Negotiate your start-up package and apply for grants early.

{credit} Getty Images Ryan Mcvay{/credit}

Transitioning from postdoc to faculty is never an easy step, which is made no easier by the severe competition for funding. Kim McCall chose to set up her postdoc lab based on what would be “hot” when she was looking for a postdoctoral job. “But I also looked for a research topic that I thought would be NIH-fundable,” she says. Most importantly however, McCall looked for something that she was passionate about: “when you start your own lab this is what you’ll be doing so it’s important to choose a topic that you will continue to be excited about.”

Once you know what your research focus is and where the money might come from, you’ll need to negotiate your start-up package: the funding that the institution offers you to get you up-and-running (buying equipment, materials, pay postdocs, etc) for the first 2-3 years. This money is finite, and the institutions will expect you to find your own financial resources as soon as possible. Many advise to submit your grant proposals as early as possible after you’ve transitioned from postdoc to faculty. This way you can still use your postdoctoral work (if it was significantly independent work) as your preliminary results. Continue reading →