My journey 03

Postdoctoral Research: A Step Beyond the PhD

After completing my PhD, I followed the traditional academic path by taking on a postdoctoral research position, commonly known as a “postdoc.” A postdoc is a job where we apply the expertise gained during our PhD. As postdocs, we design studies, submit grant proposals, mentor junior researchers, and often take on teaching responsibilities. In many ways, it’s like being an underpaid professor—but the reality of a postdoc varies greatly depending on the country, institution, and supervisor.

Postdoc experiences can differ drastically. Some offer room for growth and exploration, while others are more constrained. Unfortunately, my experiences fell more into the latter category. My path was largely predetermined in both of my postdoc positions, leaving me creatively stifled. This lack of autonomy and some toxic aspects of academic culture played a significant role in my decision to eventually pivot away from traditional academia. However, I did experience exponential growth in terms of writing skills and engagement with research subjects beyond neurodevelopment.

The Political Scenario and Its Impact

The timing of my postdoc didn’t help either. I held a position at the Center for Mathematics, Computation, and Cognition at the Federal University of ABC during a period of political instability in Brazil. It was a turbulent time for anyone pursuing an academic career, and political changes made research funding increasingly uncertain, adding another layer of stress to an already challenging environment.

Building Skills and Collaborations

Despite these challenges, my postdoc experience had its positives. I had the opportunity to refine key technical skills, especially in statistical analysis and writing. I also taught neuroscience to mental health professionals specializing in children’s psychiatry, including doctors and psychologists. During this period, I contributed to several published articles, most focusing on functional imaging, a technique I became familiar with even though it wasn’t my cup of tea.

Collaboration was a major highlight. Working with various research groups expanded my network and led to interdisciplinary projects. However, not all our analysis results were published, which is still a source of frustration for me.

Achievements

During my postdoc, I co-supervised a PhD study, which led to the publication of three articles:1,2,3

I also collaborated closely with another PhD student, resulting in another published article. I contributed to 12 other articles and engaged in several additional collaborations.

My Second Postdoc Experience: A New Focus

During my second postdoc, I received a National Institute of Health (NIH) scholarship to conduct a narrative review on diffusion imaging for stroke at the Neurostimulation Laboratory in the Clinical Division of the Department of Neurology at the USP School of Medicine. I also closely followed the lab’s work on deep brain stimulation (DBS) for stroke-recovering patients. This was a new experience, as my previous research focused on observational studies. Within a few months, this work culminated in a published review.

Teaching and Leadership in Clinical Radiology

In parallel with my postdoctoral work, I collaborated with the postgraduate program in Clinical Radiology at the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at Unifesp. For six months, I became an official collaborating professor and advisor, supervising students and supporting their research. However, when I officially joined the program as a supervisor, significant cuts to research funding, particularly for federal universities, made it clear that it was time for a career change. I decided to transition to research in a private hospital.

Joining the Department of Radiology introduced me to new challenges, including different statistical approaches and research requirements. I found myself once again out of my comfort zone, adapting to new academic and professional landscapes. I was responsible for organizing and teaching the Science Methodology Course for graduate students and a hands-on Tract-Based Spatial Statistics Course.

New Technical Skills

• Functional Imaging: Developing expertise in functional imaging techniques through applied research.
• Neuroscience Teaching: Teaching neuroscience to mental health professionals, including doctors and psychologists.
• Neuroimaging and Science Methodology: Instructing graduate students on scientific methodology and neuroimaging techniques, focusing on tract-based spatial statistics.
• Brain Abnormalities Research: Investigating psychiatric disorders (e.g., OCD, psychosis, schizophrenia, ADHD), neurological diseases (e.g., ALS, stroke, spinocerebellar ataxia, restless legs syndrome), and Williams Syndrome.

New Soft Skills

• Mentoring: Co-supervising PhD studies, guiding junior researchers, and contributing to published work.
• Study Design: Designing studies for neurological investigation in close collaboration with statisticians.
• Leadership and Teaching: Organizing and leading methodology courses and hands-on neuroimaging workshops for graduate students.