An Individual Development Plan, or IDP, is a written plan for goals and actions for
the next year. Like a personal strategic plan, an IDP helps early-career researchers
set long- and short-term goals and establish an action plan for achieving these goals.
By writing down the plan and revisiting it annually, trainees are more likely to accomplish
those goals and tend to have greater success and satisfaction
[1]. Completing an IDP can also foster communication and feedback between trainees and
mentors, as well as assist trainees in carving out time for career exploration, professional
development, and work-life balance.
The IDP was first adapted for use with postdocs by
FASEB. Use of the IDP is a practice recommended by the
National Postdoctoral Association and has recently been mandated for all trainees supported by grants from the
National Institutes of Health. The original
FASEB IDP template has been adapted in many ways over the years. The most widely-used version is
myIDP, an interactive online tool for scientists hosted by the AAAS at ScienceCareers.org. It
has now been joined by a tool for Chemists called
chemIDP.org and a tool for the Humanities and Social Sciences called
ImaginePhD.com. Many institutions, like Stony Brook, are also developing their own local resources
and procedures to support trainee IDP development on their campuses.
[1] IDPs are part of the structured oversight found to correlate with increased success
and satisfaction in the Sigma Xi postdoc survey. Davis, G. 2009. “Improving the Postdoctoral
Experience: An Empirical Approach.” In R. Freeman & D. Goroff (Eds.). Science and
Engineering Careers in the United States. Chicago: NBER/University of Chicago Press,
100.