Talk Overview
We had a live question and answer session with Dr. Gregory Petsko about postdocs and the BioMedical workforce on December 3rd, 2013. You can watch the Hangout in its entirety in the video below. You can also view the answer to a specific question by selecting one of the questions listed below the video, which will take you to a clip with Dr. Petsko’s answer, or by visiting his iBiology Hangout Event Page.
Questions that were asked during the iBiology Hangout:
Supporting Postdocs
Could reducing the supply of Ph.D.s from outside of the US solve the job shortage problem?
What would be the short term solution for the current excess of postdocs?
What are potential problems/criticisms regarding your proposal to double postdoctoral salaries?
In lieu of publications in Cell, Nature and Science, how can postdocs demonstrate their abilities?
Mentoring
How can mentors better prepare their students to non-academic careers?
How can we educate mentors about non-academic careers?
How eager are mentors to give their postdocs time to pursue other careers?
How do your most effective postdocs get the best mentoring from you?
What advice would you have when it comes to dealing with difficult advisors or postdocs?
Graduate and Postdoctoral Training
What should postdocs learn during their training?
How can we make sure that institutions take up the responsibility for training?
What should professional scientific societies be doing to support postdocs?
Research Careers
Should we create other research career opportunities?
Should the system allow for permanent scientist positions in labs?
What if postdocs were classified as staff scientists and moved up as a set scale in academia?
How long should you stay in an academic postdoc if you plan to go into industry?
Instead of decreasing the quantity of postdocs, why not increase the number of research positions?
Science, Politics and Economy
Will reducing the number of trainee researchers cause the US to become less competitive?
Would eliminating tenure make room for younger scientists?
How can we justify the diminishing return taxpayers are getting from such a dysfunctional system?
How can scientists circumvent the politicization of science?
Should we accept fewer tenure-track positions because of increasing adjunct faculty/private funding?
Why do you believe that paying postdocs more will lead to fewer of them? How about cutting grants?
Speaker Bio
Gregory Petsko
Gregory Petsko is Arthur J. Mahon Professor of Neuroscience in the Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College. His lab studies protein structure and function with a particular focus on understanding and developing treatments or preventative therapies for age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Petsko received his B.A. from Princeton University. He was awarded a… Continue Reading
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