CAREER VIEW |Vol 451|7 February 2008

MOVERS NETWORKS & SUPPORT Eva Feldman, director, Taubman Institute, Japanese postdocs seek their path Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan Responding to concerns over the became non-postdoc R&D workers — uncertain career paths for postdocs were similar. Of Japanese postdocs, 2005–present: Director, in Japan, we recently carried out a 72% stayed in Japan and 7% went Neuropathy Center, survey at seven universities — Osaka, to the United States. Among non- University of Michigan, Tohoku, Hokkaido, Waseda, Nagoya, Japanese, 24% stayed in Japan and Ann Arbor, Michigan Yamaguchi and Kyushu — and the 20% moved to China. 2001–present: Director, ALS institute of physical and chemical More women were unemployed clinic, University of Michigan research (RIKEN). Our fields included at the end of 2005 than men. More 2000–present: Professor, science, engineering, agriculture and engineering postdocs than scientist Department of , health care. It was the first such survey postdocs became R&D professionals and Director, Juvenile at multiple institutions in Japan. outside Japan; in Japan, more Research A total of 3,870 people responded engineers than other postdocs became Foundation Center, just after the end of fiscal year 2005: private-sector R&D personnel. The University of Michigan about a quarter of the roughly 15,000 average age of becoming a lecturer postdocs in Japan during that period. was 34.2, associate professor 36.9, Eva Feldman’s affable demeanour belies a tenacity that Two-thirds (2,592) stayed postdocs at professor 44.4 years. The number of has enabled a successful and wide-ranging career in the same institution they’d been in people becoming postdocs at other . At the age of 11, she took solo bus rides to during the year; 8% (310) had become institutions decreased with age. downtown Indianapolis to volunteer at a hospital as a way postdocs at other institutions; 19% As this was the first large survey to explore her medical aspirations. Undeterred by repeated (752) were doing other work, studying of its kind, it is not clear whether job advice that she pursue a less demanding career, she became or unemployed; and the occupations prospects are getting better or worse. an academic clinician. In her new role as director of the of the remaining 6% (216) were But it is worth noting that more than Taubman Medical Institute at the University of Michigan, unknown. Of the 752 who changed 80% of those who obtained non- she wants to promote high-risk, high-reward research. their type of work or role, 82% entered postdoctoral positions were able to After studying and chemistry, Feldman decided research and development (R&D) enter R&D professions. For each to pursue a master’s degree in neuroscience at ’s professions and 9% entered institution, the results suggest that . But while pursuing her MD-PhD occupations requiring specialized the different forms of career at the University of Michigan she found that she loved being knowledge (such as teachers, doctors, development or support may be a clinician. She became chief resident at Johns Hopkins occupations related to intellectual necessary, depending on the field, to Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and the first neurologist property, coordinators for industry– diversify postdocs’ career options. ■ to win its medical teaching award. university collaboration, or science Toshiyuki Misu is a senior research She returned to the University of Michigan to begin her and technology communicators). fellow, and Akira Horoiwa an career, in part because her husband accepted a job in the The percentage of Japanese versus affiliated fellow, at the National area. Setting aside institutional ‘in-breeding’ concerns, she foreigners who became postdocs at Institute of Science and Technology says her familiarity with the place has helped her fully other institutions — as well as who Policy in Tokyo. realize research opportunities. For example, as part of a programme in neurology research and discovery started in 2000, she was able to POSTDOC JOURNAL build multiple collaborations across departments. Since then she has created, and become director of, two centres and a clinic focused on the complications of diabetes, Fruit medley amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) I’m a fan of quality produce. So when I told my wife that oranges and other and, most recently, neuropathy. She runs a neuroscience locally grown citrus fruits were reasons for staying in Israel to pursue a faculty lab of 14 postdocs and nine research assistants. position, she retorted: “Get your priorities straight!” The secret of her success, she says, is delegation. She The truth is, I’m not that shallow. I moved to Israel to study genes controlling credits management courses on executive leadership in natural variation in tomatoes, and I thought we might stay for scientific and academic medicine with teaching her to create an personal reasons. But now I realize I’m as American as the New England apple infrastructure to juggle the needs of so many posts — even pie I grew up with. So when I recently committed to job hunt in both countries, using technology such as wikis to post project materials. I mulled over what might become a near literal ‘apples versus oranges’ decision. As director of the new Taubman Medical Research How should I choose? The considerations are endless: institution, colleagues, Institute, she plans to oversee novel high-risk research — not funding, a partner’s career, family and friends, children’s education, and the typically funded in today’s competitive climate — including political and social climate. And then there is the need to learn skills beyond the the pursuit of stem-cell-based ALS therapies. Her colleagues bench, such as becoming an effective teacher, marketer and collaborator. are excited to have a leader eager to take risks at a time when How am I coping? I’m gathering as much information as possible. The key to most academics put forth conservative proposals to secure making informed decisions is seeking advice from the right sources. Consulting former mentors and colleagues who also struggled through this transition is funding from the National Institutes of Health. helping to lift the fog. Merging the best of both worlds is impossible. So now I’m “The successes may not outnumber the failures, but stressing about the decision, and when I stress, I get hungry. A fruit salad of, new, innovative treatments will be worth the risk,” says say, apples and oranges would hit the spot. ■ Sid Gilman, director of the University of Michigan’s Zachary Lippman is a postdoctoral fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s ■ Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. faculty of agriculture. Virginia Gewin

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