Here I am, on the road (in the air) again, delivering two workshops in Barcelona before flying off to Nice to do the same. Being mobile is a necessary part of my work, since it’s easier for me to run courses for PhD students and postdocs in their own institutes and universities than for them to have to come to me. Two weeks ago I was in Switzerland and in two weeks’ time I shall be in Vienna. My type of mobility is temporary with an anchor in the UK, but for many budding academics longer-term mobility is a necessity if you are to secure a permanent position. That’s not to say that you should move countries for the sheer sake of it, rather that academic research is an international endeavour and the likelihood is that research groups in your field of interest will be situated in another country or on a far-off continent. Developing relevant skills and experience, receiving valuable mentoring and training as well as networking with potential future collaborators and colleagues inevitably means some degree of commitment to mobility.
To help those who are contemplating the prospect of ‘academic mobility’, I have compiled a list of resources below to help you to research and prepare for your next move, whether it’s a short-term local transition or something more international. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it contains links to articles, videos, blogs and books that may help you to feel more confident about making your next career move:
RESEARCH ON ACADEMIC MOBILITY
Foreign-born scientists: mobility patterns for 16 countries http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v30/n12/full/nbt.2449.html
Study on mobility patterns and career paths of EU researchers https://cdn5.euraxess.org/sites/default/files/policy_library/more_extra_eu_mobility_report_final_version.pdf
Motivations of international academic mobility: the perspective of university students and professors http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0102-46982016000300217&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en
Time to go? (Inter) national mobility and appointment success of young academics https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41464-016-0010-y
Global mobility: science on the move http://www.nature.com/news/global-mobility-science-on-the-move-1.11602
GENERAL AND ACADEMIC ARTICLES
Mobility: A strategic move https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7555-245a
Away from home: Why the postdoc phase is crucial http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2017/01/17/away-from-home-why-the-postdoc-phase-is-crucial/?WT.mc_id=TWT_NatureJobs
How to break cultural and language barriers down in the lab http://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i20/break-down-cultural-language-barriers.html
Crossing continents for your research career: A personal journey https://www.mendeley.com/careers/article/crossing-continents-for-your-research-career-a-personal-journey/
International academic mobility: Towards a concentration of the minds in Europe https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277615566_International_Academic_Mobility_Towards_a_Concentration_of_the_Minds_in_Europe
Moving to the US (podcast) http://media.nature.com/download/nature/podcast/naturejobs/naturejobs-2011-10-20-2.mp3
Fewer invited talks by women in evolutionary biology symposia http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jeb.12198/full
PERSONAL STORIES
An American postdoc abroad http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2014/01/american-postdoc-abroad
Sacrifices for science (podcast) http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2017/08/10/naturejobs-podcast-sacrifices-for-science/
Putting down roots (personal story – Natasha Reikhel) http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/45111/title/Putting-Down-Roots/
DUAL CAREERS
Negotiating the dual academic career deal (video) https://youtu.be/VGzSjA6dxAk
Dual career academic couples http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/working-in-higher-education/2083/dual-career-academic-couples
Dual-career couples (list of resources – USA) http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/?page=FamilyFriendly#Dual
Dual-career academics: the right start https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2012/07/27/getting-dual-career-academics-good-start-essay
Dual career academic couples: What universities need to know http://gender.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/DualCareerFinal_0.pdf
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Juggling the balls, having it all? Tips from a mother and part-time professor https://genderate.wordpress.com/2017/09/09/juggling-the-balls/
The price you will pay for work-life balance http://theprofessorisin.com/2013/06/07/the-price-you-will-pay-for-work-life-balance/
The life career rainbow (Super) https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCDV_95.htm
OTHER INFORMATION
Euraxess: Researchers in Motion https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/
The European Charter for researchers. The code of conduct for the recruitment of researchers https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/am509774cee_en_e4.pdf
Flexible working: Solo scientist https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7647-747a
Why building a start-up is probably your most sensible career path http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2016/09/05/why-building-a-start-up-is-probably-your-most-sensible-career-path/
The hidden costs of a career in scientific research http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2016/11/28/the-hidden-costs-of-a-career-in-scientific-research/?WT.mc_id=TWT_NatureJobs
Retirement: Dollars and sense https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7650-381a
Funding sources (scroll down list to find relevant information) http://biosciencecareers.org/career-links
Academic career paths worldwide https://www.eui.eu/ProgrammesAndFellowships/AcademicCareersObservatory/AcademicCareersbyCountry
Academic career maps in Europe http://www.leru.org/index.php/public/extra/careermapseurope
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Academic mobility, in Nina Maadad , Malcolm Tight (ed.) Academic Mobility (International Perspectives on Higher Education Research, Volume 11) Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.i
Lean In, 2015, Sheryl Sandberg
Women Don’t Ask, 2007, Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever
Professor Mommy – finding work-family balance in academia, 2014, Kristen Ghodsee.
Bon Voyage!