SIGMA XITHE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SOCIETY
The global honor society of scientists and engineers that recognizes scientific achievement
The Sigma Xi Postdoc Survey Project
Jenny Zilaro
Manager, Early Career Services
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
Partner Organizations
National Postdoc Association
Science’s Next Wave
NBER/Sloan Scientific Workforce Group
What is a postdoc? Apprenticeship for the purpose of gaining
scientific, technical, and other professional skills that advance the professional career.
Temporary position
Background Postdoc population has grown to ~50,000
At research universities, life sciences postdoc population almost as large as tenure-track/tenured life sciences faculty
Formerly optional, now essentially required Universities and other postdoc employers
have been slow to meet needs of this growing population
Background Reports have indicated some problems:
Low pay, no minimum wage (“volunteer” postdocs)
Don’t always have access to benefits Few standards for supervision (e.g. annual
reviews, grievance procedures, authorship policies)
“Postdoctoral education today is almost exactly where Ph.D. education was in the 1890s - very ad hoc,”
Steven B. Sample, president of the University of Southern California and chair of the Association of American Universities (AAU) Committee on Postdoctoral Education.
Recent Developments National Academy, AAU reports NIH, NSF initiatives National Postdoctoral Association
Sigma Xi’s Response Postdoc issues tie into Sigma Xi’s commitments to
the health of the research enterprise, ethics and honor in science
Developed proposal to create resources to help postdocs help themselves
Received $350,000 from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation + $20,000 from the National Bureau of Economic Research Science and Engineering Workforce Project
Existing Data Official information on postdocs is limited Most of what exists is demographic
information aggregated at the national level
Information Needs Deans, postdoc offices, PDAs are working to
enhance the postdoctoral experience They need reliable local information, cross-
institutional comparisons What are the needs of the postdocs at our institution /
school / department? How does our institution / school / department compare
to its peers? Info on specific local topics
Taking Initiative Dozens of existing local postdoc surveys
See http://www.phds.org/?section=164 Most conducted by postdoc associations Considerable interest in the end-product
Associations have particularly strong motivation because they have a direct stake in the outcome
Quality, methods all over the map Existing local surveys are too local – not useful
for national comparisons
Sigma Xi Postdoc Survey Vision Better leverage local surveys
Tap existing interest and energy Increase coverage Improve quality Optimize impact
Create mechanism for ongoing surveys Goal is not a single snapshot Create tools to foster future surveys
Additional Goals Help existing organizations benchmark
postdoc experience Help get new postdoc associations / offices
off the ground Provide useful information to funding
agencies
Survey Characteristics TIMELINE: Pilot in Fall 2003, full survey
commences Spring 2004 TARGET: Variety of U.S. institutions,
institution types; census of postdocs in all participating institutions, plus ‘at-large’ category
COVERAGE: At least 20-30 institutions, will accept all interested
Survey Characteristics Online instrument, hosted by Sigma Xi Locally administered, customizable Institutions opt in to ‘sharing’ data with
peer institutions “Kit” will provide materials, instructions Audited privacy policy, confidentiality
agreement
Survey Kit Kit will standardize procedures but allow
flexibility at local level Will include:
Questionnaire, guidelines for using and customizing software
Promotional materials, marketing strategies Financial support upon request Customizable reports
Survey Kit: Questionnaire Professionally designed by RTI
International Common set of questions
Questions can be extended locally Developed in cooperation with postdocs,
postdoc administrators, funders, researchers Starting point: AAU and National Academy
recommendations and a compilation of past surveys
Survey Kit: QuestionnaireNational scope offers new and interesting
opportunities Big picture questions
E.g., what factors are strongly associated with positive postdoc experiences?
Value of independence Impact on families Conflict resolution
Survey Kit: Questionnaire Can also focus on populations of special interest
Non-citizen postdocs Female postdocs Underrepresented minority postdocs First year postdocs
Compare across institutions Absolute and relative numbers
We want your input on questions! http://postdoc.sigmaxi.org/questions
Survey Kit: Methodological Guidelines Created in cooperation with RTI
International Designed to accommodate range of
resource levels at institutions Provides guidelines for:
Contacting postdocs, Encouraging participation, Follow-up reminders.
Survey Kit: Software and Funding Data-gathering and report generation
software Automate many survey tasks Main local tasks will be marketing
Modest financial resources Pay for cash incentives, photocopying,
envelope-stuffing, etc.
Survey Kit: Confidentiality Set forth standards for participant data
protections All survey materials will be approved by
the RTI IRB, and a package will be provided to institutions to facilitate internal IRB processes
Survey Kit: Pilot Study Test sites:
UNC Chapel Hill National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS) University of Pittsburgh University of California at San Diego Georgetown University
Non-response Study Look at demographics of non-respondents at an
institution with good postdoc records (UNC)
Full Survey Commencing Spring 2004 At least 20-30 Institutions of varying type will
participate, will accept all who are interested
Reports Provide administrators / postdoc
associations / postdocs with detailed reports Provide comparative data
Within institutions• Compare data across schools / departments
Between institutions• Compare selected data across peer institutions
• Benchmark against peers
More Information If you are interested in more information,
visit http://postdoc.sigmaxi.org
Contacts Jenny Zilaro, Project Manager [email protected] Geoff Davis, Principal Investigator
Pam Blondin, Co-PI [email protected]
Our AdvisorsEleanor Babco, Commission on
Professionals in Science & Technology Daniel Besser, The Rockefeller Univ. and
National Postdoc Assn (NPA) Enriqueta Bond, The Burroughs Wellcome
Fund Orfeu Buxton, Harvard Medical School,
NPA Lynda Carlson, National Science
Foundation (NSF)Joseph Cerny, Univ. of California, Berkeley Karen S. Christopherson, Stanford Univ.
School of Medicine, NPA Daryl Chubin, NACME Philip S. Clifford, Medical College of
Wisconsin Roman Czujko, Director, Statistical
Research Center, Institute of PhysicsMarye Anne Fox, North Carolina State
Univ.W. Franklin Gilmore, Montana Technical
Univ., 2002-2003 President of Sigma XiRichard Freeman, Herbert Ascherman
Chair in Economics, National Bureau of Economic Research
Chris Golde, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Neal Lane, Rice Univ.Jim Lightbourne, NSFSharon Milgram, Associate Professor,
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Maresi Nerad, National Research Center for Graduate Education, Univ. of Washington
Paula Park, The Scientist Graham Peaslee, Hope College Peter Raven, Missouri Botanical Garden,
2003-2004 President of Sigma XiWally Schaffer, NIH Research Training
Office Nancy Schwartz, Univ. of Chicago Lewis Siegel, Duke Univ. and Council of
Graduate Schools Leslie Sims, Council of Graduate Schools Avi D. Spier, CEO, Allon Therapeutics, Inc.,
NPAPeter Syverson, Council of Graduate
Schools