P18 - Revamping postdoctoral training and education

Postdoctoral researchers are transitioning to independence and long-term career prospects. However, it is estimated that only about 3.5% of PhD graduates in science become permanent research staff at universities. In the context of careers beyond academia, there is a need to design a comprehensive professional development programme for postdoctoral researchers to ensure that, in addition to producing exceptional leading researchers, their advanced scientific training can be applied in non-traditional academic careers.  In this regard, the following areas of expertise offer a wealth of opportunities for career development: 1) science education; 2) public science policy; and 3) innovation and entrepreneurship.

The BIST Postdoctoral Training Programme has been designed to support the transition of postdoctoral researchers towards the non-academic sector. Through career-oriented courses and hands-on workshops, the programme arms postdocs with the skills necessary to tailor complementary training to better serve their career prospects after completion of their postdoctoral period. The BIST Programme will be useful both for individuals entering their postdoc with a clear career objective, as well as for those still open to a variety of career avenues. The former can take advantage of well-defined curricula leading to a professional certificate or degree, like a Master´s in Science Education, while the latter will benefit from the wide variety of training activities offered by the programme.

BIST envisages that this programme will not only contribute to increasing the number of leading positions that BIST postdoctoral researchers achieve at the international-level in academia, but also allow these scientists access to influential positions in sectors such as education, public science policy, and industry.