You're Hired! Now What? - Softcover

Noor, Mohamed A. F.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0878939636 ISBN 13: 9780878939633

Publisher: Sinauer Associates is an imprint of Oxford University Press, 2012

Synopsis

You're Hired! Now What? is a short, conversationally written handbook describing challenges and specific strategies to get ahead (or at least get by) in an academic setting. New college faculty are well-versed in the scientific skills they'll need for success in research, including design of projects, preparation of manuscripts and grant proposals, and interactions during peer review. Yet typically they receive no training in organization, management, or even basic college structure. This book is an attempt to begin to fill this void, presenting thoughts and advice intended as a starting point for thinking about problems faced by new faculty.

About this title

About the Author:

Mohamed Noor is the Earl D. McLean Professor and Associate Chair of Biology at Duke University. Having earned his Ph.D. (Ecology and Evolution) in 1996 from the University of Chicago, he did postdoctoral work at Cornell. He joined the Department of Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University in 1998 as an Assistant Professor and held an adjunct appointment in Womenâ$e s and Gender Studies. In 2005, he joined the faculty at Duke. Supported from the outset of his career with continuous NSF and/or NIH funding, his research in evolutionary genetics focuses on the formation of new species and molecular evolution. Dr. Noor has received numerous research-related awards, including the prestigious Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnean Society of London. He is currently President of the American Genetic Association (2012) and has served in an editorial capacity for nine different journals. At Duke, he is Chair of the University Provost's Advisory Committee on Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure. Despite these commitments, Dr. Noor is a tireless advocate and mentor for his students and lab members. In 2010, he received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring. Having negotiated his own balance between personal life (he is married with two school-age children) and the myriad responsibilities of a faculty position, he offers in this reader-friendly handbook invaluable experience and insights for new faculty.

Review:

"In this guide, Noor, a distinguished teacher, researcher, and mentor in his own right, hones in on exactly what busy new science faculty need to know in their first year on the job. The book is short (96 pages), and a quick read. The layout of each chapter is easy on the eyes with multiple subtitles, lists of key points, and key ideas in each paragraph highlighted and bolded. [This volume offers] solid, just-in-time strategies and practices extensively tested through the author's personal experience and mentoring of new faculty. You're Hired! Now What? is the perfect getting started manual for STEM graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and new faculty."
--Mary Deane Sorcinelli, The Quarterly Review of Biology

"Expectations in academic positions range from a focus almost entirely on research to exclusively teaching, with virtually every possible combination in between. Regardless of the type of position one ultimately accepts, the first few months and years are likely similar. Managing time and juggling numerous new responsibilities takes on new meaning. You're Hired! Now What? attempts to tackle some of these issues. Although not exhaustive (which this book is not intended to be), I found the book very informative and have begun implementing some of the suggested strategies myself. This book has forced me to re-evaluate how I approach several facets of my job. In all, I feel this book should find a place on the bookshelf of all faculty (new and seasoned). Furthermore, this book could serve as a useful complement to any faculty preparation course, but particularly those in the sciences."
--Matthew E. Gifford, Ecology

"Not every conservation biologist goes into academia, but for those who recently have this book will flatten your learning curve."
--Conservation Biology

"Reading this book feels much like having a friendly faculty mentor answering your initial questions about the myriad responsibilities of a new professor."
--Jamie Schwendinger-Schreck, Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine

About this edition

• Publisher: Sinauer Associates is an imprint of Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0878939636
• ISBN 13: 9780878939633
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 96