CCI Co-PI David Reichman explains how to successfully apply for academic faculty positions during the first annual CCI Postdoc Mentoring Workshop, held at Columbia University in October 2010.

A team of CCI investigators, led by Co-PI David Reichman, have created a Postdoc Mentoring Workshop to aid chemistry postdocs’ academic job search strategy, from research proposal writing and other preparation for faculty interviews to giving presentations. This workshop is an annual 1-day event that all CCI postdocs attend. The workshop is also open to all chemistry postdocs at the host institution (alternating between Columbia and UT-Austin).

We developed the content of the Postdoc Mentoring Workshop in accordance with the suggested mentoring activities set forth by the National Postdoctoral Association (www.nationalpostdoc.org). Some of these activities include guidance in successful presentation skills, guidance in developing a research statement and teaching philosophy (for faculty interviews), and identifying institutional opportunities (e.g., guest lecturing) for professional development. Our workshop also features several presentations on professional development given by UT-Austin and Columbia faculty and staff, including an assistant professor panel featuring Co-PI Katherine Willets (UT-Austin) Kyle Plunkett, who was a Columbia CCI postdoc in 2009-2010 and is now an assistant professor at the University of Southern Illinois.

According to a follow-up survey, 96% of the postdocs who attended felt more prepared to interview for faculty positions after attending the workshop, 89% felt more confident about applying for said positions, and, most importantly, 100% said they would highly recommend the workshop to friends who are considering applying for academic positions.

In Phase II we will host this workshop annually (with the location alternating between Austin and NYC), and we will open the workshop to all interested graduate students as well. We will further develop the workshop by inviting External Innovation Partners to present modules on careers in industry, and we will use cyberinfrastructure funds to launch an online, open-access “postdoc/graduate student bootcamp” that can be utilized by chemistry departments nationwide.