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3rd National PostDoc Symposium 2019: A Report

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 This report was ready in Feb 2020. It still hasn't been published for some reason. For anyone who might be interested, I'm pasting this report here. The National Post-Doc Symposium is a forum to promote career interests of Post-Doctoral scientists pursuing research in India. The organization of this event brings together Post Docs under the same roof as their peers, potential academic and non-academic employers with the express purpose of spurring broad scientific exchanges and practical tips to crafting any career of one’s choosing. This initiative is a grass roots effort of Post Docs chiefly in the life sciences to combat the reality that a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in India is a disadvantage to professional growth, or any perceptions thereof. With the current standards for hiring in place, Post Docs from India can still make a sizeable contribution given the opportunity to enter the fray.  In 2019, it was organized by Post-Docs at the Indian Institute of Science Education a...

Applying to Biology Faculty Positions in India: Lessons from experience

I’m a Post Doc from the National Center for Biological Sciences at Bengaluru in India. I’ve been looking for faculty positions in Biology within India because I sense my talents, motivation and training can make an impact on many students’ lives and research here. Elsewhere, I’d be more replaceable than I am here. Also, the need for committed trainers in India is much greater at this time. The Covid crisis precipitated in March and we are in August. So to speak, the crisis has disrupted many hiring and funding decisions. However, my peers and I have been applying for positions since July 2019. I’d like to share my experiences first and share inferences after. In my opinion teaching and research go hand in hand. The thrill of finding things out must be supplemented with the ability to train others to formulate original questions, using methods and techniques, analysis, critical thinking and communication skills. For that reason I chose IITs and IISERs as my first choice as host institut...

Epidemic to academic: Learning in times of Corona -1

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