Objectives

The postdoc marks the transitional phase from a doctorate to a professorship or to other university positions, and is characterized by increased independence, first leadership and supervising experience, mobility and the expansion of one’s own network. At the same time, a postdoc is a period of orientation and deciding on a career path.

Focus on academic qualifications

The aim of a postdoc is for postdoctoral researchers to expand their scientific independence and expertise. This includes planning and implementing their own research initiatives, participating in research projects of other principal investigators, leading a group in their own field of research, supervising master and doctoral theses, and engaging in scientific exchange in their own academic field. Half of a full-time workload is reserved for a postdoctoral researcher’s own academic qualification. The University of Bern specifically supports postdoctoral researchers in obtaining grants by providing advisory services and funding schemes.

Postdoctoral researchers may additionally assume other tasks in teaching, research and services at their respective institute.

Acquiring skills at various levels

Postdoctoral researchers not only deepen their professional knowledge and, in so doing, prepare themselves, e.g., for a potential professorship or an alternative scientific position; they also acquire interdisciplinary skills during their postdoc:

• Project management — independent planning and leadership of their own scientific research projects
• Leadership — initial management experience in leading small teams, supervision of master’s students and doctoral candidates
• Acquisition — writing grant applications and acquiring research funding
• Science communication — writing and media skills in communicating their own scientific findings to a broad audience
• Networking — network building and consolidating in the national and international scientific community

Prospects after completing a postdoc

There are many different career paths open to postdoctoral graduates. Some may choose to pursue an academic career and apply for positions, e.g., for assistant professorships or lectureships. That being said, the skills acquired during postdoctoral studies are also useful for non-academic career paths. Many postdocs leave science and choose a career in industry, public administration or in the third space, i.e., at the interface between science and administration. The University of Bern supports early-career researchers on all career paths by offering extensive career opportunities and courses on transferable skills.