This just looks cool, in the bizarre and silly way I think some science should be done:
bq. A one-year post-doctoral position funded by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique is available in our research unit “Ecology &
Evolution” CNRS/ University Pierre & Marie CURIE (Paris 6).
In the context of growing urbanisation, understanding the functioning of natural populations inhabiting cities is required. The research project aims at identifying the particular selective pressures exerted by the urban environment, focusing on genetic and phenotypic differentiation of feral pigeons in relation to environmental factors. It is in line with an interdisciplinary project (more details in French at http://pigeons.u-psud.fr/ ).
The candidate will have strong interest and experience in evolutionary ecology, population genetics, ornithology, and/or GIS, and being able of strong autonomy, creativity, organisational and relational skills.
Contact Adrien Frantz at [email protected] for more
information and to apply (before 15 June 2009).
— Adrien FRANTZ Assistant Professor/Lecturer UMR 7625 “Ecologie et Evolution” Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Paris 6 7, quai Saint-Bernard Bât. A 7ème étage – Case 237 F-75252 Paris cedex 05 Tél: +33 (0)1 44 27 38 23 Fax: +33 (0)1 44 27 35 16 [email protected]
I hope Brian doesn’t pop over the channel for a holiday. He could find himself sampled.
Is there actually a law against doing two PhDs?
Only the law of Common Sense.
Getting multiple degrees of the same level is something creationists seem to like doing. I don’t understand it myself, but they obviously think it’s a good idea.
I might consider doing another undergrad degree, in a totally different subject (I always quite fancied archaeology), if I had nothing else to do and enough money that I didn’t have to work. Or maybe a Masters in science communication or something, under similar circumstances.
But another PhD? Nah. Masochism was never my thing…
I have two MSc degrees. It’s complicated. I did both at once, in almost similar (overlapping) programs. It only took about 6 months more, and it only ended up leading to two separate diplomas because of how the departments were arranged. Also, this was when Holland didn’t have BSc degrees and BSc/MSc were combined into one big thing that wasn’t quite MSc, but that’s what it says on the English version of the degree. Oh, right, I actually have four pieces of paper: each came in both a Dutch and English version. I tend to only use the one that says MSc in Chemistry in English. But if I was a doctor or psychiatrist in a Hollywood movie I would totally have all four framed on my office wall. Naturally.
That’s odd Cath, I’ve wondered about another undergrad degree maybe in archaeology (maybe philosophy). But PhD, no.
Funny, I was just reading in a French newsweekly about interesting new careers; one of them was “urban wildlife photographer” – the picture was of a person taking a photo of a large heron in Paris.
We have a feral cat in the neighborhood, but I never considered it as Ph.D. fodder.
Someone in France does, Heather! There are studies going on in both Lyon and Paris, in fact there seem to be studies into feral cat populations all over the world.
I can see the attraction of doing another masters degree, if one wants to move into a new area. But a PhD seems a bit much, unless it was a professional requirement (e.g. I don’t have a PhD in statistics, even though I work in academia in statistics. That might be a problem later). I guess if I decided I wanted to switch to Art History I might want to do a PhD.
bah. i hate pigeons. they used to leave presents all over my old car.
but i do wonder what kind of mutant pigeons we have in the city nowadays, i remember a pack of them used to get nice and fat hanging out by the neighbourhood mcdonald’s.
I agree with Cath, I cold maybe do another undergrad in a totally different subject (theater perhaps) but another Ph.D. probably not. Disclaimer: I am not finished my first Ph.D. yet, so I can’t say how I’d feel a few years after I’m out.
That would be this link … I vowed not only would I never do another Ph.D. (I got two diplomas for the same work, and that was bad enough) but I would also dissuade all but the most bull-headed from doing even one. There are so many other interesting ways of spending your life.
I think that having one (one!) Ph.D. is simply license to study whatever you want thereafter, in as much depth as you want. Should that be an in-depth study of trust economics or the Khoesan languages, I have the hubris to think I could seek out pretty much as much scholarship as I would be able to assimilate, and bother specialists should I need to. Of course that impression is because I have ties to universities.
It is often easier to get funding as a PhD student (relatively speaking). It is one of the reasons why people ‘decide’ to stay in the position of PhD student in Finland, leading to the situation where you can find people who have been PhD student for more than 10 years.
And it is not that these people are bad researchers or don’t have publications. They often have excellent publications!
From this perspective you could almost have the frivolous thought to do two PhDs. Especially since PhD student status usually with a ‘job security’ of 4 years, compared to 2-3 years for a postdoc.
It wouldn’t be my personal choice though. I love being a postdoc.