A career in academia

• Are you interested in pursuing an academic career? Are you looking to continue your academic journey by taking on other research positions and/or eventually becoming a lecturer or tenured professor? The academic job landscape is challenging: it is competitive, international and not always transparent. In order to find your way, preparation is key!
• Before you start searching for academic jobs, it might be good to consider what the life of an academic looks like. What are their main tasks and responsibilities? What is the future of an academic career?
  • Your supervisor or principal investigator are obvious sources of information on this, but you can also talk to other professors or postdocs in your network about what the job really entails. This information will help you decide whether this is a career choice you want to make and will help you pitch yourself credibly as part of the application process for academic jobs.
  • Make a list of things you appreciate about your job as a PhD or Postdoc and then think of the downsides. Look at how they compare and consider alternatives for the downsides you've listed.
  • Pros and cons of becoming a professor
    
    

If you've always worked as a researcher it can be a little bit daunting to consider other types of jobs and workplaces. Don't let that prevent you from exploring  options outside of academia.

Applying for grants

Ghent University Funding Academy

This office works as a one-stop-shop for all activities organised to inform, train, and advise researchers in developing grant proposals. Its overall aim is to make available existing expertise, level knowledge and skills for all researchers, and increase the quality of grant writing. 

• Ghent University Funding Academy website
• Read about Research and Internationalisation

Funding opportunities at Ghent University

• Funding opportunities per career stage and funding source
• All info about research, including funding
• Research funding for faculty and staff

Other funding opportunities

• Postdoctoral funding schemes in Europe, published by Science Europe.
• Euraxess job site (funded by the European Commission to foster mobility & career development of researchers in Europe) you can search for funding per career stage.

Applying for jobs

• PhD Talent Pool Flanders
• From PhD to Postdoc: postdoc positions
• From Postdoc to Professor: tenured positions
• Academic job postings by Euraxess
• Discipline-specific resources
• Further reading

Steps in the career cycle

“Science is not only a disciple of reason but also one of romance and passion.”  (Stephen Hawking)