Establishing your own research group is one of the most crucial career steps for a researcher. In comparison to the postdoctoral period, typically carried out under supervision of an established principal investigator, becoming a junior group leader requires skills and capabilities which often are completely new and thus challenging. An intrinsic characteristic of the transition from a postdoctoral researcher to a group leader is the need to demonstrate scientific independence. Particularly junior group leaders that continue their career at the same institute with their postdoctoral supervisor are often considered non-independent. This typically hinders their possibilities for securing research grants, which, in turn, further hampers their career development. Importantly, the first steps towards independence should be taken already during the postdoctoral period. We propose that research management should allocate more resources to support junior group leaders. Furthermore, universities should have clear policies stating the practical measures that support their future group leaders. These should include e.g. a publication policy that encourages postdoctoral researchers to be placed as corresponding authors in projects where they are responsible for the main intellectual effort, and extensive support for grant proposals in which a senior post doc is included as a co-PI.
| Room | Moorfoot |
|---|---|
| Time | 11:30 - 12:45 |
| Date | Wednesday 6th June, 2018 |
| Theme | Researcher Development |
| Style | Pecha Kucha |
| Speakers |
Marjaana Suorsa - Development Advisor, University of Turku PhD Mari Riipinen - University of Turku Framework Conditions for Research, Head of Unit |
