Which way from here?
Postdoctoral fellows (left to right) Yi Jin Liew, Isabelle Schulz, Maren Ziegler and Neus Garcias Bonet outside the University Library.
When their KAUST journey is over, what's next for the University’s early career scientists? Answering this question was the goal of a recent career planning workshop in the Red Sea Research Center (RSRC) aimed at guiding postdoctoral fellows and research scientists in setting achievable career goals.
The pilot workshop was organized by Jelena Bajic, program lead, researcher and postdoctoral support in Research Oversight and Planning, Carlos Duarte, professor of marine science and the Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology, and Dr. Ivan Valiela, distinguished scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory.
Workshop attendees performed a self-assessment by answering such questions as: Do I like where I am? What aspects of my work do I enjoy most? Where do I see myself in 10 years? What are my strengths? How can I improve my weaknesses?
“Imagine running a marathon without any training,” said workshop attendee Isabelle Schulz, a postdoctoral fellow in the RSRC. “Obviously you would not make it to the finish line if you failed to assess the resources you needed on the day of the race or if you forgot to seek the assistance of a coach or mentor.”
“The most important take-home message for me was that we have to create our own opportunities,” said workshop attendee Neus Garcias-Bonet, a RSRC postdoctoral fellow.
When their KAUST journey is over, what's next for the University’s early career scientists? Answering this question was the goal of a recent career planning workshop in the Red Sea Research Center (RSRC) aimed at guiding postdoctoral fellows and research scientists in setting achievable career goals.
The pilot workshop was organized by Jelena Bajic, program lead, researcher and postdoctoral support in Research Oversight and Planning, Carlos Duarte, professor of marine science and the Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology, and Dr. Ivan Valiela, distinguished scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory.
Workshop attendees performed a self-assessment by answering such questions as: Do I like where I am? What aspects of my work do I enjoy most? Where do I see myself in 10 years? What are my strengths? How can I improve my weaknesses?
“Imagine running a marathon without any training,” said workshop attendee Isabelle Schulz, a postdoctoral fellow in the RSRC. “Obviously you would not make it to the finish line if you failed to assess the resources you needed on the day of the race or if you forgot to seek the assistance of a coach or mentor.”
Attendees explored how postdoctoral fellows are generally well prepared for work in many sectors and in a variety of jobs. Employers are attracted to trained problem solvers who hold a doctorate and who know how to work independently and intensively.
“The workshop made me realize that continuing in academia is actually the alternative career—there are many other science-related jobs that will utilize the skills I picked up during my doctoral and postdoctoral years,” said RSRC postdoctoral fellow and workshop participant Yi Jin Liew.
“The workshop made me realize that continuing in academia is actually the alternative career—there are many other science-related jobs that will utilize the skills I picked up during my doctoral and postdoctoral years,” said RSRC postdoctoral fellow and workshop participant Yi Jin Liew.
Postdoctoral fellows create their own opportunities by seeking informal teaching experiences or engaging in collaborations with researchers outside of their field of expertise—experiences that demonstrate essential skills such as careful planning and creativity.
“The most important take-home message for me was that we have to create our own opportunities,” said workshop attendee Neus Garcias-Bonet, a RSRC postdoctoral fellow.
"Working at KAUST gives me the opportunity to pursue exciting research questions using state-of-the-art methods and to strengthen my research profile," said RSRC postdoctoral fellow and attendee Maren Ziegler.