“A chance to broaden my research experience”: Why an international postdoc can shape an academic career

An international postdoc gives early-career researchers the opportunity to broaden their expertise, build an international network and experience a leading research environment. Jingru Fu, a WASP PhD graduate from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, used the two-year WASP International Postdoctoral Scholarship to join Harvard Medical School in 2025 and take the next step towards an academic career.

Jingru Fu is one of the WASP PhD graduates who chose to continue in academia by applying for the two-year WASP International Postdoctoral Scholarship. She defended her PhD in January 2025 at the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems at KTH. Today, she works as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

What motivated you to apply for a WASP International Postdoctoral Scholarship? 

Throughout my PhD, I felt very fortunate to be part of the WASP community. WASP brings together researchers from across Sweden, and that network shaped how I think about collaboration. At the same time, I was aware that many excellent research groups sit outside Sweden, and WASP actively supports its PhD students in reaching them.

That is really where my story began. Through WASP’s support for research visits abroad, I spent five months in Boston in 2024 with the group that later became my postdoc group. During that stay, I completed a full project from start to finish. More importantly, the visit built a working relationship and a research foundation that we both wanted to continue. The WASP International Postdoctoral Scholarship was the natural way to turn that short visit into a longer collaboration.

Why do you think a postdoctoral position is a valuable next step after a PhD?

For me, a postdoc is a chance to broaden my research experience in a different environment, here at one of the world’s leading research institutions. Working alongside a new group exposes you to different questions, methods, and ways of thinking. It is also a time to build your own collaborations and network, which become very valuable later in your career (I believe), especially if you hope to lead your own research group one day.

What made you decide to spend time at a university abroad?

My visit in 2024 showed me how much I could grow by stepping outside my familiar environment. Boston has an exceptional concentration of expertise in medical imaging and neuroscience, and being there gave me access to data, methods, and people I could not easily find elsewhere. I also found that working in a different research culture sharpened my own perspective. I learned new approaches while bringing in what I had developed during my PhD in Sweden. Having already seen that the collaboration worked well, continuing abroad felt like the right step for both my research and my long-term career.

How did you encounter the team in Boston? Do you have any tips for WASP PhD students who are considering applying on how to reach out and find relevant partners?

I first met my current PI at a conference in 2023. We talked about our overlapping research interests, and that conversation eventually led to my research visit in 2024 and then to the postdoc.

My advice to WASP PhD students would be:

• Use conferences actively. Don’t just present your poster. Seek out the people whose work you admire, ask questions, and follow up afterward with a short email.
• Take advantage of WASP’s visiting opportunities. A short research stay is a low-risk way for both you and a host group to find out whether the collaboration works. In my case, it became the foundation for everything that followed.
• Aim for a concrete outcome. If you visit a group, try to complete a well-defined project. A tangible result makes it much easier to continue the collaboration and to write a strong scholarship application.
• Reach out early. Many PIs are open to hosting visitors, but it takes time to arrange funding and logistics. Start the conversation well before you plan to go.

Why an international postdoc can be an important next step

After completing their PhDs, WASP graduates can choose from a wide range of career paths, from positions at leading technology companies and in the public sector to academic research and, ultimately, a professorship. The WASP graduate school gives doctoral students a strong foundation for exploring these different paths.

Among WASP PhD graduates, 65 percent pursue careers in industry, 33 percent continue in academia, and 2 percent choose other paths. For researchers who want to deepen their expertise, expand their international network and keep the door to academia open, an international postdoctoral position can be an important next step.

About the WASP International Postdoc Scholarship

The WASP International Postdoctoral Scholarship enables WASP PhD students to develop their research, broaden their international experience and build collaborations at top universities globally. The scholarship follows the same criteria and conditions as other postdoc programmes awarded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Before applying, candidates must obtain a letter of invitation from a world-leading host researcher in a WASP-related field. The host department must also confirm that the position will be funded through a stipend.

Applications open on 16 October. The application deadline is 16 November.