What appeals to you the most in the Recognition & Rewards programme?
“Personally, I think it’s great and a good thing that the qualities of academics are more widely recognised and appreciated. It suits my own career, in which I steer the middle course between two worlds: science and the clinic.”
The results of the culture barometer show that a significant proportion of researchers know little or nothing at all about the Recognition & Rewards programme. The same applies to medical specialists. Does this sound familiar to you?
“I can imagine that that’s the case. Medical specialists are generally preoccupied with providing care. That’s their top priority. Medical specialists who combine this work with an academic career often don’t have the time to delve into the university’s policies properly. The same applies to some of the postdocs. On the one hand, you have postdocs who are properly embedded in a research group or laboratory, and are busy with research fulltime. They are very similar to postdocs at universities. This group probably gets a much more direct idea of what’s going on from a policy point of view. Another group of postdocs are usually part-time researchers, for instance in a clinical department. They are therefore further removed from academic policy.”
For the rest, it seems as though researchers feel that they don’t get the same level of recognition and reward as colleagues in other job groups. Why do you think this is?
“It depends by whom you would like to feel recognised and rewarded. In an international environment of researchers, it’s really quite difficult to get recognition and rewarded. It often involves a network of people who know one another well; it’s difficult for a postdoc to become part of the group. Getting recognition and appreciation from your own group depends on the supervisor and the group. And getting recognition and reward from the institution is another matter. If someone ticks all the boxes, will that person be promoted to assistant professor? Or will they have to secure their own scholarship first? I believe that all of these aspects play a part in whether a postdoc feels appreciated.
Some postdocs are fully occupied with following an academic career. They are completely focused on this. If they fail to eventually get funding, they would have worked extremely hard for two years only to have to leave after all anyway. I can well imagine that they don’t feel recognised and rewarded for the work they have done. So a lot depends on the results you achieve at the end of your period as a postdoc. PhD candidates, on the other hand, are recognised and appreciated for the dissertation they produce. Besides which, you get recognition and appreciation when you are further along in your career and are part of a network. In a way, a postdoc misses out on both of these aspects: the end goal is often unclear and everything depends on whether you can take the next step.”
Researchers mention that they have experienced relatively little change as a consequence of the Recognition & Rewards programme. Why is this? What would you specifically like to see changed for postdocs?
“As far as I am concerned, a competitive setting is part and parcel of academia. You have to decide who may shape an academic career and who may not. What would help postdocs is if they were offered more guidance. A coach or a mentor who can explain the rules of the game comes to mind. As a postdoc I sometimes feel like I’m in a vacuum: what is the way forward? What do I have to do exactly? If it’s a career in academia you’re looking for, you need more points of reference.”
What is your view on the diversification of career paths?
“Paradoxical. What you have to comply with is becoming less clear. There are more final criteria that you can or should meet to a greater or lesser degree. You are no longer judged specifically on the number of papers you’ve published or the amount of funds raised. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but at the same time you have to make sure that those who have taken a broader perspective are not rejected for that very reason. It is harder to judge someone’s performance if there are no clear grades to go by.”
What is the alternative?
“The UMCG uses four profiles for its academic promotion policy: research, education, healthcare, and society and valorisation. My perception of this is that the difference between the four profiles is not that clearcut. For each profile, you are assessed on conducting research, publishing articles (preferably in high-impact journals), securing funding, supervising research, teaching and generating social impact. In effect, what you do is introduce nuance in your own personal narrative. This raises the question of whether every researcher has to be a good lecturer, and whether all assistant professors should be responsible for raising funds.”
What do you think should be given precedence: systemic or cultural change?
“I suspect that there is no uninterrupted progression from postdoc to assistant professor, from assistant professor to associate professor and from associate professor to full professor. Once a full professor has been appointed, that person stays in that position for a very long time. This can be at the expense of the number of jobs for young researchers. Maybe we should distribute these jobs more equitably and by doing so offer more leeway for assistant professors and associate professors. Some postdocs may be quite happy to be an assistant professor for a while, followed by being an associate professor. Others aim to become a full professor as quickly as possible and to hold on to that position. By awarding the right to supervise PhD students to assistant professors and associate professors, you recognise and reward the first group of postdocs.”
And in terms of culture?
“It is evident that there is less emphasis on the number of publications at the institutions. On the international stage, however, you still have to publish as much as possible, preferably in high-impact journals. In that sense, cultural change is problematic. You have to measure yourself against your international peers.”
The Rathenau Institute recently published a hard-hitting report on the position of young researchers. How do you feel about this report?
“The group of researchers is very diverse. I acknowledge that the period as a postdoc is a stressful time, full of uncertainty. What should you be focusing on? What are you judged by? How can you get good guidance in this? At the same time, it depends on how you deal with those uncertainties and how much you aspire to have an academic career. And therefore how much stress and disappointment you go through if you don’t manage to get one. Fact is that postdocs’ prospects of an academic career are limited.”
What must we do with the findings of the report?
“It is important that supervisors create realistic expectations. That’s the best way to help postdocs. They should be given two options, so to speak: either you pull out all the stops to shape an academic career, or you don’t. And if you really are keen to get somewhere in academia, you have to meet the criteria. In other words: work hard and prove that you’re worth it. If you’re not prepared to do so, then don’t choose academia, otherwise you’ll just get frustrated. Perhaps we should distinguish more between a pre-academic path and postgraduate path.”
Researchers are concerned about the impact of Recognition & Rewards on their own careers, for instance, when switching to a different institution. Do you share this concern?
“If the programme is properly embedded on a national level, this shouldn’t be an issue. At every university there is a demand for assistant professors that are keen to teach. I think that if you want to become a prestigious scientist, it is more difficult to position yourself internationally if you’ve come from a teaching background.”
How do you see the future? Would you like to continue with your career in academia?
“The intention this autumn is to see if an assistant professor position would suit me Personally, I have no problem with step-by-step promotion and not following the talent track. In other words: taking the next step when I’m ready for it.”
Finally, what is your message to the reader?
“Take advantage of your postdoc period to explore what you really want. Get advice on this. Seek out your colleagues, engage in conversation, join the Postdoc Council. That is the only way to find out whether you really aspire to an academic career and how you can shape it.”