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Category Archives: Jobs
Why we fail at hiring Black faculty in biology departments
Today was a day of reflection. How have we gotten to this sorry point in the history of the US? What have I personally contributed to the problem? What have I personally contributed to the solution? How can we do … Continue reading
Posted in diversity, Jobs, White male bias
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How do you get an academic job in biology?
You have published your research, figured out how to apply for grants, identified some absorbing big ideas to spend a few years or a lifetime on, but now you want that coveted academic job to put this all together. It … Continue reading
We have a position for a postdoc on amoeba-bacteria symbiosis available immediately!
Finally we got the call from NSF that our grant proposal was being recommended for funding in full. This new funding uses the social amoeba bacteria symbiosis to tease out exactly how mutualisms work, with both empirical work and theory. … Continue reading
Posted in Jobs, Postdocs
Tagged amoeba-bacteria symbiosis, Burkholderia, Dictyostelium, job, postdoc
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Remember the rules on allowable questions for job candidates!
Here in biology at Wash U, we interview for open faculty positions every year, usually. Now is the time we are doing this. It is really fun to meet these candidates, hear about their science, hear about what it is … Continue reading
Posted in Interviewing, Jobs, New assistant professor
1 Comment
Why are chalk talks so hard?
Have I ever heard a good chalk talk? Do they really even help us make a wise decision? I can think of some spectacular failures in hiring the right person based on the chalk talk in the past at another … Continue reading
Posted in Interviewing, Jobs, Talks, Uncategorized
1 Comment
Job interview: does timing matter?
You got an interview! It is so exciting! There are so many decisions to make. You need to prepare for as many as three talks, research, chalk talk, and sample teaching. You also need to carefully research the department and … Continue reading
Posted in Jobs, Uncategorized
1 Comment
Job interview: how to avoid 10 pitfalls
You got an interview! How do you do your best so they choose you for that elusive position on the faculty of a college or university? Actually most of this advice applies to any kind of in-person job interview. Perhaps … Continue reading
Chalk talks: how to avoid 10 pitfalls
You got an interview for a job, a faculty or a postdoctoral position! But they want you to do a chalk talk. What do you do? What is a chalk talk anyway? First of all, be sure you find out … Continue reading
Posted in Interviewing, Jobs, Talks, Uncategorized
Tagged academic fit, big questions, controlling the room, grant proposals, talks
4 Comments
How to write a letter of recommendation: 5 essentials
“Kind to pets” is what a colleague calls positive letters of recommendation that don’t really say anything. Even worse is “word salad,” a series of highly predictable sentences that could be said about anyone. I write tons of letters every … Continue reading
Posted in Jobs, Undergraduates
Tagged evaluation, grit, letters, recommendation, self-starter
2 Comments
How scientific and fair can faculty hiring be?
If you have a committee of 6 choosing the 4 or so biologists to interview for a single position, what would a really accurate way to do it be? I think you would look hard at the error factor. If … Continue reading
Posted in Jobs
Tagged bias, faculty hiring, fit in department, randomness, scientific excellence
3 Comments
Sociobiology 