Research careers – bridging the gap between postdoc and group leader

“I don’t know if I’m ready”. It’s a phrase I commonly hear from postdoctoral researchers when I ask about their next steps.

Many are sure they want to forge their own path in cancer research by making the step from postdoc to independent group leader, but few feel well prepared for it. Success as a postdoc is about doing science – your focus is on producing exciting results and having great ideas. But, in the words of the leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith, the transition to independence is often a case of “what got you here, won’t get you there”.

Many of the skills needed to transition to and succeed as a group leader are not part of PhD and postdoc training, leaving brilliant postdocs feeling like the step between postdoc to group leader is more like a chasm.

It was the feedback from postdocs on their state of unreadiness that precipitated the development of the Bridge to Academic Leadership programme.

Across six sessions over 6 months, the BAL programme addressed the key skills required to succeed in making the journey from postdoc to group leader and, importantly, how to continue to thrive once you get there. Core themes included: building your research niche, leading and managing a team, negotiating with host institutions, and grant writing. To help navigate these areas, woven throughout the programme, were insights from the true experts – group leaders from diverse backgrounds and at varying stages in their careers.

Start before you are ready

When we asked group leaders what would’ve made the biggest difference to them in preparing for independence, support with developing their grant writing skills was top of the list. From developing the initial concept of your research proposal, to adding the kind of details that elevate your ideas in the minds of reviewers, grant writing is skill that takes a lot of time and effort to master.

Few have the fortune of being able to simply sit down and write a compelling pitch for funding. With this in mind, we started the BAL grant writing workshop with a discussion on the habits you need to develop to become a grant writer. From mapping your ideas and skills to identify unique selling points, to the cycle of writing and reflecting, and perhaps most importantly, seeking and integrating feedback from colleagues… ideally ‘critical friends’! Learning to think critically about your own and other’s proposals, as well as the art of giving and receiving feedback were central themes of the workshop.

As with other aspects of the course, the wisdom shared by group leaders who came to speak with participants also gave answers to some key “am I ready?” questions. Typical amongst which was “how will I know I have enough ideas/data/experience/publications to write a competitive fellowship or grant proposal”? A simple and somewhat liberating answer given to this was to start before you are ready and you’ll soon work out what’s missing!

Leadership is a mindset

‘Being a leader is a mindset, not a job role’. It’s a thought-provoking idea – that you can develop as leaders before your job title says you are one. This was the topic that kicked off a two-day session on leading and managing a team. The idea that “becoming a leader” is not a one step process was also a key theme. Throughout your career, your role as a leader changes, so you must grow and adapt.

It was also great to see that the group leaders who contributed to the programme – who had strikingly different personalities – demonstrate that you can be your own version of a leader. There really isn’t a mould that you need to fit to be successful. There are however some common behaviours and actions. Each of the speakers emphasised the importance of setting an inclusive lab culture and then even more importantly, living it.

They also agreed on the need to prioritise once you are leading a team. While doing clever experiments is what gets you to the position of group leader, succeeding once you get there is about recognising your role in training and enabling others to take your ideas and turn them into results. One speaker explained that since he started leading a team, the phrase “do what only the CEO (aka group leader) can do” helps him to prioritise.

Better together

Given the vast amount of ground covered by the pilot BAL programme, and its aim of supporting career progression, evaluating its content and impact will take us some time. However, what was immediately obvious to me as people said their goodbyes after the final workshop, was that we had succeeded in one of our key aims: to build a cohort of cancer postdocs who could support one another beyond the timeframe of the programme.

The power of being connected to a network of peers was clearly keenly felt by many of the postdocs. One participant told us “The most important takeaway was the sense of community and belonging it created. Connecting with peers who face the same daily challenges – balancing workload, managing expectations, and dealing with imposter syndrome – was incredibly reassuring. The programme not only provided support and shared experiences but also laid the foundation for lasting friendships and future cross-disciplinary collaborations that will extend far beyond the course itself.”

As well as witnessing the growing confidence and skill of participants, watching individuals connect to become a network of supportive peers was hugely satisfying. The strong sense of “better together” when it comes to bridging the gap between postdoc and group leader will be very much in mind as we work on the next iteration of the BAL programme.