title: A Guide for Graduate Students Interested in Postdoctoral Positions in Biology Education Research.
abstract: Postdoctoral positions in biology education research (BER) are becoming increasingly common as the field grows. However, many life science graduate students are unaware of these positions or do not understand what these positions entail or the careers with which they align. In this essay, we use a backward-design approach to inform life science graduate students of postdoctoral opportunities in BER. Beginning with the end in mind, we first discuss the types of careers to which BER postdoctoral positions lead. We then discuss the different types of BER postdoctoral positions, drawing on our own experiences and those of faculty mentors. Finally, we discuss activities in which life science graduate students can engage that will help them gauge whether BER aligns with their research interests and develop skills to be competitive for BER postdoctoral positions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824 melissa.aikens@unh.edu.
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Aikens
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309.
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Corwin
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602.
authors.forename: Tessa C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588.
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Couch
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199.
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Eddy
authors.affiliation: **Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McDonnell
authors.affiliation: Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.
authors.forename: Gloriana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trujillo
mesh_terms: D001695:Biology / Q000193:education*; D003657:Decision Making; D004500:Education, Graduate; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D012106:Research; D013334:Students; D013663:Teaching