An Industrial Postdoc straddles business and research
With one foot in the research environment and the other foot in a commercial environment, an industrial postdoc becomes well-prepared for interesting career opportunities
What is an Industrial Postdoc and how does one go about landing such a position? A good way to learn this is by example so Industrial Postdoc Anders Vendelboe from JORD was invited to give a short talk about the subject at the junior VIP meeting held in Foulum 21 September 2015 (read more about the junior VIP meeting here).
Anders Vendelboe, the only Industrial Postdoc in AGRO, has partnered with the commercial company Sorbisense to develop a product that can monitor water quality in real time. Sorbisense benefits from obtaining research-based documentation of its project while Anders benefits by learning more about the mindset of a commercial company – aside from being ensured financing for his research.
- Working as an Industrial Postdoc forces you to think about your research in a broader context. You have to consider whether it has an impact on the economy, environment or productivity, and how it can be applied, Anders said at the meeting.
He also mentioned that it gives you a broader professional contact, helps you to understand the challenges facing the industry, strengthens your profile, and gives you an idea of regular work life outside the research environment. Who could ask for more? Well, in addition, Anders said it was very satisfying to see your research results in action and watch them become a commercial product.
The present rules for the scheme mean that the commercial company applies for funding from Innovation Fund Denmark and employs the scientist.
Anders had several tips to keep in mind when preparing a Industrial Postdoc proposal:
- You need a clear, market-oriented idea.
- You must write a short but highly focused application.
- You must be aware of whether you and the company speak the same language (i.e. business or science).
- You must find out what each other’s expectations are, for example you may be interested in publications while the company is more interested in developing a commercial product.
- You must be clear about whether you are permitted to publish everything – including negative results.
- You must be clear about intellectual property rights (IPR).
Read more about the Industrial Postdoc scheme here. The next deadline for application is 11 January 2016.