Do You Have To Do Postdoc Research To Become A Math Or Engineering Professor

How does one become a professor in mathematics?

This is for the US:Study mathematics as an undergraduate. This can be done at almost any US academic institution. Ideally, you’ll start in Calc I in your first semester (or further), but I’ve seen students start in precalculus and finish in four yearsWork hard and get good grades, especially in analysis coursesIf at all possible, get an REU (research experience as an undergraduate); these are outlined elsewhere on Quora, and will give you some basic research experienceIf possible, work with a professor on research and/or complete a senior thesisShoot for a GPA > 3.5The summer before your last year of college, prep for the GRE, and take it in the summer or early, early, early fallAlso that summer, research graduate schools, although at this point, you should be getting advice from your undergrad faculty advisorIn the fall of your last year of college, apply to a few PhD programs (if you aren’t ready for a PhD, you can do an MA/MS first); in CS, I recommend two “reach” schools, two good target schools, and two less competitive programsIf you don’t get admitted, don’t sweat it; many people do an MA in mathematics first, or instead of, although you typically can’t be a tenure-track professor (except at a community college) without a PhDEarn your PhD (this is large, complex, covered elsewhere, and out of scope here)Get a faculty jobFaculty jobs in mathematics are competitive, but there are other employment avenues. Most faculty are not in tenure-track positions at research universities, and at some point in your PhD career, you should get a sense of whether or not you are competitive for such a position. I’m not and not disappointed; I teach more than I research and love teaching more than I love research, so I get the right balance. There are tenure-track and non-tenure-track positions at all levels of institution, and non-tenure-track positions at research universities, and people like them.Good luck!

How does one become a professor at universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, and MIT? What is the selection process?

It is pretty straight forward. You must go to one of these schools (at least in the top 15ish league) for undergrad, not a complete requirement but it helps later on. Then you go right to a PhD at one of these top places. Most likely you go to the place with the best name that is also the best in your field. Then you either do a postdoc at a different top place or go right to the tenure track job market.So basically, you just need to be the best at what you do, work harder than everyone else because you love what you are doing, and then just apply for the job.I was on this route (PhD Princeton, postdoc Caltech) but did not have the passion for my field anymore so I left my postdoc with a little over a year left to do and took a job in industry. I have friends who are professors at top places and they are not magic creatures or anything. It is just another job that you need the right training for. Admittedly, you probably need to be the type of person who has always been near the top of everything you have ever done. The list of most important details necessary for this are:1. Get into the right PhD program (ie at a top name school no matter what people tell you the name matters)2. Pick an advisor who you get along with who has a lot of friends3. Pass quals/generals4. Write at least one paper in a hot field5. Don't be afraid to be confident and sell your self6. Do a postdoc, it will help in the transition, help you get a better job, delay the tenure clock, expose you to new people, etc. 7. Don't try to win a Nobel prize, just write a paper with some meat that you can talk about repeatedly. Also start small and focused, it will turn into something bigger. If you start too big it may never turn into something. At least with something small, you have something to say rather than "it will be great once I get some results."Tenure is a different story...

How do I become a professor of mathematics & philosophy at a respected university?

How old are you? Where are you in your chosen path to date?Generally speaking, to earn a professorship you need to have a track record in your subject; first, the preceding qualifications, then the record of publication, so that you have status in the field.It has often been suggested that, as a mathematician, if you haven't published your 'big idea' or 'breakthrough' by the time you're 28, then you are probably past it. Bear this in mind.Final thought; each of the things you mention is a specialisation in itself, though most are focussed around philosophy. IMO it is preferable to be a mathematician who becomes a philosopher than the other way around. Most of the significant philosophers are either brilliant about language or brilliant about maths, occasionally both. Certainly, as a philosopher, I felt my lack of experience in advanced mathematics held me back.

Is it better to go for a postdoc or an assistant professor position when you are done with a doctoral program?

Tricky question!First, not all Assistant Prof positions are tenure-track (especially in Mathematics), but most include teaching. Assistant Prof positions often do not entail an active mentor, but postdoc positions do. So, if you believe you will develop more impressive research results as a postdoc (at a comparable university), that may be the better option.Several schools, like Stanford, have Research Professors - a separate track from Teaching Professors. This is probably better than a postdoc at the same school, since a postdoc is expected to eventually leave, while a research professor may end up staying. However, very few Research Professors become Teaching Professors.If you are offered a postdoc in a very strong group, this may be preferable to an Assistant Prof position at a much weaker university (especially those below your threshold), in the hope to improve your research portfolio. This may be particularly critical in life sciences (not sure).The wording of your question can be interpreted as "Is it better to apply for a postdoc or an assistant professor position" ? If you are confident in your research, then apply for both kinds of positions (postdoc applications are typically sent to individual professors, so won't mix with tenure-track applications). If you think your research can become stronger after a year of working as a postdoc, then go for a postdoc.If you have some visibility into how the job market may change next year, this may affect your decision. In the US, I don't expect significant changes, maybe some increase in the number of positions, but smaller countries, provinces and territories sometimes have significant swings in hiring (Taiwan and the province of Ontario in Canada had limited-duration programs to hire more engineering professors, so when those stopped, the hiring slowed down).Hope this helps.

Is working as a post-doc always mandatory before one can get a faculty position, particularly for PhD students from psychology?

The general rule of thumb is that a successful post-doc dramatically improves the competitiveness of your faculty application. So this means that you could get a faculty job without a post-doc but if there are applicants with equally good graduate school credentials, and an awesome post-doc that they will get the job over you. A successful post-doc is seen as very positive for several reasons: More research context than just 1 labOften more independent research (i.e. in charge of creating the goals)Often more experience mentoring undergrads and new grads Several write and win grants during the post-docFinally, it is not necessary in many fields, and in fact in some it is rare (such as the business disciplines and economics). However, the harsh reality is that the more competitive the field, the more necessary it is becoming. The biological sciences for example on average have a severs supply shortage of academic jobs in comparison to labor supply. Therefor post-docs are absolutely necessary. However other fields are half-way (you can get a great academic job from just the PhD though uncommon) such as Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, and some others. Keep in mind that post-docs and the amount of time spent in them is increasing with time, pretty much only because of competition, chech out this article: The future of the postdoc