By David W. Niesel, Jose Barral and Tammie Taylor
Thanks to television shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “ER,” most people know that newly minted M.D.s typically begin their careers with more training as hospital residents.
They have earned the title “Doctor” and serve a vital role in patient care, but these physicians are still learning, and their work is supervised by a chief resident and an attending physician.
Fewer people know, however, that students who earn a doctoral degree, or Ph.D., in one of the biological or biomedical sciences follow a similar path.
They receive their diploma and continue their career at a research institution like the University of Texas Medical Branch, where they become a postdoctoral fellow, or “postdoc” for short.
There they continue research training, supervised by an experienced faculty scientist, often called a PI (short for primary investigator), until they become independent scientists. They have earned the title “Doctor” and they play a vital role in cutting-edge scientific research.
At UTMB, postdocs work on biomedical research — that is, research focused on understanding how and why disease occurs and how to intervene to prevent or cure disease with new therapeutics or vaccines and/or discovering new diagnostics.
In short, they are working on the future of medicine.
Training typically lasts 3-5 years, and postdocs are eager to hone their skills under the direction of an outstanding mentor scientist, whose field of research matches their own.
They also look for an outstanding setting with superior facilities to be their “workplace home” during this developmental phase of their career.
We are proud to say that UTMB offers both, and our current postdoc community includes in excess of 120 dynamic, young postdoctoral scientists from all over the world.
The work they perform in our labs, day after day, is integral to the success of UTMB as a major global research institution. Indeed, it is fair to say that postdocs are the “engine” that drives biomedical research forward in many laboratories at UTMB and around the world.
During the first year or two of training, postdocs typically focus on conducting experiments to generate large amounts of data on a research problem. The goal is to publish their results and/or produce a patent application. Appearing as an author of an article that heralds a groundbreaking discovery in a highly regarded journal like Science or Nature is a sought-after goal for most scientists. Postdocs often take their first steps toward this goal during their training years.
In America today, fewer than 20 percent of those receiving doctoral degrees will end up in an academic position at a university or college. Typically, postdocs who are able to secure their own grant funding to continue their research seek faculty appointments in hopes of pursuing their independent research and moving along an academic professorial track.
However, postdocs can also find jobs in industry, biotech, government laboratories, regulatory agencies, scientific writing, health policy administration and consulting companies.
The reality is that the national unemployment rate for those with an advanced degree in biomedical science has been at or below 2 percent for many years. No matter which career track postdocs choose, it is clear that these talented scientists enrich many aspects of the U.S. economy.
After all, these talented researchers are the biomedical science pioneers of tomorrow, and UTMB is proud to be part of their career path to success.
David W. Niesel is vice president and dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Jose Barral is the assistant dean for academic affairs, and Tammie Taylor is the manager of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.