I’m still recovering from the Glastonbury festival of geosciences. What was the question again? Unrealistic expectations… Ah, wait. Found it. So Amina asks:
Why is there an implicit expectation for postdoc mobility?
Dear Amina,
Why did you have to choose this question? My short answer is, it’s like you are stuck in quicksand. But I know you’re going to ask me WHYYY and expect a real answer. Fine. I get it.
First of all, good job. I see someone used their time during the general assembly wisely and joined some good short courses. Second, if I had the exact/right answer, I’d probably have tried to fix that broken structure myself. Anyway, I’m still procrastinating on answering, aren’t I? OK, here we go:
To my understanding, this is to enrich both the scientific studies and the connection to the scientific community. At least that’s what it’s supposed to do. But I know it is a complete lie. I did a little research on postdoc life before (as one does when spiralling), but while writing this, I found this description: “… That is, the training in research when working in a postdoctoral appointment can be seen as an investment to accumulate the additional human and social capital needed to facilitate the future job search in a deteriorating labor market…”[1]. Tell me that doesn’t scream capitalism in an academic robe. But it’s the truth. Academia and science (or, as venture capitalists say, the research sector 🤮) became a part of that wheel a long time ago. -Oh damn, we are getting really close to opening pandora’s box here because I can easily connect this to publications and how that became a sector but no, that would be drifting off.-
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but around the world we’re seeing budget cuts in research, entire departments shutting down, permanent staff being laid off—and somehow, postdoc mobility became the duct tape we slap onto a shattered vase (like flex tape man – do a browser search). “Move, adapt, repeat” isn’t a career strategy—it’s a survival mechanism in a system that’s running out of lifeboats.
Btw, this is not new, it has been slowly building up and now it’s exploding and even worse. Because get this: There are more PhD positions than postdocs. Why? Because PhDs are cheaper than postdocs.
So we’re basically training people for jobs that don’t exist, in a system that pretends it’s a meritocracy, but is actually just a budget spreadsheet with a god complex. But wait. There is the other side of the coin we are not talking about. They think everyone has the same mobility privilege as they do. These policies prop up the narrative that only certain people—ahem white, rich, cishet folks—can and should do research. If you are, or know, a non-EU researcher, you’ve probably seen the struggle: visa renewals, residence permits, navigating a new bureaucracy every two years. The restrictions. The anxiety. The looming threat of deportation—sometimes just for daring to stand against violence (check the news from the US, undergrads to PhDs, postdocs). If we are talking about LGBTQIA+ researchers, then there are different limitations and real safety issues.
Did you get the answer that you were expecting? Idk. Anyway, gotta go—I have to update my residence permit, apply for five jobs, learn a new language, and pretend like I’m excited about all of this.
Yours sincerely,
The Sassy Scientist
P.S. you think I forgot to add a song for this one? Well, you are wrong. It’s a reference to it’s a good day (to fight to system) by Shungudzo.
P.P.S. actually, I’m leaving academia to become a full-time activist. see ya later
