and set goals
- Identify the necessary tools to reach the career goals
- Identify short-term needs for improving current performance to reach the career goals
Benefits for the postdoctoral scholar as a mentee
- Assists in developing long-term goals
- Defines expectations and sets milestones along the way to achieve specific goals
- Provides a communication tool between the postdoc and research advisor
Benefits for the research advisor as a mentor
- Focuses postdoc interests on personal development by enhancing individual professional growth and productivity in the lab through milestones setting.
- Enlists an active IDP program for the postdocs in the annual grant report as applicable
- Improves the professional growth at the department and college level.
Postdoctoral Mentoring Academy (PMA)
The PMA curriculum utilizes resources from the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). Due to the dual mentee/mentor role of postdocs in a research setting, each case study has been specially tailored to explicitly include a postdoc scholar into a mentee or mentor position in the case description. Each competency workshop is facilitated by faculty who are trained CIMER facilitators. The current offering encompasses the following evidence-based mentorship competencies:
- Session 1: Maintaining Effective Communication
- Session 2: Aligning Expectations (mentor-mentee compact)
- Session 3: Assessing Understanding
- Session 4: Fostering Independence
- Session 5: Promoting Professional Development (IDP)
- Capstone Session: Articulating Your Mentoring Philosophy and PlanAn IDP
This workshop series is offered every spring semester. The specific dates will be announced on the postdoctoral calendar and through the listserv. Please note that all five sessions and one capstone session should be attended to receive the CERTIFICATE.