Working with a postdoc

[research_prof]

Folks,

my first postdoc has arrived and given that I do not have any experience working with postdocs (and have not done a postdoc myself), I would appreciate if you have any advice in terms of how an assistant professor should work with a postdoc.

Obviously, I am very hands-on and I do not want my postdoc to supervise my grad students. However, it would be nice if he could give a bit of day-to-day help to grad students. At the moment, my group size is double digits, which is a lot of work... I am hoping that a postdoc could help me have a bit more time to brainstorm about future research directions. I would also like the postdoc to conduct his own independent research and help with proposal writing--I have made clear to him that renewing his contract for additional years depends on how successful we will be in terms of funding.

Other than that, any advice?

[fizzycist]

Meet regularly to discuss their career goals and what they want to get out of the postdoc.

Align your expectations and assignments with what they want from the postdoc.

Make sure they have the resources they need--equipment supplies, help from grad students/techs, travel funding to network, etc.

A good postdoc is a tremendously valuable thing for your research productivity so if they are doing well then make sure they are supported and happy to stick around for a while.

[doc700]

My group is about the size of yours.  I have the postdoc run a "mini-group" within my group.  They mentor 1-2 grad students and an undergrad on a larger project.  Each of the grad students has their own independent aspect of the project but the postdoc provided more support for these individual students.  The students all started working with the postdoc their first year so they were in the heavy training phase of things.  In my experimental field this seems to be mutually beneficial -- postdoc gets mentoring experience but also more hands to move a project faster/keep it going when they leave.  Grad students get very good support.  Our postdoc helps out generally with the lab but play the most direct role with these specific students.

From my own postdoc and from having postdocs, the postdoc time is just really short.  In my field, 2-3 years is typical.  But if they want to apply for academic jobs, it means they start basically 12 months after they arrive.  The first year seems kind of normal but almost immediately they are into application planning. It just really flies by so its really important to have all the supplies on hand for them etc to be really productive in that first year.

[arcturus]

If the postdoc is a good research match to your ongoing work, they can be extremely beneficial. However, you need to keep their best interests in mind too - the time period for a postdoc is very short, and they will need substantial publications during that time period to keep their career moving forward. So it is best for them (and you!) to work with a few of your more advanced graduate students to push through the final steps of those projects (including revising/polishing manuscripts) as well as mentoring a few of the newer students on less developed projects.

Keep in mind that they will need to be included in all publications that result from co-written grant proposals that include their intellectual ideas, so the collaboration will likely extend well beyond the time in which they are employed by you.

Is this person starting with you at your new R1 position or at your previous university (where, at last update, you had not yet told people you were planning to leave...)? If the latter, you really do need to be up front with the postdoc about the time frame of employment at that specific location.

[theteacher]

I did a one-year postdoc and am now an Associate Professor. I'll comment from the postdoc's perspective, as others have already addressed the supervisor side.

I do not want my postdoc to supervise my grad students.

This must be a red flag for the postdoc. Postdoctoral positions should help the postdocs develop their supervision and mentorship skills. Postdoctoral positions are a stepping point for faculty positions and aren't the ultimate goal. Why would co-supervising 2-3 students be a problem for you?

However, it would be nice if he could give a bit of day-to-day help to grad students.

Another red flag here. Postdocs are not lab technicians. So do you really need a postdoc in your lab?

I am hoping that a postdoc could help me have a bit more time to brainstorm about future research directions. I would also like the postdoc to conduct his own independent research and help with proposal writing.

This sounds positive and similar to what I expect from a postdoctoral position.

I have made clear to him that renewing his contract for additional years depends on how successful we will be in terms of funding.

This is the third red flag.

With such red flags, I'm afraid the postdoc won't feel you're committed to their career development.

[Ruralguy]

I actually had three post-docs. One was pretty bad, the next was very good to great and the last was myeh. The second one was most aligned with my interests, had exposure to lots of others doing similar work, and allowed me to work with grad students and that was what I wanted because I know many TT jobs would want to see that someone has had experience with that. Also, I just enjoyed it.

In terms of support, I think lots of communication is essential, to the point of seeming like going overboard, really. i think some nice people can seem like terrible research advisers if they just don't communicate well.

So, yes, set goals, be supportive. Talk . Be flexible. Its OK to mention (infrequently and towards the beginning) conditions for re-hire, but don't over emphasize and repeat this. Of course, if months have gone by and you don't see papers or grants being written, then you will need to have a heart to heart. But it shouldn't come to that if you are communicating well unless the person just ends up being irresponsible or mentally unstable (both happen, but aren't the norm).