The concept of postdoctoral training came to science and engineering about a century ago. Since the 1960s, the performance of research in the United States has increasingly relied on these recent PhDs who work on a full-time, but on a temporary basis, to gain additional research experience in preparation for a professional research career. Such experiences are increasingly seen as central to careers in research, but for many, the postdoctoral experience falls short of expectations. Some postdocs indicate that they have not received the recognition, standing or compensation that is commensurate with their experience and skills. Is this the case? If so, how can the postdoctoral experience be enhanced for the over 40,000 individuals who hold these positions at university, government, and industry laboratories? This new book offers its assessment of the postdoctoral experience and provides principles, action points, and recommendations for enhancing that experience.
The definitive career guide for grad students, adjuncts, post-docs and anyone else eager to get tenure or turn their Ph.D. into their ideal job Each year tens of thousands of students will, after years of hard work and enormous amounts of money, earn their Ph.D. And each year only a small percentage of them will land a job that justifies and rewards their investment. For every comfortably tenured professor or well-paid former academic, there are countless underpaid and overworked adjuncts, and many more who simply give up in frustration. Those who do make it share an important asset that separates them from the pack: they have a plan. They understand exactly what they need to do to set themselves up for success. They know what really moves the needle in academic job searches, how to avoid the all-too-common mistakes that sink so many of their peers, and how to decide when to point their Ph.D. toward other, non-academic options. Karen Kelsky has made it her mission to help readers join the select few who get the most out of their Ph.D. As a former tenured professor and department head who oversaw numerous academic job searches, she knows from experience exactly what gets an academic applicant a job. And as the creator of the popular and widely respected advice site The Professor is In, she has helped countless Ph.D.’s turn themselves into stronger applicants and land their dream careers. Now, for the first time ever, Karen has poured all her best advice into a single handy guide that addresses the most important issues facing any Ph.D., including: -When, where, and what to publish -Writing a foolproof grant application -Cultivating references and crafting the perfect CV -Acing the job talk and campus interview -Avoiding the adjunct trap -Making the leap to nonacademic work, when the time is right The Professor Is In addresses all of these issues, and many more.
This study presents data from a survey of medical and other life sciences postdocs from major medical schools and science faculties at major universities in the USA, UK, Australia, Canada and Ireland. Postdocs in medicine and other life sciences give their opinions on what are the best universities to work for in the English-speaking world. The study surveys opinions on salaries and working conditions, tenure track and "superdoc" position prospects, and the overall quality of the postdoc experience in leading medical schools and life sciences faculties and major research universities. Postdocs present their opinions of postdoc career affairs offices, career counseling, information technology, opportunities to attend scientific conferences, mentoring services, grant search support, housing policies, assistance with visa/immigration issues and much more about their postdoc experience. Just a few of the report's many findings are that: *More than two thirds of survey participants said that their universities offered a postdoc affairs office.*The mean salary for all postdocs surveyed was $53,107; the median,$46,000.*Respondents felt they had the best prospects of obtaining permanent positions after serving as postdocs in the USA or Canada.*External funding accounted for 77.1% of the total compensation for female postdocs in the sample.*22.09% of all postdocs surveyed said that their institution offered "superdoc" positions, permanent staff positions similar to postdocs but with greater pay and stability. Males and females reported with nearly the same frequency that "superdoc" positions were available. *59.99% of postdocs outside of the USA and UK were satisfied with their current salaries, slightly higher than the 53.84% in the USA but much greater than 36.85% in the UK.*22.64% of respondents listed Naturejobs as a useful website for finding postdoc and other scientific job prospects, making it the most frequently used website among respondents. Some of the institutional affiliations of the postdocs interviewed were: Australian National University, Brown Medical School, Columbia University, Columbia University Medical Center,Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University College Dublin, University of Connecticut, University of Idaho, University of Leeds, Yale University
Provides a broad base of quantitative info. about U.S. science, engin., and technology. Because of the spread of scientific and tech. capabilities around the world, this report presents a significant amount of material about these internat. capabilities and analyzes the U.S. position in this broader context. Contains quantitative analyses of key aspects of the scope, quality, and vitality of the Nation¿s science and engineering (S&E) enterprise. It presents info. on science, math, and engineering. educ. at all levels; the S&E workforce; U.S. internat. R&D perform. and competitiveness in high tech.; and public attitudes and understanding of S&E. Also info. on state-level S&E indicators. Presents the key themes emerging from these analyses. Illus.
