Dr. Martin Jaeger
Lab manager & postdoc at the Department of Internal Medicine, Radboudumc
Who is Martin?
What is your career path?
Martin: I am originally from Germany, and I came here for my studies. I did my bachelor in Medical Biology at the Science Faculty, then I switched to Biomedical Science in Radboudumc for my master for two years, specialized in pathobiology. During the master, I performed the last internship in the Internal Medicine Department in the hospital for about eight months. At the end of the internship, there was at that time possibilities, so they offered me a position to do a PhD for which I could the project I’d like to work on. That was very nice.
In 2018, I got my PhD in innate immunity and fungal infections. Then they offered a postdoc position, and I switched to working on thyroid cancer, which I'm still doing now. And after one year or so, the lab manager was leaving because she had a new job offer somewhere else. Then I was asked to do the lab management part, with a 50-50 construction, so 50% about the science and 50% about the lab, which involves meetings, protocols, or HR related stuff, basically everything related to the operation of the lab. Since then, about five or six years, I'm combining both tasks, and now I'm also supervising a couple of PhDs together with my PI. I also have a permanent position, which is really exceptional.
Martin’s Portrait of Postdocs
What does postdoc mean to you?
Martin: I mean, function wise, I would say it's a position with a lot of responsibility, not only for research but also for other tasks. Especially in the university setting, I think it's also teaching or sharing of knowledge to PhDs, other students, technicians…And postdocs should also have leadership qualities or characteristics.
And I would say postdocs are rather independent, who are able to plan and to perform their own research lines. From zero to X, let's say, involving the whole process like considering whether there's money, making sure the materials and the people you want to work with like the technicians and the collaborators are there, also all the organizational stuff around it.
How did you come to your ideas about postdocs?
Martin: By looking around, like seeing mentors, supervisors, people at congresses, colleagues that are a bit more senior, and just talking to them and working with them. From those people, you pick the things that you like or want to be and leave out the things you don't like.
I think it's very difficult to make a really universal job description about postdocs, because that also depends on the topic, the institute, and maybe also the country. Some postdocs are a lot more into teaching, or into getting funding, or into practical work. And I think the nice thing is to that you can find your own balance in that.
What would (not) fall under postdocs’ responsibility?
Martin: I think this is also context dependent. In general, I would say it's the passing of knowledge, so to teach the younger generation and to share your knowledge and experience. In that sense, postdocs functions a bit as a role model or as a mentor. But they are also to accelerate or to bring science to the next level and to make progress on their topics. You can, of course, conduct research yourself if you like the practical work. For me, it's also OK if you supervise people to do the work, if you just make sure the person that you supervise or that you pay to do the things can do the job in a good way and to deliver a product in the end.
Postdocs’ roles in funding acquisition?
Martin: It's always good for your own career. Maybe lesser at the beginning, but when you get more senior, at some point you have to do it if you want to progress in science or in academia. And I think it would be nice if postdocs can gradually grow into that, first with some help, and then more independently writing their own grants.
Postdocs’ roles in management and collaboration?
Martin: This is also a bit dependent on the sizes of the groups. If you have a big group as we have now, I think it's much easier to put the load on different shoulders. But in smaller groups, which is the more general situation, the management should not be fully on a postdoc, because then they have less time to grow in their own research.
And collaboration is important, especially because as a postdoc, you will have your own data but also the data that's generated by students or PhDs. You would just have to make collaborations and work together. I think that's getting even more important in the future, when it comes to publishing or big projects, you cannot do everything by your own. But it's always important to finetune that with your direct PI or your supervisor.
Postdocs’ roles in connection with industry or marketing research?
Martin: Yeah, for some things it's also important to take industry into account, because they have funding opportunities and maybe also the means to accelerate your research. For example, if they have a specific machine for measurements or they can synthesize chemicals, it's always good. Again, for that, it's something that needs to be discussed with the group and maybe also with the university. In general, for postdocs, the outreach to industry, the general public, or the patient organizations is important. Postdocs should at least not say beforehand, “I don't do that. It costs me too much time.” Because in the end, it can also help you, like delivering patients for your study.
Postdocs’ roles in career development?
Martin: I think, in general, there's a lot of uncertainty regarding the temporary contracts and the big competition on getting money and grants. In that sense, most of the postdocs already have to think about the next step when they start their postdoc. That's difficult.
For myself, I have a permanent position, which gives a lot of rest and certainty, not only work-wise but also the private life. You can plan the future and all. I would wish to see it more often that universities offer postdocs permanent positions. In the end, it's also an investment to get good postdocs, who also bring a lot of quality, like a technique or an analysis method. If after two or three years, they leave, then also the knowledge is gone.
What have I done right? Of course, the general ways of how people work in the Netherlands, I think you have to follow. You have to be friendly, open and accessible. You have to be lucky that there is money and positions. In the end, it's also good to know or to do something that is not so easy to replace, maybe learning something that is unique for the department, something that they will miss when you're gone. That helps, and it can be on the scientific level or on the soft skill level.
Support in career development
Do you feel that postdocs are well supported in their career development?
Martin: I think there are some postdoc initiatives. But I think, simply, postdocs have so many tasks or things that are expected from them. They don't really have the time. As I said, they already have to look for a new job when they start the postdoc, and they also have to do like this management things and teaching and supervising. They have to learn a lot of new things and to generate the new data to ask for more money, and so on. But the time to do these really important things is not there, or not always there. For myself, I really have to admit that I was very lucky at the times that I had to make those decisions.
Is there support from your organization for career development?
Martin: For me, I did like attend a management and leadership course, which was really nice and helpful. The department (partly) had to pay for it, and actually my supervisors asked me if I want to do it, because I then just got this lab management position. So, I think we have these courses here in house.
Is the postdoc position attractive to early career researchers?
Martin: I think for people that are really into science and research, at the first glimpse, it is attractive. There is this image that you're really independent as a postdoc, and you can do what you want and so on. In some way, that's true. But in the end, when you really start, you see how many other tasks you have to do and how time consuming those things are, and also how uncertain this position is and not well-paid compared to other jobs (if with comparable time investments)… In that sense, I would say it's not attractive.
What can be done to improve?
Martin: Support-wise, from the university or the institutes, maybe reducing unnecessary time burdens, or offering courses on how you can do things more efficiently or so. Then, you have just a bit more time to do the things that you're really hired for and to that you are willing to give all your passion and energy. It's not that I say you're hired for 100% doing experiments, because also the other tasks are important for postdocs. But there are also a lot of tasks that are really time consuming, which could be reduced by having more support by an assistant.