William Ngiam | 严祥全It's just so fanciful to expect postdocs to produce their best research when they're stressed by the uncertainty of their careers and livelihoods. Postdocs have to juggle actively seeking and applying for jobs or writing research grants to subsist, and simply do some high-profile research as well to show their 'worth'. Bah humbug.
Derek Evan Nee@will_ngiam It's tough for sure. Not to diminish, but you should note it doesn't necessarily get better. PI's face the uncertainty of grants, making the stress not only about their own careers, but about everyone in the lab being supported. So, a bit of a rite of passage in this walk of life, and perhaps any path with tremendous selection pressures (sports come to mind). Hope you can push through!
@DerekEvanNee oh, totally agreed!
I think through the whole academic chain, we could reform structures to be better aligned with the goals of science (which includes enriching the livelihoods of scientists!). For one, how we evaluate researchers needs an overhaul - say, rethinking promotion and tenure criteria for PIs.
Thank you for the warning, and the well-wish - sticking around for now and hoping to effect change!