Potential advisor - assistant professor 2 years out of grad school?

[AnthroPerson]

Hey folks,

I'm a long time lurker who finally made a profile (I've been afraid of getting sucked into the place because I remember how badly CollegeConfidential scared me as a high schooler, but I've only found genuinely useful stuff on here so may as well, right?)

So here's the question I joined specifically to ask:

I'm applying to Anthropology PhD programs, but I'm behind the curve and haven't reached out to all potential advisors yet. There is one in particular I'm not sure I should email. She's an assistant professor in a top program, but I know she's only about 2 years out of grad school - I actually went to her defense. She went to school at my undergrad institution, and was my TA for a class I took freshman year, although I doubt she'd remember me. It was a big class and I didn't talk much as a lowly freshman. Anyway, I'm not sure if someone as new as her would even take grad students, and I don't want to ask a dumb question because, frankly, I don't want to make an ass of myself. We have a lot of mutual friends in our old department, she's worked at the sites where I have worked, etc., which makes her more of a "real" person in my mind. I know, I know, that makes no sense.

BUT anyhow, tl;dr: should I even both to ask a newly minted PhD/assistant professor if she's taking grad students? Or is it too early in her career for that?

[Chai_latte]

I mean, you can ask. If she's TT, I don't see why she wouldn't accept students.

Personally, I'd prefer a more established prof.

Plus, you haven't mentioned if her research interests mesh with your own. That's far more important than having mutual friends/working at the same sites.

Anytime you sign up for a brand new advisor, you're taking a risk. She may not get tenure OR she could become one of the absolute best in your field...you don't know yet.

[TakeruK]

Regarding whether or not new faculty would take students, it really depends on the field. In my field, it's often the case that new faculty will take on a lot of students. The assistant profs are very busy and they want / need to do as much work as possible in order to produce science that will get them tenure. So, they are looking for lots of students to get all this work done! In addition, advising students often helps you get tenure, so they want to increase that count as well. And, taking on students is a little risky for profs -- what if they don't end up finishing? I think a newer prof, who might not have as much experience supervising students might want to "diversify their portfolio" by mentoring several students at once.

However, this is balanced by the school/department funding -- newer profs might have a harder time securing funding to pay for graduate students. But if they are a prof at a top program, they are probably both a good researcher (but not necessarily a good advisor) and have access to funding/facilities.

I would say it's definitely a case-by-case basis whether or not it's a good idea to choose a brand new advisor (lots of threads here debating the pros and cons). But if you say this person is just 2 years removed from grad school, then it's likely they spent the last 2 years doing a post-doc (really uncommon to get a tenure track position right out of PhD?) And most "tenure review periods" are about 5-7 years, so if you start next year, you will have a good chance to finish around the time they are under review for tenure.

[kaister]

I'm applying to work with someone who just recently became a prof at their university. While I think it's true there are pros and cons, it ultimately should depend on your fit with their research. I personally find newer profs easier to talk and relate to. They're usually a lot more helpful too (mostly because they're eager to settle into their new position and not jaded by the years of work). That's not to say tenured professors aren't helpful or easy to relate to, there are plenty of those too (which I can say from experience). Anyways, from my experience, new profs are pretty great. Especially since you know this person from previous connections, it sounds promising, just contact her and ask! Many new profs take on students early on, though most cases not the first year. Again, ask!

[iowaguy]

One advantage of working with a "young professor," assuming your research interests mesh, is that they are motivated to publish big time in the years leading up to their tenure review. This could potentially get your name on more pubs as a co-author with them, if that's important to your career goals...

[Eigen]

I work for a young (pre-tenure) professor, and I really like it. As mentioned, he's more in touch with the job market, the realities of graduate school, the high importance of networking, and he's very motivated to publish.

There are some negatives (less established funding, potential to not get tenure, lack of name recognition), but it really just depends on your fit with them, and what you're looking for in a mentor.

[juilletmercredi]

My primary advisor was just three years into his job at my university when I started working with him. He went straight from college to grad school, did one year of a postdoc and then started here, so he was four years out of grad school. I LOVE him. He's great to work for. He's closer to the market so he knows what's necessary to get me a job, and he remembers graduate school so he's realistic about the amount of work I can get done in a certain amount of time. He's an absolutely fantastic mentor - I know I'll always remember him as the person who shaped the beginning of my research life in a good way. He's also very motivated to publish because he's up for tenure this year. But my timing was perfect - in the (unlikely, I think) event that he doesn't get tenure, I'll be pretty much done with my dissertation anyway.

I'll also mention that because I'm in an interdisciplinary program, I have two advisors. My other advisor is a full professor who has made a name for himself in my field (to the point that when I go to my field's big national conference, people know what research I do when I mention his name). I think that if you do have a brand-new assistant prof as an advisor, it's also good to have another established professor as an advisor, too. I also have an associate prof as an informal mentor, so I kind of run the gamut, lol!

I think a lot of things come into play.

1. What does the rest of the department think about this assistant professor? Is he or she productive? Does the department think highly of him or her? That can speak to how much research you can get done and whether or not they are likely to get tenure.

2. Is this person too busy to take you as a mentee?

3. Are they actually going to mentor you and not just use you as a research grunt? I definitely help my advisor get out papers, grants, and other stuff - but he is a mentor to me first and foremost, and I don't feel forced to do anything I don't want to do. His primary goal in our relationship is my development as a student. You want a mentor that is at least as invested in your development as they are in your productivity for them.

4. How is their progression going to mesh with yours? If you are planning to go to Harvard (where the tenure rate of new assistant profs is low) and want to work with an assistant prof in his fifth year, that may not be such a great idea. If he doesn't get tenure, you may only be 2-3 years into your program and then your professor leaves. But first year assistant professors aren't necessarily a great idea either, because they are still figuring out their departments and their own research. You don't want to be learning the ropes together.

5. In the event that this person DOES unexpectedly leave before you are finished, how are you going to manage that? Are there other professors who can mentor you and serve as a dissertation sponsor to you? Will you move with that person, or stay put? It seems odd to think about but my mentor and I have discussed what we would do if he left! (That's how awesome he is.) I think these are things to think about regardless of whether your professor is tenured or not, because even tenured professors get sick, have children, have elderly parents and relatives, die, get poached or just decide to do something else. We had a famous and well-established tenured professor who got his doctoral degree here leave for the West Coast last year, and I don't think people saw it coming.