The latest data released by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States reveals a sharp decline in the number of US citizens pursuing postdoctoral research, particularly in the fields of biology and biomedicine. This trend underscores concerns within the academic community about a shortage of postdocs and the increasing inclination of early-career scientists towards higher-paying positions outside academia.
Tom Kimbis, Executive Director and CEO of the National Postdoctoral Association, stated, "It would be unfortunate if domestic researchers were turning down postdoc positions because they aren't as lucrative as positions in government or industry. This situation is not in the best interest of the nation."
?
Image Source: GORODENKOFF/GETTY IMAGES
Data referenced from the NSF's "Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering," which compiles employment data from academic institutions and estimates the number of graduate and undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields nationally.
According to the latest data released, in the fall of 2022, US institutions employed 62,750 postdoctoral researchers, a 1% decrease from the previous year. However, this trend varies significantly based on nationality.
From 2021 to 2022, the number of US citizens and permanent residents engaged in postdoctoral research decreased from 29,755 to 27,289. This 8% year-over-year decrease is the largest in history since the survey began collecting data in 1980. Meanwhile, the number of postdocs holding temporary visas increased by 6%, from 33,573 to 35,461, roughly consistent with 2020 figures.
This shift is largely attributed to changes in employment numbers in the biological and biomedical fields, where the number of postdocs decreased by 3% from 2021 to 2022, with a 10% decline among US citizens and permanent residents. It is currently unclear what is driving this trend, but there has been a significant increase in recruitment by biotechnology companies.
Another survey data released by the NSF last year indicates that there are fewer American life science doctoral graduates pursuing postdoctoral research than ever before, with an increasing number transitioning into industry.
Donna Ginther, an economics professor at the University of Kansas who researches STEM employment, said, "The trends we're seeing in biomedical fields are significant." However, she is not surprised by these data, as salaries are much higher for PhD graduates working in industry.
For Gary McDowell, CEO of Lightoller LLC, a consulting firm specializing in providing scientific training expertise for higher education, these data are similarly unsurprising. "My personal experience is that Americans are always less willing to put up with conditions that foreigners like myself have to endure," McDowell said, having come from the UK to pursue postdoctoral research in biomedical fields in the US.
However, he added that caution should be exercised in interpreting postdoctoral-related data, as there is no standardization in data collection among universities, leading to variances in the completeness and accuracy of data.
McDowell and colleagues published a study on this survey in 2017, highlighting issues with universities not reporting data, prompting changes by the NSF. The NSF now estimates missing data.
Kimbis hopes that the newly released data will inspire funding and service organizations to consider how to make postdoctoral positions more attractive.
In December 2023, a consulting group at the National Institutes of Health released a series of recommendations on how the institution could better support postdocs, including raising the minimum postdoc salary by $14,000 and increasing benefits and professional development support. However, the institution has not disclosed information on whether and how these recommendations will be implemented.
