The lab-related factors are:

1. Size of the lab: If you are among 10 or more other postdocs, life could be tough especially if the PI is a big shot and doesn’t have the time to provide adequate individual attention to each member of the lab. As a postdoc, you are expected to evolve fairly quickly to a stage where you can function independently and do not need supervision on a day-to-day basis. You may also need to draw heavily on the skills and the general research strategies that you learnt during your graduate years to find your way about the issues that you face in your research effort everyday.

2. Qualifications of the PI: If the PI is a clinician, chances are that s/he will spend considerable amount of time outside the lab attending to patients or teaching. You may perhaps see the PI once in a while and then may not get the full time to discuss your project completely. In addition, it is also likely that as a clinician, the PI may not have the adequate research background to fully trouble-shoot your problems. In such cases, you will most likely collaborate with a more “research-oriented” lab and depend on it for assistance.

3. Nature of the research project: It is generally more practical to work on projects jointly with other members of the laboratory especially if you are venturing into an area of research that requires new systems and new approaches. It may seem facile to apply concepts that you used earlier, but it takes more work and more time to do everything on your own. Remember that the first 2-3 years of a postdoc are the most sensitive and important years of your research career. You will be weighed only in terms of your productivity during these years, and it would serve you well if you had at least two to three first-author papers during this time. If you have to work alone on a project, it would make you life much easier if there has been at least some amount of basic ground-work done by a former member of the lab, so you don’t have to start from scratch. If you are a foreign worker, you may also be under pressure to produce good publications, especially if you intend to immigrate and need to show proof to the immigration authorities of your special skills and competence towards an important area of research.

Some of the factors outside of the lab that are important are:

1. Cost of living: As a first postdoc you may get an annual stipend that varies from $25,000 to 30,000 pa. If you are living in a big city e.g., New York, chances are that a major chunk of your hard-earned money will go into the pockets of your landlord. Life could be especially hard if the University does not provide affordable on-campus housing. This will force you to find your own private accommodation - which may be far from your place of work - and place the additional burden of having to learn to drive within months of arriving and of buying a car with your meager savings although places like Boston, NYC and others do have a good public transport system.

2. If you are arriving with a spouse or family, this could stretch your wallet even more, unless of course, another family member is able to find work. If your spouse does accompany you and has the appropriate education, it is best that s/he get her own independent visa, for example, by getting sponsorship from an employer. Switching from a dependent visa to a work visa can be difficult and time consuming.

To be continued...