Print This PostAfter completing my PhD, I took up a postdoc position in the same lab. This seems to becoming more common, at least in the UK, and although this was a difficult decision, I’m glad I chose to do it. In this blog, I discuss the pros and cons of choosing to stay in your PhD lab for a postdoc position.
The worst thing about starting to write your PhD thesis is that this precise time when you are culminating all the incredibly hard work you have done over the past number of years, happens to be the same precise time that everyone starts to ask you the dreaded question: “what are you doing next?”. You get this question from everyone; your colleagues, your supervisors, your friends and family. When you see someone come to the end of this huge chapter of their life, the obvious thing is to ask about the future. There’s a definitive deadline and funding is running out, so it makes sense to assume you would have a plan. But it’s such terrible timing. You’re too busy actually writing the PhD thesis to apply to jobs, or to even think about what jobs you want to apply to.
I did not have an exact plan for what I was going to do once I finished my PhD. I previously pictured that I would leave London in pursuit of a postdoc position in a new city. But about the time I started to write my thesis, my supervisor was awarded a grant which had funding for a postdoc position, working on something quite different from my PhD, but in the same field. I had not thought staying would be possible, as my supervisor previously did not have funding to keep me on once my PhD stipend ran out. After much humming and hawing, I decided to apply for the position and here I am, 6-months into my postdoc. Ultimately, I made the choice because I was happy enough to stay and stressed enough to not want to make other big decisions!
Now that I’ve spent time in this role, and chatted with others who have done the same, I’ve identified both pros and cons to doing a postdoc in the same lab you did your PhD in. Interestingly, as you’ll read below, some of the pros and cons are quite intertwined.
Firstly, as alluded to above, once I got my position, it removed a significant amount of pressure during the PhD write up period. For the final couple of months, I could dedicate all my time to the thesis, without the looming dread of not having a job lined up. PhD stipends don’t allow much opportunity for saving money, and so knowing I would be able to pay the rent after submitting was very important to me. Although getting this position removed the job-hunt pressure while writing my PhD thesis, my postdoc contract started a few days after I submit my thesis, and so a con to this was the overlap between my roles for the first few months. As soon as I had submitted my thesis, I needed to switch contexts to get back to the lab on my new project, read up on new literature and start making progress with experiments. This was specifically relevant for me as my postdoc is part of a large collaborative consortium which was kicking off, and the position is only funded for one year.
Another pro for staying in the same lab is that you can spend time writing up papers from your PhD. This is incredibly useful as you are still in the context in which the research was performed, you are in contact with your co-authors and can do any final experiments without much hassle. However, what I didn’t anticipate when taking on this postdoc position was that for the first few months, I ended up working more hours in a week than I had been during some of my PhD. This con came down to the time overlap, meaning I had to do viva prep and thesis corrections, write up my PhD paper, and do experiments to make progress on the postdoc. In a time when my brain felt very fried, I was splitting my focus across many tasks, which felt like a bit of a slog. If you are staying on to do a postdoc that is a continuation of your PhD project, this might be different for you.
On the other hand, a huge pro for me was having the opportunity to work on an exciting new project with new people, but in a comfortable, familiar environment.
Although I enjoyed my PhD research, I got slightly bored of it at the end, especially when re-reading my thesis what felt like hundreds of times. Starting a postdoc project reignited my interest in my field, and I enjoyed reading up on my new topic. I was also immediately able to dig my teeth into new experiments, without having to learn the layout of a new lab or new techniques. This allowed me to generate data quickly. On top of this, my experience in the lab allowed me to formulate my own ideas and contribute to the study design more than I think I could have if I joined a new team. The only related con I could think of for this point is that maybe some people would get “too comfortable” and not be stimulated to think of their project from new perspectives which they might gain from moving lab.
Some other final cons to staying in the same lab for a postdoc are more related to peoples perceived ideas, rather than my own experience. When I tell people that I am doing a postdoc in the same lab, often people assume that this isn’t a “real” postdoc and is just to tide me over while I look for something else, or just so I can publish my PhD work. People have mentioned that they wouldn’t consider it “actual postdoc experience”, as it’s in the same place. A long-perceived notion in academia is that you must move institutions (or even countries and continents) to progress your career. I don’t think this is necessary anymore and many of the incredible senior academics I work with have been at UCL since their PhD or first postdoc. For me, the only potential career hazard to be aware of if you stay in the same lab, is that certain fellowship opportunities only allow for applicants who completed their PhD less than three years ago. Staying in the same lab after your PhD means time can move by very quickly, and if you did want to do a further postdoc somewhere else before applying to fellowships, you may need to be wary of the ticking clock. On the other hand, staying can also be way to more quickly get experience in things that can help make your future applications more desirable, like teaching, collaborations, institutional citizenship activities and supervising students!
Overall, for me the pros significantly outweigh the cons, and I think that sticking around for a postdoc is the best thing both for my career, and for me personally. Being surrounded by existing friends and colleagues while I settle into post-PhD life has been a blast. And don’t worry about me getting too comfortable, people have already started asking me what’s next!
Clíona Farrell
Author
Dr Clíona Farrell is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London. Her work focuses on understanding neuroinflammation in Down syndrome, both prior to, and in response to, Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Clíona completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience in Trinity College, and then worked as a research assistant in the Royal College of Surgeons studying ALS and Parkinson’s disease. She also knows the secret behind scopping the perfect 99 ice-cream cone.
Dementia Researcher
