Navigating your career as a postdoctoral researcher can be a complex journey. Fortunately, numerous resources are available to support you in your professional development. This article highlights key career information and training opportunities, with a special focus on valuable resources like the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) and its offerings, ensuring you have the best Career Tools And Resources Sfn at your fingertips.
Key Resources at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) and its affiliated institutions provide a wealth of internal resources designed to empower postdocs and early career biomedical researchers. These range from curated collections of articles to interactive workshops and expert-led podcasts.
Curated Career Resources Dropbox Folder
The Office for Postdoctoral Fellows (OPF) at HMS has compiled a comprehensive Dropbox folder filled with career and professional development articles and resources. This invaluable collection covers a wide array of topics relevant to career advancement in the biomedical field.
OPF “Career Clinics” Workshop Series
Preparing for the job market requires more than just submitting applications. The OPF “Career Clinics” workshop series is designed to guide you through the intricacies of the job search process. This monthly interactive series offers peer review sessions and guided exercises to help you refine your job search strategies and materials, ensuring you effectively communicate your career trajectory to potential employers.
Propelling Careers Podcast
For insightful career advice, the “Propelling Careers Podcast” hosted by Lauren Celano, CEO of Propel Careers, and Jim Gould, Director for Postdoctoral Affairs at Harvard Medical School, is an excellent resource. This podcast addresses common career navigation challenges, offering timely and accurate advice applicable to Ph.D.-trained scientists and other audiences. It’s a great way to gain confidence in your career decisions and dispel common myths surrounding career paths in academia and beyond.
Nature Masterclasses: Enhance Your Research Skills
Harvard University provides free access to Nature Masterclasses, an online platform by Nature Research (Springer). This resource offers a diverse range of courses and modules crucial for researchers, covering scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, and more. With a valid HarvardKey, faculty, staff, trainees, and students can access courses like “Scientific Writing and Publishing,” “Persuasive Grant Writing,” and “Networking for Researchers,” among others, until February 27, 2025. These masterclasses are designed to hone essential skills for research success.
Bio Careers Membership: Explore Diverse Career Paths
Harvard-affiliated trainees now have access to Bio Careers Membership, a platform offering an in-depth exploration of various career paths within the sciences. Bio Careers provides extensive information on career searches and job opportunities for life scientists. With over 1,000 job listings, it’s a valuable tool for discovering diverse career options and connecting with potential employers. Registration is straightforward and provides lifetime access to the site.
National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)
Harvard has an institutional membership with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), providing access to resources aimed at supporting faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and staff. NCFDD offers resources like “The Core Curriculum,” “Monday Motivator” emails, expert webinars, and writing challenges focused on strategic planning, productivity, and work-life balance. Harvard postdocs can activate their membership using their Harvard email address.
Postdoc Lending Library
The OPF also maintains a Postdoc Lending Library with a collection of career and professional development books. Trainees can borrow volumes on manuscript and grant writing, academic job searches, lab management, resume and CV writing, interviewing skills, and more, providing tangible resources for career advancement.
HMS Society for Translational and Academic Researchers (STARs)
STARs is an HMS postdoc community sponsored by the Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership (DICP). It offers a platform for networking and community building among postdocs, fostering collaboration and peer support.
The Curriculum Fellows Program (CFP)
The Curriculum Fellows Program (CFP) at HMS acts as an educational laboratory, researching and implementing best pedagogical practices. This program benefits graduate students, postdocs, and faculty at HMS, enhancing teaching and mentoring skills.
Career & Professional Development Navigator
The Career & Professional Development Navigator, provided by the Program in Graduate Education at Harvard Medical School, serves as a guide for life sciences graduate students. It offers structured pathways and advice for navigating career development.
Harvard Catalyst Writing & Communication Center
Harvard Catalyst’s Writing and Communication Center offers a comprehensive suite of tools, training, and resources to enhance the science communication skills of clinical/translational research team members at all career stages. This center empowers researchers to effectively articulate their scientific findings.
DF/HCC PATHFINDER
Pathfinder, an initiative of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), assists cancer researchers and trainees in discovering and utilizing the educational and training resources available within DF/HCC institutions.
Mignone Center for Career Services: Harvard FAS Office of Career Services (OCS)
The Mignone Center for Career Services provides a list of select resources and programs accessible to all postdocs. Harvard College or GSAS alumni postdocs have access to the full range of OCS services, offering extensive career support.
Training Opportunities to Enhance Your CV
Beyond resources, practical training opportunities are crucial for career development. HMS and affiliated institutions offer diverse avenues to gain experience in teaching, outreach, mentoring, and diversity initiatives.
Teaching Experience
For those interested in academia, various teaching opportunities are available:
- Adjunct positions: Local colleges and universities like Simmons University, Emmanuel College, and UMass Boston offer adjunct positions. Direct contact with department chairs is recommended.
- Teaching Fellows at Harvard: Departments list TF/TA positions. MCB postings are available online.
- Nano-course Development: Opportunities exist to develop and teach nano-courses through Harvard initiatives.
- Inclusive Teaching MOOC: HHMI offers an Inclusive Teaching MOOC to enhance teaching methodologies.
- Harvard Catalyst Teaching Programs: Harvard Catalyst provides teaching-related training programs.
K-12+ Outreach
Engage with the community through K-12 outreach programs:
- HMS DICP Project SUCCESS: Promotes community engagement and education in science.
- New England Science Symposium (NESS): Provides opportunities to engage with college students interested in biomedical research.
- Biomedical Science Careers Program (BSCP): Offers avenues to get involved in promoting biomedical science careers.
Mentoring/Supervising
Develop your mentoring skills through these programs:
- OPF Co/Sponsored RCR: Mentor/Mentee Relationship: Focuses on responsible conduct of research and effective mentoring relationships.
- Postdoc Life Cycle Program: Covers negotiating your postdoc journey from start to finish.
- HMS/Dana-Farber Mentoring Series: Collaboration with DF/HCC CURE Program to teach mentoring best practices.
- Harvard Catalyst: Mentorship in Clinical and Translational Research: Provides guidance for mentors and mentees in clinical and translational research.
- Harvard Mentoring in Science Workshops: Workshops focused on science mentoring.
- Individual Development Plan & Postdoc Maximization Workshops: Helps postdocs create individual development plans.
- Leadership & Management for Postdocs Workshop: Develops leadership and management skills.
- Harvard Catalyst – Career Catalyst Course: Enhances career development through mentorship and guidance.
- National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN): A national network for mentorship resources.
- DF/HCC CURE Program: Focuses on mentoring in cancer research.
- UMass Boston/DF-HCC U54 Program: Offers mentoring opportunities through collaborative programs.
- Neuroscience Training Virtual Workshop Series: Provides virtual workshops in neuroscience training and mentorship.
Crafting a Diversity Statement
Developing a strong diversity statement is increasingly important. Resources include:
- Inclusive Teaching MOOC with HHMI: Relevant for incorporating inclusive practices into diversity statements.
- Vanderbilt Guide to Diversity Statements: Provides guidance on developing and writing diversity statements.
- UC Berkeley Diversity Statement Samples: Offers examples of diversity statements.
- UC Irvine Diversity Statement Evaluation Criteria: Outlines criteria for evaluating diversity statements.
- UC San Diego Resources: Includes faculty expectations, guidelines, and examples for diversity statements.
Essential Job Search Tools
Effective job searching requires the right tools:
- Naturejobs: A leading global science job board with career development resources and podcasts.
- Jobscan.co: Optimizes resumes for applicant tracking systems (ATS) by analyzing resume keywords.
- ORCID: Provides a unique digital identifier to distinguish researchers and link professional activities.
Career Development & Exploration Resources: Including SfN
Exploring career options and continuous development are vital. Here’s where resources like the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) become particularly valuable as part of your career tools and resources sfn:
- American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB): Offers career development courses, workshops, and programs, along with the “Dear Labby Archive” for advice.
- Boston Postdoctoral Association (BPDA): Fosters community and career development events for postdocs in the Boston area.
- Postdoc Academy: Provides online and in-person programs based on the National Postdoctoral Association core competencies.
- National Postdoctoral Association (NPA): A national voice for postdocs, offering core competencies and affiliate membership for free career resources.
- Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Online Resources and Workshops: Crucially, for HMS Quad-based postdocs, SfN offers unlimited access to Neuronline, SfN’s online learning platform. This provides articles, videos, and webinars – a treasure trove of career tools and resources sfn tailored for neuroscientists. Trainees need to sign up for a free SfN account and register via the IP Affiliate Registration page to access this benefit. This is a premier resource for neuroscientists seeking career advancement and specialized knowledge.
- Versatile PhD: Helps postdocs and graduate students prepare for non-academic careers with career panels, success stories, and job search document samples.
- Propel Careers: A life sciences career development firm dedicated to networking and mentoring.
- ScienceCareers.org: A leading platform for matching scientists with jobs in academia, industry, and government.
- Cell Mentor | CrossTalk: Resources from Cell Press offering insights into publishing and career development.
- NIH Virtual Career Center | NIH Guides: The NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) provides numerous online career resources, guides to resumes/CVs and cover letters, and workshops available virtually.
- Chronicle Careers: Tools & Resources: The Chronicle of Higher Education offers news, advice, job listings, and career-building tools for academics.
- Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio): Represents biotech companies and institutions in Massachusetts, offering member programs, events, and industry information. HMS membership grants access to MassBio resources.
- MassAWIS: The Massachusetts chapter of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), supporting women in STEM.
- WEST: Women in the Enterprise of Science & Technology, focused on advancing women’s careers in STEM.
- ACS Professional Development Webinar: American Chemical Society webinar on developing a professional development plan.
- Vitae: Advice and resources for researcher development, including the Vitae Researcher Development Framework.
- Academic Career Readiness Assessment (UCSF): Assessment tool to evaluate academic career readiness.
- Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management (HHMI/BWF): A practical guide to scientific management.
By leveraging these diverse career tools and resources, particularly the specialized offerings from the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) and the comprehensive support at Harvard Medical School, postdoctoral researchers can effectively navigate their career paths and achieve their professional goals. Remember to explore these resources thoroughly and tailor your approach to your individual career aspirations.
