Independence of postdocs

The postdoc phase is a crucial period for developing an independent scientific profile. This is also reflected in ETH Zurich’s Guidelines on Scientific Integrity that emphasize the importance of supporting postdocs in establishing their own scientific profile to lay the foundation for their future careers:

Art. 9 Scientists and scholars who hold a leadership and/or supervisory position shall ensure the best possible individual support for junior scientists and scholars and for scientific staff in their academic or professional careers by:

a. maintaining a balance of support and personal responsibility in supervision that is appropriate to the career stage and enabling junior researchers to develop into independent scientists through increasingly independent work.

To strengthen their research profile, postdocs are encouraged to:

• apply for own third-party funding
• discuss career development with their supervisors early on

Supervisors should actively support and encourage postdocs in these efforts, ensuring that they have the freedom and opportunities to grow as independent researchers.

Postdocs must have sufficient time for scientific work to achieve their academic qualification goals and establish early independence.

While some departments have specific teaching requirements, there are currently no universal rules regarding how much time postdocs should dedicate to teaching or administrative tasks.

To avoid misunderstandings, it is highly recommended to discuss expectations with the supervisor or institute at the start of employment. This ensures clarity on workload distribution and responsibilities. As an example, postdocs employed on third-party funded projects are typically granted around 80% of their working time for project-related research.

The basic principles regarding authorship in publications also apply to funding applications and newer forms of information dissemination (e.g. social networks).

While postdocs may not always meet the eligibility criteria to be listed as co-applicants, those who make significant contributions to the planning and writing of a grant proposal submitted under the name of the host professor must be acknowledged in the proposal.

For postdocs aiming to build an independent academic career, acquiring third-party funding is important, and increasingly so in times of severe budget constraints. Securing their own funding will foster the scientific independence of young researchers, demonstrate competitiveness in their research field, and serve as a stepping stone towards a faculty position or other senior roles, both within academia and in the private sector.

The Grants Office provides an overview of funding opportunities specifically targeted at postdocs. You can explore available instruments on their website. Additionally, the Grants Office organizes online information events about funding opportunities and offers advice on various funding schemes.

All scientific publications must appropriately acknowledge the contributions of all authors (contributors). To prevent misunderstandings, it is important to discuss authorship early in the publication process.

This is particularly important for independent research projects conducted by postdocs, but also joint projects with supervisors and collaborative projects with other senior researchers.

Further details on authorship and publication ethics can be found in the Guidelines on Scientific Integrity:

Art. 15 Contributions and order of authors

1 The contributions of the individual authors to a publication should be declared as transparently as possible.

2 In the case of several authors, the order in which they are named shall be determined by the discipline-specific regulations or practices, in particular with regard to the role of first and last author.

Additional information:

• external page Defining Responsible and Equitable Authorship by a Principle-based Approach
• Cooke SJ, Young N, Donaldson MR, Nyboer EA, Roche DG, Madliger CL, Lennox RJ, Chapman JM, Faulkes Z, and Bennett JR. 2021. Ten strategies for avoiding and overcoming authorship conflicts in academic publishing. FACETS 6: 1753–1770. https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2021-0103

Host professors are responsible for covering the expenditures for workplace infrastructure and scientific work, including consumables and fieldwork expenses. In addition, in line with the Guidelines on Scientific Integrity, host professors should promote the postdoc’s integration into the broader scientific community. This includes providing the time and resources necessary for postdocs to develop their own professional contacts and collaborations.

Suitable activities to foster integration include open exchanges with other research groups, attending courses or summer schools, participating in conferences or temporary stays at other institutions.

Attending conferences is a valuable opportunity for postdocs to build and expand their professional networks. Participating in training courses and career development offerings, whether at ETH Zurich or other institutions, is also crucial for broadening their skillset.

Expenses for attending conferences and training courses should be covered - within reasonable limits - by the host professor. Professors should also grant time off for such activities. Often, these expenses are part of the budget of a project grant.

It is highly recommended to plan ahead and discuss the attendance of conferences, training courses and similar events, as well as the corresponding costs, with the host professor in a timely manner.