Practice Points
SUMMARY POINTS ●The postdoctoral years are a time to match one’s education, training, ●A good postdoctoral experience is educational in the sense that it ●The postdoctoral experience differs widely according to discipline, ●Most postdocs are paid from the grant of a principal investigator and ●A smaller number of postdocs are paid by external, independent ●“Research associates,” “fellows,” and postdocs with other titles may ●The greatest uncertainties and inequities occur in universities, where ●About half the total US postdoctoral population consists of foreign ●Foreign postdocs face extra challenges in mastering English, adapting ●Support mechanisms at host institutions to provide help for foreign ●Additional information is needed about postdocs who are members Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.Features of the Postdoctoral Population
and interests with the changing world of employment options and to
acquire the skills necessary to enter that world.
significantly advances one’s professional capabilities and increases
one’s technical abilities.
sector, and source of funding.
are frequently called research associates. In such situations, they are
often treated as employees.
mechanisms (e.g., US fellowships and training grants, foreign government
grants). In such cases, they may be classified as students or
receive no institutional classification and are called fellows.
all perform the same functions in the same laboratories, and yet their
institutional title, tax status, compensation, and benefits may differ
in significant and often unintended ways.
most postdocs work. In national and industrial facilities, postdocs
are usually treated like other temporary or contract employees and
receive similar classification, compensation, and benefits.
citizens, half of whom choose to remain in the US after their
appointments.
to American culture and style of work, achieving equitable compensation,
and dealing with visa requirements.
postdocs (e.g., with visas, tax laws, and language instruction) are not
uniform across the country.
of underrepresented minorities; less is known about these groups
than is known about foreign postdocs.
SUMMARY POINTS ●Postdocs should have the opportunity to enhance their research ●They have the right to clear terms of appointment, appropriate compensation ●Postdocs have dual responsibilities: 1) to acquire the experiences ●Postdocs share the responsibility with their adviser of communicating ●In planning careers, more postdocs are finding opportunities in nonacademic ●Some women postdocs face special problems because of their gender, ●Gaining the right skills can make a large difference in finding rewarding Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.Enhancing the Postdocs Experience for Scientists and Engineers
experience, become independent researchers, become known through
publishing and presenting their results at professional meetings, and
advance their careers by networking with colleagues.
and benefits, serious mentoring, and support in career planning
and finding a regular position.
they need to advance their careers, and 2) to contribute to the program
through research accomplishments, personal growth, and interaction
with others.
well regarding their progress and expectations.
positions, but they must take the initiative to learn about
acquiring the skills needed to qualify for entrance to growing employment
areas, often outside their specialty.
and have great difficulty in taking time to start a family.
positions and expanding career choices. These include general
abilities such as clear writing, public speaking, leadership, teamwork,
computer skills, teaching, and mentoring.
SUMMARY POINTS ●At the outset, advisers need to make clear their expectations of the ●In return for the postdoc’s contributions, the adviser should both ●Frequent communication between postdoc and adviser helps prevent ●Attending professional meetings is one of the most important ways a ●Postdocs need regular feedback on the quality and direction of their ●The adviser should take the lead early and often in discussing ethical Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.The Postdoc and the Adviser
postdoc and learn about the postdoc’s own expectations.
provide scientific and technical training and help the postdoc acquire
other necessary “career” skills, such as those that contribute to effective
communication, publication, grant writing, and management.
problems from growing into grievances.
postdoc can enhance professional visibility, gain confidence, and
build a network of contacts.
work, including written evaluations at least annually.
standards, including issues of authorship, credit, conflicts of interest,
and other ethical dilemmas.
SUMMARY POINTS ●In many institutions, the administration may have only an approximate ●An important step is to establish postdoctoral policies on such matters ●Some institutions have established a postdoctoral office or officer to ●Many institutions offer financial and logistical support for postdoctoral ●Some institutions are experimenting with the use of “mentoring ●Institutions can help resolve grievances by establishing mechanisms, ●Each institution should ensure that foreign postdocs have a resource Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.The Postdoc and the Institution
picture of the postdoctoral population and no policy to standardize
institutional status or benefits.
as titles, expected terms, and institutional status. This status may
strongly affect benefits and other financial issues.
serve as an information resource for postdocs and to organize programs
for postdoc orientation, professional development, and career
services. Such an office can also encourage good mentoring, act as
liaison between postdocs, advisers, and administrators, and track the
postdoctoral population.
associations, which constitute a vehicle for discussing issues
of concern to postdocs, building a social network, and communicating
with the administration.
committees” to provide additional perspective and guidance to the
postdoc.
including an ombudsperson, to work toward conflict resolution.
person or office to advise them on such issues as acculturation, visa
compliance, income taxes, and language skills.
SUMMARY POINTS ●Funding organizations can play an important role in promoting the ●One of the most frequent complaints from postdocs is the low level ●Many funding levels, especially in the life sciences, reflect the model ●Most postdocs are paid directly as employees on a PIs research grant. ●Funding organizations can promote good oversight and guidance of Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.Funding
educational component of the research they fund. This role includes
the support of career development and guidance to supplement scientific
and technical training.
of compensation provided by funding organizations relative to the
skills and experience of the postdoc.
pay scale used by the NIH for its NRSAs, which provide a stipend
for first-year trainees of $26,256. The NIH and NSF should recognize
that they have a de facto role in setting stipend levels that are
followed by others and develop criteria by which to adjust these
levels.
●The underlying assumption of most traineeships or fellowships is
that the postdoctoral scholar receives, in addition to the stipend, both
technical instruction and career guidance that can lead to improved
abilities and career satisfaction in the future. Funding organizations
can work toward ensuring that the acquisition of career skills and
career development is indeed part of the postdoctoral experience.
The NIH and other funding organizations have few mechanisms to
monitor the experience of these postdocs, and they tend to regard the
administration of research grants as the institution’s responsibility.
postdocs through requests for mentoring information on proposal
forms, promotion of mentoring committees, limits on the length of
appointments, support for health care benefits, and support of teaching
activities by postdocs.