The Rise of the Post-Post-Postdoc

By Sydni Dunn - Chronicle Vitae. When Lisa-Marie Shillito completed her Ph.D. at the University of Reading in 2008, a postdoctoral fellowship seemed like the obvious next step. Shillito, an interdisciplinary scholar in chemistry and archeology, knew she wanted to land a tenure-track university job one day, and the postdoc offered the promise of building her CV while giving her additional experience as a researcher and teacher. But that first postdoctoral position led to another. And then another. Now, six years removed from her doctoral program and nearing the end of her third fellowship, Shillito is hopeful that her multiple postdocs will help—not hinder—her chances of finally landing a full-time job. See more...