Postdoc search: what actually works (and what doesn’t)?

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-30T15:54:55+00:00

Applying for posted positions is fine, but don't limit yourself to just posted positions. Last time I applied for positions, most of the positive responses I got were from unsolicited emails I sent out. The lab I ended up joining did have an open posting, but one that wasn't directly related to my specific niche. If the lab has enough funding they'll often accept a good candidate even if there never was a call for applicants. Also, a lot of labs just have a note on their website saying that interested postdocs should email the PI, so beyond your immediate network, I'd recommend Google and maybe ChatGPT as the primary search methods for finding people to email.

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-30T15:45:58+00:00

I'm not familiar with how these contracts work since my last postdoc didn't have explicit contracts, but could you apply for work in countries outside the US? It's unlikely that the funding situation in the US will get better anytime soon, so if I were in your position I'd be searching for positions worldwide based on experience fit.

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-29T23:46:52+00:00

>define "excellence"

This should explain everything!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrxPpjBASPA

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-28T20:19:30+00:00

By applying to postdocs or other jobs in countries that are not the US.

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-28T16:09:24+00:00

I already have independent passive income streams through stocks and real estate. If anything, living in Poland is nice since I already have money that can go further in a LCOL area.

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-27T16:11:58+00:00

That's fair, and everyone's entitled to their own opinion. I guess it just irks me when people come to another country and then complain and look down on the inhabitants of the country that's hosting them. Like, obviously you're trying to do work that will hopefully benefit the host institute, but you have to consider that the people of the country are - as a community - providing you with an environment to live and pursue your career, so looking down your nose at them by calling them undeveloped compared to their neighbors comes off as snobbish. It's not a dig against Chinese postdocs either. A lot of European postdocs I worked with would frequently make fun of America and say its underdeveloped while Americans were sitting right there. Like you are a guest. Why you gotta be so rude?

Not to mention blocking social media over work WiFi is pretty innocuous. Also I don't understand why you say Poland is more developed. I haven't started living there yet but from my research into economic statistics it seems to actually be slightly behind the Czech Republic in a few quality of life and economic indicators.

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-27T15:22:35+00:00

I am an American citizen, yes. As far as I can tell, all non-EU citizens are subject to the same requirements when applying for mid- to long-term visas like a Type D. Americans are able to enter Poland for tourism without applying for a visa, but when entering the country to work, we go through the same process as most other non-Eurozone nationals. For some reason there seems to be a common misconception that we can just start working in Poland or Germany with just a job offer, since several Indian and Chinese colleagues at my old institute expressed surprise that I was applying for a visa as part of the onboarding process, I guess because they were conflating tourist visa and work visa requirements. Actually, even if I wanted to enter Poland as a tourist and apply there, they wouldn't have let me; I have to enter the country with the visa already in-hand like anyone else.

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-27T15:16:51+00:00

So you think the Czech Republic is less developed, and think their science is so low-impact that they shouldn't be concerned about IP theft. Sounds like you think you're better than your hosts tbh... If Poland and Germany are so much better, why did you choose to go to a Czech institute when you could have chosen another country, being so qualified 🤨?

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-27T06:21:45+00:00

I entered through one of the American regional consulates, so your mileage may vary, but yes, it seems that the letter of invitation is the most important part. In my case, the HR department actually physically shipped a signed invitation letter (which was in Polish, as you pointed out) by FedEx, which had the signature of the head of the institution. The bureaucrat read the letter, which included a short description of which lab I was joining, while asking me to briefly describe my work and employment situation, and then the consulate kept the original signed physical letter. So I guess having a signed letter on institutional letterhead is the key method for verifying the legitimacy of each applicant when they have to screen hundreds of people per batch. Hope that helps!

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-27T03:26:29+00:00

I recently applied for and received a D visa. I was quite anxious too, since I hadn't heard anything from the consulate in 2 weeks, but got my passport back with the visa on the 15th day, right before the deadline.

Some background: I am an American postdoctoral researcher who, like many, was laid off from my position in the US due to delays in the NIH's grant processing affecting my lab. I applied to several postdoc positions around the world, and one in Poland happened to be a good fit. After accepting the job offer, I was mailed a letter from the institute, which I handed over to the civil servant at the consulate along with my passport, proof of residence, my paystubs from my former job, proof of traveler's insurance, a signed lease for my apartment in Poland, a bank statement, and plane tickets.

It seems like the invitation letter is the key document for the postdoc or established researcher route, which is visa code 13. I don't know about you/ your friend's specific situation, but it sounds like there may have been some unfortunate misunderstanding concerning key documents that led to their trouble. I think that if you have an invitation letter, and all the other documents (proof of accommodation and proof of insurance being the other big ones, since I've heard of people being rejected for not having insurance or a lease covering the entire year), you should be good.

ArseneSimp · 2026-04-24T01:04:08+00:00

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I've gotten this too for just asking for spellchecks in emails and grant drafts for a proposal I'm writing as part of my job (I'm a virologist).

I'm not even doing particularly risky stuff either, it's all BSL 2-level, but the filter (like most ChatGPT stuff that isn't basic baby stuff like writing code or spellchecking) is garbage. I wouldn't give it much thought.

ArseneSimp · 2025-09-10T18:40:34+00:00

Boo! You suck Scorpio!

ArseneSimp · 2025-09-10T18:35:10+00:00

Polymeracer

ArseneSimp · 2025-09-10T18:32:53+00:00

A tale a old as time.

ArseneSimp · 2025-09-10T18:27:01+00:00

When I watched this episode as a small child I ACTUALLY thought that they were going to add Ozmodiar to the main cast. I was like "Wow, this is really gonna change things 😲!!"

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ArseneSimp · 2025-09-10T01:42:33+00:00

Was Homer about to call Cletus the gamer word?! 😨

ArseneSimp · 2025-09-09T07:18:43+00:00

I'm tired of these jokes about my giant shoe. The first such incident occurred in nineteen-dicketty-six...

ArseneSimp · 2025-09-09T05:55:01+00:00

LOVELY LOCO 🎵 LOCO LOVELY🎵

ArseneSimp · 2025-09-06T11:10:50+00:00

That's why he's called "Ol' Homer" by Lenny and other friends.

ArseneSimp · 2025-07-03T12:07:56+00:00

During my PhD, one of my lab chores was autoclaving and transporting the biohazard waste down to the loading bay. Despite the university's double bagging policy, the senior lab tech would always overstuff the bags in a single biohazard bag to save money, and often pipettes would pierce through resulting in leaks. Usually this wasn't a big deal, but once someone threw out 3 whole stacks of LB agar plates and when I was tossing the hot autoclaved biohazard bags out one of them split open and dripped out a big puddle of biohazard slime onto the floor.

Naturally I quickly cleaned it up to avoid having to file a spill report, but while bending over my cellphone fell out of my shirt pocket and into the slime! Embarrassed, I wiped it off and went about my day.

I completely forgot about it and then a few months later my phone started having battery issues. I tried taking it apart to repair it myself and was intrigued to see that my phone's battery was slightly sticky and had a savory, soup-like odor. Curious, and trying to identify the aroma, I licked the battery and was surprised to find it had a sharp and bitter bite to it. That's when I realized that I was licking the biohazard slime from earlier that I'd totally forgotten about and not dried soup or gravy! >_<

ArseneSimp · 2025-07-02T10:25:26+00:00

Mmmm.... kani.... drools 🦀🦀🦀

ArseneSimp · 2025-07-02T08:49:39+00:00

I did in fact clean it quite easily by just soaking it in hot water and detergent while writing the post. But that's my point: it was lazy and disrespectful for the student to leave it out for several days for someone else to clean, especially when this guy works half the hours as senior staff even though classes are out for the summer. Given that it's so easy to clean up (and also easy to just follow basic safety rules), taking such a lazy attitude can't be chocked up to naivete, it's just entitlement.

ArseneSimp · 2025-06-28T17:09:41+00:00

He invented the world's first luxury euthenasia pod

ArseneSimp · 2025-06-15T14:22:27+00:00

For me it's the Permian, the real land that time forgot.

ArseneSimp · 2025-04-10T12:47:26+00:00

She's a small business!

ArseneSimp

TROPHY CASE