Midcareer Transitions How does it work My transitions

Midcareer Transitions: How does it work?

My transitions • 1982 -1985 LSU Medical Center, Department of Biochemistry – Assistant professor • 1985 -1995 UCLA Medical School, Department of Psychiatry – Assistant professor, Associate professor, Full professor • 1995 -2008 Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Department of Neuroscience – Full staff – Case Western Reserve University, Department of Neuroscience, Full professor • 2009 -present University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology – Professor and Chair

Why make a transition? • What is important to you – Collaborations – Family issues – Local lifestyle • Academic • Personal – Local scientific environment – Personal advancement

How to make a transition? • What is missing for you? • Where is that, and how important is it? • What networks can you work? • What job ads are worthwhile. – Science/Nature – SFN/Societies • What information can you access?

What is important in a transition? • Assistant professor – Do you need tenure? – Are you bluffing? – Will you move to associate professor? – Will the new place have tenure? • Associate professor – Are you going for full professor? • Full professor – Lateral transition? – Chair/Director/Chief?

Opportunities in 2012? • Over the next ten years, many faculty will retire, both in research-intensive institutions and in teaching institutions. • Funding will likely remain difficult. • Biotech/Pharma • Administrative – Your institution/associate Dean, etc. – Grant agencies – Science agencies • Journalism/Editing

How to prepare • READ the advertisement/UNDERSTAND the job. • Tailor your CV to that job. – Rework the research pages (keep them short) • Make your cover letter short and to the point. – What have you done relevant to this SPECIFIC job?

How to prepare • Web search the university/company • Web search the department/institute/job • Web search/Pubmed search the people that you will meet with. • Ask your friends/ colleagues about the issues at that institution/department/ institute/job

What to expect? • You were one of hundreds of applicants. • You are now one of five interviewees. WHY should they choose you? WHY do you want this job?

What to expect? • Know the place/ job • Learn who really controls this job. – Will the chair be there in five years? – Will the dean be there in five years? • How supportive of basic research/translational research is this university/company? • How supportive of basic research in your research area is this research institute/company? • How long will this company be committed to research/drug development on disease X? • What is the morale within the department? • What is the morale at the institution?

Do you want this new job? • Was this to get a promotion where you were? • You are giving up something. Are the benefits worth it? • Will this transition work for your family?

Negotiate what you need • • • Moving gets you new equipment Moving gets you new collaborators Moving gets you new team members Moving means down time for the lab Moving means down time for publications • Make sure you have the resources to rebuild and improve your situation