The cover draws parallels between a) a postdoc’s journey fulfilling the six core competencies recommended by the National Postdoctoral Association, and b) cellular motor proteins on cytoskeletal tracks, whose charge is to convert energy into directed movement. In alignment with the take-home message by Omary et al. (pages 2317–2322), these competencies for career development are attained locally, within the cell (i.e., department and institution), and beyond. The art was created by Dr. Manoj Puthenveedu, Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan.
Abstract
Postdoctoral fellows are an important engine that drives research programmes and discoveries at universities and research institutions worldwide, and they make up a key element of the research workforce’s future. Therefore, postdoctoral career development and outcomes are critical aspects of postdoctoral training. Transitioning from a graduate student to an experienced postdoc comes with the benefit of having a higher stipend and moving one major step closer toward an independent professional position. herein we advocate complementary layers of career development opportunities, discuss their accessibility, and consider the competing interests of the postdocs research training and career development, and the mentor’s expectations. Based on the programmes we have established at our institution, we posit that building career development opportunities at the level of the unit/department of the postdoc, coupled with broader institutional activities, can have a profound positive and rewarding impact for the postdoctoral trainees.