Prestige of a Post-Doc Position

Started by qwopty99
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qwopty99

Optometrist
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hey all

does it matter where one does a post-doc? like - suppose u get ur PhD from an excellent state-U (e.g. UMichigan calibre).

does it matter if u end up doing a post-doc at Harvard vs another state school? (e.g. UIUC)

is there much accompanying "prestige" in where u do a post-doc?

thanks.
 
Uh, I would say that a quality of your post-doc matters more than your PhD, after all it is the data that you generate during your post-doc that will get you hired as a junior faculty, that will get you your 1st grants, etc. The institution doesn't matter so much as WHO you do your post-doc with and how much data you can generate...that being said, most of the famous PIs are at the more prestigious universities.
 
I agree with what greg12345 said. You want to work with a PI in a lab where you can generate a lot of data and good quality papers. Competition for faculty positions is tough. Getting into a good lab for a post-doc can also be competitive, so work hard during your PhD.