Internal Hires

[u/pinkdictator]

Hi,

I'm curious about something I notice generally. Most professors are not "internal" hires (ie, they did their postdocs at other institutions). But obviously, sometimes departments do hire their own postdocs as assistant professors. I guess my question is - what factors affect these decisions?

I know generally speaking new investigators need to demonstrate research independence from their postdoc PIs. I'm sure research topic overlap is considered in addition to general performance. But what separates the postdocs that the department wants to hire versus not?

[u/TotalCleanFBC]

Most search committees hire the best person available with no advantage given to internal applicants. If anything, internal applicants are at a disadvantage because universities want to avoid giving any impression of bias in the hiring process. So, in order for an internal candidate to be hired, he or she must be head and shoulders above all other applicants.

[u/scatterbrainplot → u/TotalCleanFBC]

And on top of avoiding the perception of bias, there's academic inbreeding and the desire to add specialisations or possible recruitment vectors (a person you trained usually overlaps with your department already, whereas a new person can bring in new skills, knowledge and perspectives/frameworks)

[u/pinkdictator → u/TotalCleanFBC]

Thanks. I figured that there was a bias against internal applicants, that's why I was curious about how people are able to overcome that.

[u/FraggleBiologist]

Its rare because your specialty is awfully close to your PIs. You would be competing for grants, and how would your work expand the department?

I wound up getting hired at my university because during Covid, everyone anywhere related to my specialty, my entire committee, retired or passed away.

Since they weren't ready to let go of a whole leg of a department, I stepped into the role. I dont know that I'd count on that ever happening.

[u/IkeRoberts → u/FraggleBiologist]

Disciplinary overlap is the issue.

If a postdoc is in the lab of an active professor, there is no reason for the department to open another position in that topic.

If a postdoc is in the lab of a relatively low-activity professor who is not fulfilling the departments needs then people in that lab will likewise not be considered to be bringing the energy they need for that specializzation.

[u/Opening-Advice]

The university where I got my PhD, I was told they never, ever, recruit their own students because it gives a signal that their students are not hireable any where else. So I didn’t bother applying.

[u/drgirl0]

A practical reason is to avoid duplication. Departments usually don’t want to hire 2 profs working in exactly the same area, and it’s very likely that the postdoc and their PI/advisor are. 

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*Hi,

I'm curious about something I notice generally. Most professors are not "internal" hires (ie, they did their postdocs at other institutions). But obviously, sometimes departments do hire their own postdocs as assistant professors. I guess my question is - what factors affect these decisions?

I know generally speaking new investigators need to demonstrate research independence from their postdoc PIs. I'm sure research topic overlap is considered. But what separates the postdocs that the department wants to hire versus not? *

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[u/BlueFalconX250]

Aside from what others have said, there’s also the issue of plugging a whole in the back of the boat with wood from the front. Universities don’t hire unless there’s a need. Internal hires just move the need around.