I am an outgoing postdoc in the US who is switching gears a bit in my own research. I am in the biomedical field. In my tenure track interviews I presented where I would like to go with my research, because I had to present something, and I knew I needed to get out of what I had been doing because it was a dead end. I hadn’t really done the research necessary to know if it was feasible, but I had to sell something. I said I would apply for a specific grant by a specific date a few years away, and for that, there is a dataset I would need to already have. Sorry I am being so vague, but I have to. My area is niche. I have since come to find out that this data would be extremely difficult to collect. There are two schools who have offered good startup packages with comparable salaries. Uni A offers more start-up money overall but spread out over 5 years. It is also in a rural, conservative area and I would stand out ethnically and feel very uncomfortable that way. Uni B offers more money per year for fewer years In a large metropolitan area. It is a more supportive, giving me more time to do research.

I will be away from my wife and two children for the first year as assistant prof, as my child is going through medical treatments, and cannot do them anywhere else. My wife’s insurance covers them, and it was a hard-won battle with insurance to do so. They will join me once her treatment is done next year. This is quality of life improving, so we aren’t going to abandon it. Uni A is in the same state as my family and allows remote work on non-teaching days. Uni B is about a 7 hour drive away. I would see my family less. I already have a lot of regret missing out on their childhoods because of working and doing my PhD.

i had been thinking Uni A is the best for the family, but the teaching burden right off the bat is high. I wouldn’t have as much time to dedicate to research. I got a call today saying someone would facilitate my data collection, making it actually possible - but would be difficult- if I could afford it. I could at Uni B. Uni B means I would be away from my family. But I would not have to teach, so I could feasibly do my research.

Which job would you pick? I don’t want to regret losing a year with my family (more likely at Uni B), I don’t want to fail at my career (more likely at Uni A). Also, what if my research plan fails? I do have another direction I could go in, but what does that do to my career? My postdoc was kind of a dud. I conducted dead-end research and published, but barely saw my PI, who had a drinking problem.