Tools & Tips | Outreach

On October 4, 2010, we held two events at the Harvard Medical School: Managing Your Relationship with Your Supervisor and How to Have a Successful Postdoc Experience.

Resources

• How to Have a Successful Postdoc slides
• Managing Your Relationship with Your Supervisor slides
• Managing Your Relationship with Your Supervisor case studies

Related Articles

Working with Your Supervisor

• Dysfunctional Advisee-Adviser Relationships: Methods for Negotiating Beyond Conflict
• The Ethics of Authorship: An Ombudspersons Perspective
• The PhD-Doctor: What (Not) to Expect From Your Supervisor
• Knowing When to Break Free from your PI By Career Doctor
• Your PhD Boss: Adversary or Super-Advisor? Part I & Part II

Career Exploration

• A Career Development Plan for Postdocs
• Mastering Your Ph.D.: Goodbye to All That

Networking

• E-Persona Non Grata: Strategizing Your Online Persona
• Maximizing Productivity and Recognition, Part 2: Collaboration and Networking
• Tooling Up: The Informational Interview
• The One-Minute Talk

Work/Life Balance

• Work-Life in Industry: Thinking Outside the 9-to-5 Box
• Reclaiming Life from Work
• Scientists as Parents
• Mind Matters: On Balance
• The Secret Passions of Scientists
• Mind Matters: Too Perfect?

Other Resources

• National Postdoctoral Association Core Competencies
• Great Group Compact between Postdoctoral Appointees and Their Mentors
• FASEB IDP
• FASEB Annual Review
• Chicago Guide to Your Career in Science: A Toolkit for Students and Postdocs by Victor A. Bloomfield and Esam E. El-Fakahany
• HHMIs Making the Right Moves

Event Summary

Managing Your Relationship with Your Supervisor

In this presentation, we presented strategies for grad students and postdocs to use in order to best manage their relationships with their supervisors. This included advice on choosing a postdoc position, establishing goals and expectations with your adviser, day-to-day communication techniques, and what to do when problems arise. The session concluded with a discussion of case studies based on questions posted on the Science Careers Forum.

How to Have a Successful Postdoc Experience

A career in science involves more than just research skills. In addition to research, successful scientists might manage a lab, develop a network of colleagues, and write successful grants all while maintaining a healthy work/life balance. During this workshop, we discussed how to make the most of your postdoc experience to prepare for the next stage of your career. Among other things, the workshop addressed setting goals and expectations for your postdoc, ways to build professional relationships, and developing skills for your future career.

Questions? E-mail outreach@sciencecareers.org

See all Outreach Events