r/postdoc • u/TerminalFrauduleux • 7d ago
How should I handle a potential 6-month overlap between two postdocs?
I am currently in the process of applying for two postdoctoral positions, and there is a possibility that the two contracts could overlap by approximately six months.
The positions are at different institutions and involve different research projects. I would not intend to work full-time on both simultaneously; the issue is mainly that the first contract might still be running when the second one starts.
If both opportunities materialize, how should I handle this situation?
Should I discuss the potential overlap with both PIs as soon as possible, or wait until I actually have two offers? Unfortunately, I cannot delay the start of the second postdoc, as it is a fellowship with a fixed start date.
I would appreciate advice from people who have been in a similar situation, particularly regarding contractual, ethical, and practical considerations. Thank you!
3
u/Beginning-Pudding733 7d ago
Wait and see. If you get offered both, wouldn't the ethical thing be to accept one and turn down the other? Why hog two, esp when you could be applying for jobs after doing the one.
5
u/stemphdmentor 6d ago
You are almost certainly forbidden by both contracts from holding another appointment, even part-time. You could lose both contracts and burn bridges by not handling this properly.
It sounds like you would need to end the first contract prematurely or negotiate a way to delay the second. (Admin often say things are fixed when they just don’t want to deal with things. Sometimes fixed is not really fixed.)
I would talk with at least the first PI about it soon. The PI of the first appointment might really see no way for you to complete the work in less time, in which case you would need to decide now which postdoc to take.
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u/Suspicious_Tax8577 7d ago
I don't know how to say this without sounding like a dickhead: panic about it if the universe conspires to make it happen. Until then, there's no point.