By Daniel W. Ferreira, Postdoctoral Fellow, Allard Laboratory, Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles
Ideally, a postdoc position provides the unique opportunity to choose what, where, and with whom you want to do research. Though this sounds relatively straightforward, the actual task can be quite complex. You not only are choosing the job that will best propel you towards your dream career, i.e., the nature of the science, but also you must consider the working and social environments you are entering. I knew I would be happiest as a postdoc learning something completely new. This meant choosing a new area of research and a different location. A postdoc position at UCLA was a perfect opportunity for me to broaden myself scientifically and culturally, as I had never lived outside of New England.
Of course, this transition has not come without its challenges. It is not necessarily easy to find a primary investigator (PI) who is open to hiring someone from a different scientific background. I cannot express how helpful networking and social media can be in this regard. Take advantage of the digital world we live in and establish a network of connections through websites such as LinkedIn. This is exactly how I found my current postdoc position, which enabled my transition from studying a mouse model of acetaminophen hepatotoxicity to research focused on C. elegans genetics and developmental toxicity. It is invaluable to meet people through conferences and organizations like SOT, and it is crucial to be able to maintain contact with them via the web. When it comes time to look for positions, even if you do not know anyone who has an available position, your contacts might know of someone who does and can refer you.
A related challenge is convincing a PI that you would be a valuable addition to their research, even without previous experience in their specific area of study. This might be an easier task if the PI is familiar with you, your work, or your current lab; networking helps tremendously in making this possible. A postdoc position represents a sizeable investment by a PI, and it is up to you to demonstrate that you are worth it. If their area of research is very different from your own, your skill set could be the key. Having a versatile set of techniques under your belt not only indicates that you are capable of performing a variety of experiments, but also that you are able and willing to learn new things in the lab. Being “trainable” is one of the most important attributes of a successful early career scientists.
The biggest challenge for me, so far, has been the steep learning curve that accompanies integrating into an entirely new field. I had never worked with or even seen live C. elegans prior to joining my current lab. I quickly learned that just as picking up a rodent takes time and practice, so does picking up a worm (though the worms are not quite as fierce). Fortunately, my PI and the other lab members have been extremely helpful in making my assimilation into the lab easier than I thought it would be. At the same time, be prepared that you may have to re-learn things that you may have taken for granted in your old lab (such as rodent versus worm handling).
Changing your research focus as a postdoc has plenty of rewards that for me have outweighed the challenges. This could be something as small as an aspect of your new lab that reminds you of things that you have done previously. For example, I often tell people who have not worked with C. elegans that it is similar to doing cell culture, but it involves a living, moving multicellular organism. You also might find that you have a different perspective on a project, a unique way to tackle a problem, or know an alternative method to do an experiment based upon your previous experience. Ultimately, I hope that my postdoc in a different model system and in a different area of study will provide valuable experience for my career development by making me a well-rounded and multi-disciplinary researcher. The fact that I get a couple of years away from a New England winter is an added bonus.
I am glad I took the opportunity to learn something new as a postdoc. Your experience in the lab has driven you in a particular direction. If this direction is different from what you have been doing as a graduate student or a postdoc to this point, do not be scared by the challenges of a new field or place. Based on my experience, my advice would be to go for it. Learning something completely new may invigorate your research and perspective!