Trends in the Early Careers of Life Scientists

Trends in the Early Careers of Life Scientists

  • Publisher: National Academies Press
  • ISBN: 9780309061803
  • eISBN Pdf: 9780309592222
  • eISBN Epub: 9780309173780
  • Place of publication:  United States
  • Year of digital publication: 1998
  • Month: September
  • Pages: 197
  • Language: English

In each year between 1994 and 1996, more than 7,000 individuals received a Ph.D. in life-science, and the number of graduates is rising sharply. If present trends continue, about half of those graduates will have found permanent positions as independent researchers within ten years after graduation. These statistics—and the labor market situation they reflect—can be viewed either positively or negatively depending on whether one is a young scientist seeking a career or an established investigator whose productivity depends on the labor provided by an abundant number of graduate students.

This book examines the data concerning the production of doctorates in life-science and the changes in the kinds of positions graduates have obtained. It discusses the impact of those changes and suggests ways to deal with the challenges of supply versus demand for life-science Ph.D. graduates. Trends in the Early Careers of Life Scientists will serve as an information resource for young scientists deciding on career paths and as a basis for discussion by educators and policymakers as they examine the current system of education linked to research and decide if changes in that system are needed.

  • Trends in the Early Careers of Life Scientists
  • Copyright
  • Preface
  • Contents
  • Executive Summary
    • CHARGE
    • FINDINGS
    • IMPLICATIONS
    • CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
      • The Impact of Foreign Nationals
      • Responsibility for Effecting Change
  • 1 Introduction
    • A CAPSULE HISTORY OF AMERICAN RESEARCH IN THE LIFE SCIENCES
    • THE STRUCTURE OF THE LIFE-SCIENCE ENTERPRISE
    • THE SHAPE OF GRADUATE EDUCATION
    • THE POSTDOCTORAL EXPERIENCE
    • THE PURSUIT OF A JOB
    • THE PURSUIT OF RESEARCH SUPPORT
    • THE CHARACTER OF THE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT
    • REFERENCES
  • 2 Education and Research Training of Life-Science PHDS
    • PHDS AWARDED IN THE LIFE SCIENCES
    • TIME REQUIRED TO ATTAIN THE PHD
    • POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING
    • LENGTH OF POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING
    • FIELD AND OTHER DIFFERENCES
    • SUMMARY
    • REFERENCES
  • 3 Early-Career Employment Profiles of Life-Science PHDS
    • FACULTY POSITIONS
    • EMPLOYMENT IN GOVERNMENT
    • POSITIONS IN INDUSTRY
    • OTHER EMPLOYMENT
    • POSTDOCTORAL APPOINTMENTS
    • INVOLVEMENT IN RESEARCH
    • UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDER USE
    • CAREER PATTERNS OF WOMEN AND MEN
    • GRADUATES OF TOP-RATED INSTITUTIONS
    • FIELD DIFFERENCES
    • DISCUSSION
    • REFERENCES
  • 4 Opportunities, Constraints, and Future Needs
    • EXCITING EMERGING FIELDS OF INQUIRY IN THE LIFE SCIENCES
      • Neuroscience
      • Gene Therapy
      • Structural Biology
      • Bioinformatics
      • Environmental Issues
      • Biologic Control of Plant Pests
      • Aquaculture
    • PROSPECTS FOR RESEARCH FUNDING
    • CHANGES FACING HIGHER EDUCATION
      • Changes in the Financing of Undergraduate Education
      • Difficulties in Recovering the Costs of Externally Supported Research
      • Changes in Retention and Hiring of Faculty
      • Changes in Academic Health Centers
      • Changes in Research and Instruction Dealing with Agriculture and Natural Resources
    • CHANGES FACING INDUSTRY
      • Doing the Most with the Fewest
      • Mergers and Outsourcing
      • Applied vs. Fundamental Research
    • TRENDS IN GOVERNMENT
    • THE DIVERSITY AND SPECTRUM OF CAREERS FOR LIFE-SCIENCE PHDS
      • Academic-Career Trends
        • Comprehensive Bachelors and Masters Degree Granting Institutions
        • Two-Year and Community Colleges
        • Secondary Schools
      • Trends in Law, Journalism, and Other Fields
    • REFERENCES
  • 5 Implications of the Findings
    • CHANGING CAREER PROSPECTS FOR LIFE-SCIENCE PHDS
    • CHANGES IN THE RESEARCH AND TRAINING ENTERPRISE
    • IS THERE A PROBLEM? AN ANALYSIS FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
      • Administrators and Established Researchers
      • Funding Agencies
      • Incoming Graduate Students
      • Senior Graduate Students
      • Postdoctoral Fellows
      • Young Investigators
      • The American People
    • THE CRISIS OF EXPECTATION
    • FACTORS AFFECTING THE FUTURE VITALITY OF THE LIFE-SCIENCE ENTERPRISE
      • Number of Aspirants
      • Balance Between Research Training and Employment Opportunities
    • STRATEGIES FOR OPTIMIZING GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING
      • Maximizing the Return on Funds Invested in Training
      • The Problem of Time to Degree
    • EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS OF YOUNG LIFE SCIENTISTS
    • REFERENCES
  • 6 Conclusions and Recommendations
    • RESTRAINT OF THE RATE OF GROWTH OF THE NUMBER OF GRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE LIFE SCIENCES
    • DISSEMINATION OF ACCURATE INFORMATION ON THE CAREER PROSPECTS OF YOUNG LIFE SCIENTISTS
    • IMPROVEMENT OF THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF GRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE LIFE SCIENCES
    • ENHANCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDEPENDENCE OF POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS
    • ALTERNATIVE PATHS TO CAREERS IN THE LIFE SCIENCES
    • THE IMPACT OF FOREIGN NATIONALS
    • RESPONSIBILITY FOR EFFECTING CHANGE
  • An Alternative Perspective on Recommendation 3
  • Appendix A Biographic Information
  • Appendix B Participants in Public Meeting
    • SPEAKERS
    • ATTENDED OR SUBMITTED PAPERS
  • Appendix C Sources of Data
    • NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
      • Survey of Earned Doctorates
        • Data Considerations
      • Survey of Doctorate Recipients
        • Data Considerations
    • NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SURVEY OF GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORATES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
      • Data Considerations
      • Association of American Medical Colleges Medical Faculty Roster System
  • Appendix D Doctoral Fields Included for Data Analysis
    • AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
    • BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
    • HEALTH SCIENCES
    • RELATED SCIENCES
  • Appendix E Data Tables for Chapter 2
  • Appendix F Data Tables for Chapter 3
  • Appendix G Getting Started on the World Wide Web: Web Sites of Interest to Young Scientists
    • SITES WITH A FOCUS ON YOUNG SCIENTISTS
    • NETWORKING AND EDUCATION SITES
    • SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES
    • NATIONAL AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS OF GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS
    • GOVERNMENT SITES
    • CAREER INFORMATION (JOB LISTINGS AND RELATED INFORMATION)
    • NEWS GROUPS. FORUMS FOR DISCUSSION

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