Reports on Postdocs

Up to Postdoctoral Life

AAU Committee on Postdoctoral Education Report and Recommendations: "The general lack of institutional oversight of postdoctoral appointments(coupled with the evolution of postdoctoral education in a number of disciplines into a virtual requirement for a tenure-track faculty appointment) has resulted in a considerable degree of instability within postdoctoral education as a whole." The report recommends that "each university act promptly to develop policies and practices for systematically incorporating postdoctoral education into its overall academic program."
The Postdoc Crisis: An overview of postdoc working conditions written by the Yale Graduate Employees and Students Union.
Doctors Without Orders: Highlights of the Sigma Xi Postdoc Survey: Results of Sigma Xi's survey of 7600 postdocs at 46 US institutions. Very interesting discussion of salaries, training, and administrative oversight.
Careers and Rewards in Bio Sciences: the disconnect between scientific progress and career progression: by Richard Freeman, Eric Weinstein, Elizabeth Marincola, Janet Rosenbaum, and Frank Solomon, August, 2001.
Competition and Careers in Biosciences: by Richard Freeman et al., Science, 14 Dec 2001. "The rapid progress of biomedical research should be rewarding young scientists with bright careers. Instead, the National Research Council (NRC) reports a 'crisis of expectations' as career opportunities fall short of those in comparable occupations. Our analysis suggests that the inconsistency between scientific promise and career prospects arises from how life scientists are trained and how their careers are structured and funded rather than from a short-term supply-demand imbalance. Improvements will require reforms in training and career structure and in funding support for young researchers."
Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers: A PDF version of the National Academy's guide to postdoc policies.
Bridges to Independence: Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in Biomedical Research: A 2005 National Academies report on postdocs.
A 10-Step Plan for Better Postdoc Training: "To address these issues and find solutions for moving forward, we formed a focus group.... The result was a set of 10 recommendations that, if adopted institutionally, would reestablish the postdoc as a trainee, in a transitory state between predoctoral training and permanent employment. Moreover, these steps would promote an environment in which the trainees can receive the advanced instruction they need to embark on successful careers."
Report from Postdoctoral Attendees at the Annual GREAT Meeting: The purpose of this committee was to identify issues important to postdoctoral scholars and to make recommendations for good practices relating to postdoctoral training. We also provided examples of a broad spectrum of activities which have enhanced postdoctoral training at institutions across the nation. Finally, we discussed the benefits and needs for a national organization for postdoctoral scholars.
The National Academies' Web Guide to Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers: "The purpose of this Web Guide is to provide examples of 'best practices' among these primary populations as demonstrated through their individual websites. These models will help postdocs, postdoc advisers, institutions, funding organizations, and disciplinary societies as they explore ways to enhance the postdoctoral experience for scientists and engineers."
Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers: National Academy of Sciences Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, 2000.

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Reports on Postdocs