Mentoring
- Onboarding tips for new postdocs
- Postdoc mentoring guidelines – for the mentor and the postdoc
- Postdoctoral Affairs Office – professional development and career resources
- Monday Motivator – weekly email with productivity tip: free sign-up
Teaching
- Teaching policies
- Policy on grades – for undergraduate courses
- Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL)
- Additional teaching resources
Teaching observations
Each semester, please ask your research mentor (preferred) or else course supervisor or another faculty member to observe one of your classes. These visits serve two purposes: 1) the observer can provide feedback and suggestions for improving your teaching success and enjoyment, 2) the observer can contribute material toward a “teaching letter”.
Teaching letters
After each teaching observation, the observer should send whatever notes they feel will be useful to the Associate Chair for Faculty. These notes will be shared with the Associate Chair for Instruction, who uses them along with ICES data and other information supplied by the postdoc to prepare a teaching letter for use in academic job applications. Note: the Associate Chairs are not responsible for conducting the teaching observations.
Travel grant
- AMS-Simons Travel grant (February) – 2-year travel grant, PhD received within last four years
Postdoctoral Fellowships
- NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships (October) – 1st and 2nd year postdocs can apply. US only.
- NSF-LEAPS (January) – to launch the careers of pre-tenure faculty at minority-serving institutions (MSIs), predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs), and Carnegie Research 2 (R2) universities. Finishing postdocs or graduate students can apply.
- NRC Research Associateships (February, May, August, November) – research postdocs at participating government agencies. NIST and many other agencies have projects suitable for mathematicians. Search the list for project titles of interest.
Career planning
What kind of career are you aiming for? The Graduate College Career Development office works with postdocs and offers free resources and consultations. Sign up for their GradLinks mailing list to be notified of career development workshops for resume writing, interviewing, and more, for both academic and industry jobs.
Academic careers
- Early Career section of AMS Notices (e.g. great article on preparing talks)
- Project NExT (October and April) – for new or recent PhD’s, teaching-focused
Industry and government careers
- BIG Math Network – panel discussions and career change articles
- BIG Jobs Guide – career guide for mathematical scientists
- Handshake @ Illinois – career fairs, recruiter visits, job listings
Discuss your industry or government career goals with Richard Laugesen, preferably before the final year of your position.