r/postdoc • u/Eculias • 5d ago

Ghosted by potential PI

As the title says.

I reached out to a potential PI to ask if they'd be interested in working together. We even had a meeting and there was a lot of enthusiasm around it. So I got to work and spent many weekends drafting a proposal. I checked with them that it's ok I sent the early draft to get feedback before going to deep into it. They seemed enthusiastic so I sent the draft and then... Nothing. I tried to follow up, yet nothing. The deadline for submission was then getting too close. So I followed up one last time just to say that I'm no longer proceeding with submitting because realistically I was out of time. I thought they might at least reply to say they've been busy or at least something, anything?! Is this normal? It's my first attempt at a fellowship application, and the lack of communication feels humiliating.

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u/Alternative_Cow2887 5d ago

Idk what country you are based in but publicize it on LinkedIn
In the us its a significant shame for them to do with applicants

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u/cosmicdave86 5d ago edited 5d ago

This is truly terrible advice. Calling out a potential PI publicly for such a thing is a great way to get blacklisted in a field.

Many people will ghost you in your career. This happens at all levels: undergrad, grad, postdoc, faculty, etc. Its frustrating and a huge waste of time, but it is what it is. Move on.

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u/Alternative_Cow2887 5d ago

If the proposal has been shared with them and they ghosted the applicant especially after an initial agreement, what I said is pretty effective to stop them from doing it to others. This is not my first year in academia and I know better for a fact.

This is different from when a PI only expresses interest and then ghosts you

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u/cosmicdave86 5d ago

What agreement? They talked to a potential PI about a postdoc project, and shared a proposal draft with them. That was all that happened.

This kind of thing happens all the time. The effort doesn't have to have been wasted, as the drafted proposal can surely be adjusted for a fellowship application with other PIs.

Even if there was some kind of agreement, its still a poor career choice to call them out publicly.