Trends in the Early Careers of Life Scientists (1998) / Chapter Skim
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Chapter 3 Early-Career Employment Profiles of Life-Science PhDs
Chapter 3 Early-Career Employment Profiles of Life-Science PhDs
Pages 33-48
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From page 33... ...
Some of the latter felt that they had been misled by their mentors, who had conveyed an unrealistically optimistic view of the chances of obtaining faculty positions at major research universities. One explanation for the misinformation is that employment prospects in the life sciences have changed substantially over the last 2 decades, opportunities available to PhD recipients and postdoctoral scientists in the 1990s are different from when their mentors completed graduate training.
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From page 34... ...
The committee urges prospective students and postdoctoral fellows to seek detailed career information from the programs that they are considering and to compare this information with the national data presented in this chapter. FACULTY POSITIONS The most important change in the career patterns of life-science PhDs in the 22-year period was a steady decrease in the fraction holding tenure-track faculty positions.
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From page 35... ...
EMPLOYMENT IN GOVERNMENT A modest decline was also observed in the fraction of life-science PhD recipients employed in national laboratories and other federal, state, and local government positions. in 1995, only Il% of the 9-10-year cohort held government jobs, compared with 14% 22 years earlier (see figure 3.2~.
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From page 36... ...
Various alternative career opportunities (not involving research) might be available, but they are unlikely to be attractive to most young scientists who have 3 For a discussion of the employment opportunities for PhDs In precollege teaching, see chapter 4 and COSEPUP 1995, p.
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From page 37... ...
and low salary associated with these temporary positions might well explain the discontent and frustration that the committee has observed in young scientists who after 10 years or more of research training have not yet found permanent jobs. By "permanent" we mean positions in which young scientists can independently apply their education and training in positions that are not transitional, as postdoctoral fellowships, research assistantship, and associate positions generally are.
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From page 38... ...
Data in figure 3.5 confirm that the unemployment rates for these young graduates averaged 1-2% during the 22-year period, and the fraction working part-time remained almost as low. Furthermore, no convincing evidence was found that an increasing fraction of young life-science PhDs are leaving the field.4 The findings, when considered with the growing research involve 4 The 1993 and 1995 Factions working outside science and engineering fields, which are somewhat higher than in preceding years, are based on a new survey question and might not be comparable with earlier survey results.
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From page 39... ...
I >3 >> ~9 93 9S >3 >> (> AS ~9 93 9S Figure 3.6 Fraction of female and male US life-science PhDs in faculty, industry, and government 9-10 years after receipt of degree, 1973, 1985, and 1995 Faculty at 0 6 PhD Institutions Faculty at Other Institutions Industry l Government 1 on 0.49 0.4 O ,; 0.3 0.2 0.1 >3 AS 9S Data from tables F.2 and F.3.
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From page 40... ...
By 1995, the difference had greatly diminished. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that the fraction involved in postdoctoral training increased substantially among both women and men during the 2 decades and that both sexes were spending, on the average, much longer periods as postdoctoral fellows.
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From page 41... ...
The diminishing opportunities for such positions affected both groups of graduates, but those of the highest-rated institutions appear to have faired much better. In 1995, 45% of the latter graduates held faculty positions at PhD-granting universities, compared with 29% of the PhD recipients from other schools.
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From page 42... ...
That finding is not surprising inasmuch as graduates of the most prestigious programs were more likely than their colleagues to obtain university faculty positions, which usually require postdoctoral experience. Nevertheless, it should be noted that in 1995 17% of the PhDs from the top-26 schools still held postdoctoral appoin~arnents 5-6 years after graduation-an indication that many were having difficulty in finding permanent positions.
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From page 43... ...
Young graduates in the life sciences have expressed frustration and anguish over the dearth of career opportunities available to them-especially in the academic sector, where often more than 100 candidates have applied for a single faculty opening-but there is no evidence of appreciable unemployment or underemployment.
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From page 44... ...
It is the committee's hope that the career-progression matrices and accompanying analysis presented here will enhance their awareness of the changing employment prospects in the life sciences. A second problem, perhaps more difficult to solve, is the increase in the fraction of young scientists who, after extensive postdoctoral apprenticeships, still have not obtained "permanent" full-time positions in academe, industry, government, or private research organization.
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From page 45... ...
For young scientists caught in this "postdoctoral holding pattern", the frustrations are understandable; most of them are 35-40 years old, and they typically receive low salaries and have little job security or status within the university setting (for example, most 5 During the 22-year period, the total number in these types of positions quintupled. 73 85 95 are not permitted to apply for research grants as independent investigators)
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From page 46... ...
For that reason, it is imperative that the employment histories of graduates of individual university departments be made available to prospective graduate students and postdoctorals. The changes in career prospects for young scientists occurred while the total numbers of life scientists in the workforce continued to increase.
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From page 47... ...
, just ahead of faculty positions. However, in 1993-1995, the total growth in faculty and industry workforce was less than the increase in the numbers of persons in temporary and under use positions (postdoctoral and other nonfaculty staff, unemployed, part-time employed, and outside science and engineering)
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From page 48... ...
~1845 5.9% Ind 28 1 °/n Postdoc 3570 11.5% Gov 2657 8.4% REFERENCES ~ l COSEPUP (National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Workforce Growth 1993-1995 Total Growth = 6,658 Average Annual = 3,329 8656 27.4% OthAcad ~- - -_ 1296 19.5% ~V ~.N Faculty 2091 31.4% Ind 668 10.0% red Postdoc Gov Self 1795 57% 468 7.0% Self Other Other 2646 8.4% 387 5.8% Unemp/pVout 4275 1 3.5% Postdoc 1535 23.1% , 213 3.2% Policy)
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