Research and Teaching in Academia

Are you looking forward to a career in academia as a faculty member? It is important to note that there are substantial differences between institutions, in terms of research and teaching load, or funding support. If you are interested primarily in research, then a large research university would be a good fit. If you are mainly interested in teaching, but would also enjoy working on smaller research projects, then a position in a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI) might be a better fit. If you are interested in a teaching career please check our Science Education page.

For a career in research and teaching, the step after the Ph.D. would be a postdoctoral fellowship. However, it is never too early to plan on how to gain essential skills for your career of choice. For example, if during your graduate work you are focusing on a particular technical area, it may be advantageous to look for a postdoc in a different area, so that you expand your skill set and demonstrate a breadth of research experience. Another important criterion for selecting a postdoctoral position would be the opportunities to publish, since publishing record would be a very important element on your job application, either for a research institution or a PUI. Similarly, if you are interested in teaching, you should start working on building your teaching portfolio.

Essential skills include leadership and mentoring skills, time management skills, written and verbal communication skills, and presentation skills.

• If you are interested in research and teaching in a PUI:
  • The NIH Symposium Newsletters from 2013 (page 6).
  • Article on “Life as a professor at a small liberal arts college".
  • Article on “ How to get teaching experience that will help land you a job".
• Science Careers article on Seeking the Skills for a Successful Career in Academia.
• Article on the many hats of an academic researcher
• Ten Simple Rules for Selecting a Postdoctoral Position by P.E. Bourne and I. Friedberg.
• Check our list of postdoctoral fellowship opportunities, to make plans for your steps after graduation.
• Article on How to Work a Meeting by Dave Jensen.
• Videocasts by NIH OITE: Academic CAT tracks: Making the Move to Academia, Evaluating Positions and Negotiating Job Offers, among others.
• A Practical Guide to Scientific Management from HHMI and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund: Making the Right Moves.
• Professional societies such as the American Society for Cell Biology or the Society for Development Biology, and journals such as Science or the Journal of Cell Biology offer web resources for teaching undergraduates.

• Securing your own grant while in graduate school would be an asset. Check the BCI list of pre-doctoral fellowships here.
• Attend the PDO workshop “Your Research Career” offered in January and in the summer, to gain valuable communication skills, including grant writing.
• Present your work to your classmates, to your department, or to local and national conferences.
• Gain reviewing experience by being involved in student competitions.
• Take advantage of teaching opportunities, including planning and development of course content. For example:
  • Consider the JHMI Professional Development Office Collaborative Teaching Fellows Program
  • Participate in the JHU Preparing Future Faculty Teaching Academy
  • Teach as an adjunct at a Community College
  • TA or tutor for a course
  • Mentor a student in the lab
• Courses to consider:
  • Introduction to Effective Instruction (SOE)
  • The Business Of Academic Biomedical Research (SPH)
  • Effective Science Communication (SoM)

  Check our list of courses for more.

• Join professional societies in your field of interest and attend national conferences.
• Make sure to connect on LinkedIn with your advisor, collaborators, and people you meet in conferences, so that you start building your network of colleagues.

Cory Dunn, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
“When searching for a faculty position, one should consider job offers in unexpected places, particularly due to the ultra-competitive job market and funding environment in the United States. My wife and I, both graduates of the Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology Program at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, were fortunate to be offered the opportunity to establish a new molecular biology department at a primarily undergraduate institution with a comparatively strong research infrastructure in Istanbul, Turkey. Our tasks included the design of the curriculum, organizing and teaching new courses, designing and supervising the construction of new laboratories and central facilities, and initiating our own independent research programs.

Starting a productive laboratory in a developing country presents a number of challenges that may not be encountered by those who find themselves in the U.S. or in other countries with a historically strong scientific infrastructure. For example, reagents take a long time to arrive, teaching duties can be heavy, and the specific cultural attributes of a country must be taken into account when solving problems at the interpersonal level. In addition, since many Ph.D. students are drawn away from developing countries, those students actively engaged in research are often obtaining their master's degree and therefore need close oversight. Consequently, excellent time management, communication, and organizational skills are absolutely essential. Furthermore, the ability to clearly describe and promote your research topic to administrators is required in order to obtain resources for your laboratory and department. Finally, to obtain research productivity in a developing country, it is important to choose very tractable problems and model systems in which one might make rapid progress.”

Peter Espenshade, Ph.D.
Professor of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
“Leading a research group at a major research university is an exciting career that involves a broad range of responsibilities and consequently requires a diverse set of skills. Daily activities include experimental design and data interpretation, project and people management, writing and reviewing papers and grants, teaching students, and traveling to share our research findings at conferences and other universities. These activities require strong skills in analytical and critical thinking, written and oral communication, and leadership.

At a medical school, the scope of my research depends directly on my ability to raise funding and in this way directing a lab is much like owning a small business. Capital (research funding) is used to develop a product (experimental data) that we then sell (publish) to generate additional capital. Key skills that I developed after my postdoctoral training and continue to improve include: managing a budget and finance, working in teams, personnel hiring and management, and leadership.

Academic life is never boring. Science is constantly changing, presenting you with surprising discoveries. Also like other careers, working at a university provides opportunities for professional growth over time as you take on new responsibilities and roles within the organization.”