Share Your Thoughts on How to Re-envision NIH Supported Postdoctoral Training

Post-docs – and those of you who interact and work with post-docs: We want to hear from you! In November 2022, NIH announced the creation of a new Working Group (WG) to the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) on re-envisioning NIH-supported post-doctoral training. The most recent concerns surrounding post-doctoral (“post-doc”) training involve numbers, including the numbers of post-docs and the number of available tenure-track faculty positions. Recent data from NSF suggest a substantial decline in post-doc numbers, coming at a time of pandemic stresses, global economic disruptions, and concerns surrounding salary, stipend, and benefit support. ACD WG charge: “Evaluate whether there is evidence to support the perceived decline and shortage in PhDs seeking U.S. postdoctoral training positions, and document trends in PhDs choosing nonacademic post-graduate employment Assess and consider the factors influencing the scope and persistence of the issue, including COVID-19, the economy and inflation, trends in academic job markets, time to publish, immigration policy, and the growing biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries Review and compare the mechanisms, effects, and relevance of other approaches to postdoctoral training (e.g., in other countries, other systems) Consider ways to increase support and retention of postdoctoral trainees on key issues related to quality-of-life and work-life balance concerns Engage key parties, both internal and external to the N...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - Category: Research Authors: Tags: blog Open Mike ACD biomedical research workforce postdocs Request For Information (RFI) Source Type: funding