American Scientist

Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Sigma Xi Postdoc Survey was designed to improve the training and research environments for postdocs by providing a better understanding of their experiences. Survey results are expected to enable research institutions to benchmark their policies and practices against those at peer institutions. Survey responses obtained from some 7,600 postdoctoral scholars working in the United States shed considerable light on the situation of these scientists-in-training. The survey results provide, for example, a picture of the demographic makeup of this tier of the scientific workforce. And they document such attributes as the salaries and employment benefits that postdoctoral investigators receive.

Most important, the analysis described here reveals which factors are have the greatest influence in shaping successful postdoctoral experiences. The results are rather surprising: Whereas most of the recent effort in helping postdoctoral scholars has gone to improving their compensation and employment benefits, the success of these scientists appears to hinge more critically on the degree of administrative oversight they receive in their positions.

For details—including an overview of the project, a description of the survey package and selected results—visit Doctors Without Orders: Highlights of the Sigma Xi Postdoc Survey.

Update: 2017
Supporting the Needs of Postdocs: 2017 National Postdoctoral Association Institutional Policy Report