- Recommendations
Notes of Postdoc Retreat December 1999; Recommendations of the Postdoc Committee NKI/AVL to the board of Directors and the Research Council
A prominent topic at the Postdoc retreat held last December was that of the lack of career perspectives for Postdocs working at the NKI/AVL. In order to improve this situation, a number of suggestions were made to improve training- and prospects of postdoctoral scientists. Consensus was reached between postdocs and staff members on a number of issues; although Postdocs are responsible for their own careers, more training- and career development opportunities can be provided. Posdoctoral scientists working at the NKI/AVL feel that the institute should play a more active role in training and career-development of Postdocs, which requires that group-leaders become more aware their responsibilities. Here we present a summary of the ideas and proposals supported by the majority of NKI/AVL postdocs, and recommendations made accordingly by the Postdoc Committee. The purpose of these recommendations is to create a better environment for postdocs within the NKI/AVL. The Postdoc Committee would like to present these recommendations to the Board of Directors and the Research Council for discussion.
- Summary Postdoc Survey:
- Agreement was reached on three main topics:
- Installing of a Dean of Postdoc Affairs.
- Improving career guidance and training of junior postdocs.
- Professional independence for senior postdocs.
Further details concerning these three points:
1) Installing a Dean of Postdoc affairs.
The Dean will promote the development of postdoctoral researchers during their stay at the NKI/AVL. His tasks will include counseling and career-guidance for postdocs. With respect to the tasks of the Dean the committee makes the following suggestions:
- The Dean is responsible for 'intake' and 'exit' talks with postdocs and implements career development evaluations. Preferably such an evaluation will be held in response to the existing performance evaluations ('functionerings gesprekken') with the responsible group-leader. The Dean will be notified in writing about these evaluations. In case of conflicts between postdoc and the responsible group-leader the Dean will function as an intermediate.
- The Dean is aware of career opportunities within or outside the institute and can assist on issues such as research funding. For these matters, the Dean will refer to experts in other departments such as the personnel department or the Economic administrative office. We suggest that these departments are directly responsible for collecting and providing such information. Together with the above-mentioned departments, the Dean will 'monitor' careers of postdoctoral researchers connected to NKI/AVL, and will document their careers for ten years after leaving the institute.
- The Dean is responsible for organizing the annual Postdoc Retreat (see also 2a), in which he will be assisted by a member of the NKI/AVL staff. Together with the Postdoc Committee (consisting of a number of postdocs), the Dean will set the agenda for the regular postdoc meetings (four times yearly; see also 2d) and will be assisted with organizing these events by the Postdoc Committee. The Dean will be responsible for inviting keynote speakers from different fields of expertise for seminars and discussion with postdocs.
- The Dean will be elected by the NKI board of Directors following consultation with the NKI Postdoc Committee.
2) With respect to improving career development and training of postdocs, the Postdoc Committee makes the following recommendations:
- Postdocs working at the NKI/AVL may participate in the annual Postdoc Retreat. The focus of this retreat is on stimulating communication and scientific interactions (poster presentations) between postdocs and on career development. In the future we will consider inviting postdoctoral participants from other (foreign) institutes such as ICRF or DKF.
- Administrative assistance for Dutch and foreign postdocs throughout their contract period by a human resource management department. Upon employment, assistance should be provided on issues such as how to obtain visa, work-permits, social security, pension, income tax etc. as well as on career development (fund raising possibilities, Job bank, relevant WEB links).
- Postdoctoral training on how to present scientific data and how to raise money. Suggestions include seminars by experts from within or outside the institute on relevant topics such as how to write grants and where to obtain fellowship information. Moreover, information concerning funding possibilities, periodic updates on application rounds and - deadlines, could be collected and stored centrally and made more accessible to postdocs by creating and maintaining a special site on the NKI intranet
- Making available means and room to organize regular postdoc meetings as mentioned under 1c. These meetings will promote communication, networking and cohesion amongst postdocs within the institute, and stimulate interactions between research and clinic. Furthermore, the Postdoc Committee advocates the creation of an informal meeting place within the institute where between 18.00 and 20.00 hot meals are served. This 'research Cafe' will also serve as meeting place for researchers from within or outside the institute.
3) With respect to the opportunity to obtain professional independence as a Junior Faculty, and the agreed responsibilities of group leaders, the Postdoc Committee concludes that :
- A postdoctoral researcher should be allowed to perform initial experiments in preparation for a Junior Faculty position in a future host laboratory. If endorsed by the Board of Directors, financial support should be made available.
- Candidates that qualify for a Junior Faculty position should be allowed to re-enter a second round of grant applications in case the Dutch Cancer Society does not approve the initial proposal. In such event the institute will financially support the candidate to allow participation in the next round.
- The institute is advised to more actively promote the need for personalized grants in an open discussion with granting agencies such as the Dutch Cancer Society, NWO and KNAW in order to increase the possibilities for independent funding of positions. Until more career-development grants become available (currently, this is limited to the Dutch Cancer Society), the institute could provide financial 'top-ups' to extend the duration of other fellowships. Similar arrangements are currently offered by foreign research organizations such as the ICRF.
- Conclusions and recommendations
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The NKI/AVL Postdoc Committee concludes that the declining numbers of PhD's that are interested in taking up Postdoc positions at the NKI/AVL is due to a lack of career perspective for postdoctoral scientists. The latter was the main reason for organizing last December’Äôs retreat. Recommendations listed below primarily involve 'career structuring' and 'career development' for postdoctoral researchers and represent issues raised at the retreat. The Postdoc Committee is willing to further explain these recommendations. The Postdoc Committee is convinced that if the Board of Directors and the Research Council embrace these recommendations, this will positively reflect on the institute and could serve as and example to other scientific organizations in the Netherlands or abroad. Indeed, the positive approach that the NKI is currently taking towards Postdoc development has already been endorsed in the scientific press (see Nature, 20 Jan 2000 and Science, March 2000).
- The Postdoc Committee recommends that the appointment of a Dean of Postdoc Affairs will take place promptly and puts forward P.Peters as a suitable candidate. This is based on his proven affinity with the position of postdocs, the way he has called attention to these topics and the enthusiasm by which he is trying to bring implement improvements. The Postdoc Committee estimates that the workload for the Dean will average about two hours/week. The Dean should have access to secretarial assistance and a yearly budget, to be used to organize the annual Postdoc Retreat and the periodic Postdoc meeting.
- The Postdoc Committee advises the NKI to initiate activities for improving training and career-guidance of Postdocs. This could be done in part by motivating and instructing the Department of Economic affairs (funding possibilities) and the personnel department (career guidance, -evaluation). Carrying out these responsibilities will take place under supervision of and in close collaboration with the Dean of Postdoc Affairs.
- The Postdoc Committee welcomes the recently created Junior Faculty position. However we ask that the Board of Directors is committed to provide the necessary financial means in case the candidate's proposal has passed internal review but is not funded by the Dutch Cancer Society. In such an event the candidate should be given the opportunity to conduct additional experiments in order to improve the proposal and re-enter the next round of applications. It has been suggested that a mandatory 'mini sabbatical' will be required for Junior Faculty appointees. Financial compensation should be made available for the duration of the sabbatical in order to compensate for additional costs associated with such a short leave (housing expenses, moving expenses and child-care).
- The Board of Directors and the Research Council are encouraged to lobby funding agencies to lift restrictions on, and increase the possibilities for obtaining personalized grants for (senior) postdocs. Similar to foreign institutions, such as the ICRF, the institute should provide financial 'top-ups' to increase the length of fellowships of limited duration.
- The Postdoc Committee notes that there is a great need for childcare facilities within or close to the institute. The possibility of joining forces with the CLB and Slotervaart Ziekenhuis should be investigated.
- Postdoc Committee
