I am a novice postdoc, and 2010 has already brought about a number of changes. I have decided that in order to fully understand the molecular basis of learning and memory, I must combine theory and experiments. I have therefore left the familiar territory of pure computational modelling to learn the wet-lab techniques of experimental cell biology and biochemistry. My training has taken me to Japan, where I'm in the middle of a visiting fellowship. After this, I'll assume a postdoc position in the United States. I have no way of knowing whether these are the right decisions, whether this year will be good or bad, whether I will manage, and how this will affect my future. My first four months in Tokyo have been frustrating: sometimes I feel as though I'm quite far from truly grasping anything at all.

In Cambridge, UK, where I did my PhD, there is a series of rowing races called 'The Bumps'. The river is too narrow for a parallel race, so instead the boats chase each other in single file. The aim is, literally, to bump into the boat ahead of you; you lose if the boat behind you bumps into yours. A rower is considered a novice until they have done the Bumps.

So, what is the rule for postdocs? What does it take to move from novice postdoc to mature scientist? How many races will I run? How many times will I struggle to stay ahead of others, or to catch up? How many crashes will there be, how many victories, how many defeats? I will just have to go and out and see. I only hope that someone will occasionally throw me a lifebuoy.