Fact or fiction?

A n advert promoting the services offered by Naturejobs has provoked a certain amount of criticism. The ad, which shows fictional postdoc Dr Ramirez ‘searching’ for a job while enjoying a massage, has prompted real postdoc Maria Sideris to write in. Ramirez seems all too relaxed, she says. More importantly, how can an out-of-work postdoc afford a massage? Postdocs nowadays have student loans to pay off. And even when they secure a fellowship, they often have to live on a stipend lower than the entry-level salaries for graduates.