By Eimear Holton, NIAID Training Social Media/Web/Outreach Program Specialist and Megan Bohn, Ph.D., NIAID Predoctoral, Postdoctoral, and Visiting Fellows Program Coordinator
Gaining leadership experience during your postdoc may seem like just another item on your “perfect world” to-do list, something that doesn’t seem as pressing as publishing, applying for grants, or keeping up with lab work. No matter the professional destination—academia, government, or the private sector—developing these skills is just as crucial as that next pressing experiment. From creating the vision of an independent research program to managing the fine details of everyday workgroup operations, the ability to lead, mentor, and build communities can pay dividends down the road.
Leadership opportunities for postdocs often hide in unexpected places and are not always packaged into neatly defined programs or workshops, so the ability to recognize and take advantage of leadership opportunities is the key first step. For this article, we spoke to two NIAID fellows, Cara DeAngelis, Ph.D., and Leanne Low, Ph.D., who understood this and leveraged their postdoctoral training to develop their leadership abilities while exploring potential careers. Both active members of the NIH fellows community, they held leadership roles throughout their postdocs that took them on paths of self-discovery and professional development that led directly to satisfying career advancements. Interestingly, both Cara and Leanne attest that by simply exploring their interests, leadership opportunities started to present themselves.
Cara, who is the former co-chair of the Rocky Mountain Fellows Organization and a co-chair of the Science Policy Discussion group, reflected, “I happened to end up in leadership positions because I saw areas for growth and put myself out there to create change and structure. I didn’t quite understand the value of those leadership experiences until applying for a job and starting my current position.” Similarly, Leanne shared, “I wouldn’t say that I set out to get leadership roles, but rather my continued involvement in different activities naturally led to those opportunities becoming available to me.” These leadership experiences gave her the ability to develop a demonstrated skill set that allowed her to explore the job market and set her transition plan into action.
Does this sound like a lot of work? The benefits often outweigh the time and effort (and added anxiety) that comes with reaching out about your first leadership opportunity and when initiating a conversation with your PI about your next steps. By being active outside the lab in the many interest groups or communities that exist at NIH, both Cara and Leanne built communication and management skills—two skills with broad impact—as they explored interest areas to figure out their next career steps. Leanne credits her mentor for “being open to my interest in moving away from bench science and for trusting that my pursuit of other activities would not impact the science I was doing in his lab,” she subsequently served as co-chair of the FARE committee, learning on-the-job skills in program management, collaboration, and communication, which allowed her to integrate into the larger NIH-wide FelCom group and eventually lead FelCom initiatives as Basic Science Co-Chair. Cara co-founded a group called “Tick Talk” in an effort to bring laboratories in different RML departments together, where she demonstrated her initiative and leadership.
While there is no magic formula for becoming a successful leader, taking advantage of the NIH trainings for fellows is a straightforward option. But because NIH training resources are numerous, it can be difficult to decide where to start. A good practice is to begin by self-assessment (Leanne used myIDP): identifying your weaknesses and strengths and then selectively seeking out the events or workshops that align with skills you want to build. When asked about NIH resources that were particularly useful, Cara commended OITE’s Becoming a Resilient Scientist and the Workplace Dynamics series, explaining how they helped her learn how to deal with workplace challenges, build emotional intelligence, and work well in a team. Leanne similarly took advantage of NIH’s opportunities early on in her postdoc and found that making a simple, regular habit of talking to people—at the NIH Career Symposium and through informational interviews, allowed her to find avenues to gain more experience.
Becoming a better leader during your postdoc may seem like a “nice-to-have” element of the scientific training experience, but considering the benefits these opportunities present, the investment is worth the effort. When asked how her NIH experience has impacted her career outcomes, Cara said, “Now I’m a few weeks into my new job and I’m seeing all the skills I gained through leadership positions come into play.” Leanne, who will be leaving her NIH fellowship later this year, also noted, “These experiences have also provided me the opportunity to determine what I would like to see from people in leadership positions and has helped me screen out work cultures that I believe wouldn’t be a great fit for myself.”
Best of luck to both Cara and Leanne in their next steps. If you would like to speak with them their contact information is below.
Cara DeAngelis, Ph.D., former NIAID postdoc in the Gene Regulation Section of the Laboratory of Bacteriology at Rocky Mountain Laboratories. She recently moved on from her fellowship to take a position with a non-profit in her scientific field. Feel free to connect with Cara on LinkedIn.
Leanne Low, Ph.D., current NIAID postdoc in the Malaria Cell Biology Section of the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research and incoming medical writer at a health science consultancy. Feel free to connect with Leanne on LinkedIn.