National Postdoctoral Association Institutional Policy ......The NPA’s report summarizes the postdoctoral policies (institutional, training, health insurance, and benefits)at 92

K R Y S T E F E R G U S O NB E L I N D A H U A N GL E S L I E B E C K M A NM E L A N I E S I N C H E

National Postdoctoral Association Institutional Policy Report 2014S U P P O R T I N G A N D D E V E LO P I N G P O S T D O C TO R A L S C H O L A R S

K R Y S T E F E R G U S O N

B E L I N D A H U A N G

L E S L I E B E C K M A N

M E L A N I E S I N C H E

© 2014 National Postdoctoral Association

National Postdoctoral Association Institutional Policy Report 2014S U P P O R T I N G A N D D E V E LO P I N G P O S T D O C TO R A L S C H O L A R S

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S ........................................................................................................................................................................... iii

F O R E W O R D ................................................................................................................................................................................................. iv

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y ......................................................................................................................................................................... v

I N T R O D U C T I O N ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Brief History of Postdoctoral Scholars in U.S. Institutions .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The History of the National Postdoctoral Association.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Seminal Reports on Postdoctoral Training and the Postdoctoral Workforce.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

M E T H O D O LO G Y ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

O V E R V I E W O F F I N D I N G S .................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Postdoc Demographics.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Recommendations for Postdoctoral Policies and Practices.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

PostdoctoralOffices.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

PostdoctoralPolicies.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

TrainingPolicies.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

BenefitsPolicies.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S ..........................................................................................................................................................................25

C O N C L U S I O N ............................................................................................................................................................................................27

R E F E R E N C E S .............................................................................................................................................................................................28

Table of Contents

.INSTITUTIONAL.POLICY.REPORT.2014..................................... . . . . ........NATIONAL.POSTDOCTORAL.ASSOCIATION......ii

Figure 1. AverageGenderPercentage......................................................................................................................................................................8

Figure 2. DistributionofPercentageofPostdocsonTemporaryVisas...........................................................................................8

Figure 3. DistributionofthePercentageofPostdocsfromUnderrepresentedGroups...................................................9

Figure 4. TypeofInstitutionsthatRespondedtotheSurvey................................................................................................................9

Figure 5. NumberofPostdocs...................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Figure 6. PDOReportingStructure.......................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Figure 7. PDOFundingSources.................................................................................................................................................................................. 11

Figure 8. PDOAnnualOperatingBudgetsandAverageNumberofPostdocsServed................................................... 11

Figure 9. InstitutionalAdministrativePolicies................................................................................................................................................ 12

Figure 10. PostdocHandbook........................................................................................................................................................................................ 13

Figure 11. AppointmentProcess.................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

Figure 12. MaximumPostdocTermLimit.............................................................................................................................................................. 13

Figure 13. OrientationProgram.................................................................................................................................................................................... 14

Figure 14. ExitSurveyProvided.................................................................................................................................................................................... 14

Figure 15. TypeofDataCollectedbyPDOSurveysofTheirPostdocs............................................................................................ 14

Figure 16. ProfessionalDevelopmentPrograms.............................................................................................................................................. 15

Figure 17. ProfessionalDevelopmentProgramsOfferedbyPostdocSize................................................................................. 16

Figure 18. IndividualizedDevelopmentPlans.................................................................................................................................................. 17

Figure 19. CareerServicePrograms........................................................................................................................................................................... 17

Figure 20. CareerServicesProgramsOfferedbyPostdocSize............................................................................................................. 18

Figure 21. PostdocMinimumStipends................................................................................................................................................................... 19

Figure 22. Health,Dental,andVisionBenefits.................................................................................................................................................. 20

Figure 23. InsuranceBenefitsbyPostdocSize.................................................................................................................................................. 21

Figure 24. TimeOffandParentalLeavePoliciesbyPostdocSize....................................................................................................... 22

Figure 25. FamilyFriendlyBenefitsbyPostdocSize..................................................................................................................................... 23

Figure 26. RetirementandOtherEmployeeBenefitsbyPostdocSize........................................................................................... 24

Source for all figures: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

List of Figures

.INSTITUTIONAL.POLICY.REPORT.2014..................................... . . . . ........NATIONAL.POSTDOCTORAL.ASSOCIATION......iii

Thisreportwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthesupportof theBurroughsWellcomeFundandtheSloanFoundation,whichallowedtheNationalPostdoctoralAssociation(NPA)todeveloptheInstitutionalPolicySurveyandfinishdatacollection.WeareextremelygratefultotheirsupportforNPAprojectsovertheyears.

We thank the talents and wisdom of the Institutional Policy Survey Taskforce:• Leslie Beckman, B.A., Program Manager, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston

• Kathleen Flint Ehm, Ph.D., Project Manager, NPA*

• Kryste Ferguson, M.Ed., Membership Manager, NPA

• Cathee Johnson Phillips, M.A., Executive Director, NPA*

• Valerie Saltou, B.S., Postdoctoral Office Coordinator, University of Colorado Denver

• Melanie Sinche, M.A., Director, FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Harvard University*

• Amy Wilson, B.A., Office & Marketing Manager, NPA

Our sincere thanks to the team that analyzed the data and contributed to the final report: • Leslie Beckman, B.A., Program Manager, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston

• Kryste Ferguson, M.Ed., Membership Manager, NPA

• Kenneth Gibbs, Ph.D., Treasurer, Board of Directors, NPA, Cancer Prevention Fellow, National Cancer Institute

• Belinda Huang, Ph.D., Executive Director, NPA

• Keith Micoli, Ph.D., Chair, Board of Directors, NPA, Postdoctoral Programs Director, New York University School of Medicine

• Kim Petrie, Ph.D., BRET Director of Career Development, Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

• Yvette Seger, Ph.D., Board of Directors, NPA, Director of Science Policy, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

• Melanie Sinche, M.A., Senior Research Associate at Labor & Worklife Program, Harvard Law School

• Amy Wilson, B.A., Office & Marketing Manager, NPA

* position held at the time of the taskforce

Acknowledgments

.INSTITUTIONAL.POLICY.REPORT.2014..................................... . . . . ........NATIONAL.POSTDOCTORAL.ASSOCIATION......iv

Thefollowingreportisboththeculminationof severalyearsof effortbytheNationalPostdoctoralAssocia-tion(NPA)togatherdataonpostdoctoralpoliciesattheinstitutionallevel,andthebeginningof adata-drivenefforttoimprovethesepolicies.

TheNPAwasfoundedin2003asagrass-rootsorganizationdeterminedtoimprovetheU.S.scientificenterprisebyimprovedtrainingof postdoctoralscholars.Wehavealwayspursuedacollaborativeapproach,bringingto-getherallstakeholders—postdocs,postdocoffices,institutions,fundingagencies,andsocieties—inanefforttoen-surethatallvoiceswereheard.Thisapproachhasprovenextremelyeffectiveinidentifyingareaswhereimprove-mentwasneeded,aswellashighlightingbestpracticesasmoreinstitutionsbeganrecognizingthatpostdoctoralscholarswereanimportantandunderservedcomponentintheirresearchenterprises.

The lack of comprehensivedata concerningpostdoctoral traininghas remainedoneof themost frustratinghurdlestocreatingamoreefficientandeffectivetrainingmodel,anduntilnowtherehasbeenlittleimprovement.SigmaXi,theScientificResearchSociety,performedanationalsurveyof postdocsandreleasedareportentitledDoctorsWithoutOrders1inAmericanScientist.Thissurveyandreportwasthefirstlarge-scaleattempttogatherdatafromindividualpostdocsonthepoliciesandpracticesof postdoctoraltrainingatanationallevel,andtheNPA’seffortsherearetobuilduponthisfoundation.

TheNPA’sreportsummarizesthepostdoctoralpolicies(institutional,training,healthinsurance,andbenefits)at92institutions,andisintendedtoidentifybestpracticesandareasfordevelopmentforpostdoctoralservicesandsupport.Ourhopeisthatbyreadingthisreport,youwillbebetterinformedabouttheprogressmadeoverthepastdecade,andbetterpreparedtoadvocateforfurtherimprovementsinthefuture.

I joined the NPA in 2003 as a postdoctoral fellow, and have remained active as my career progressed tomy current position as the Postdoctoral Program Director at New York University School of Medicine.Iamproudof theworkdonebyourtirelessvolunteers,andamconvincedthattheireffortshavemadeanenor-mousdifferenceinthewaypostdoctoralscholarsaretreatedattheirinstitutions.

Sincerely,

Keith Micoli, Ph.D. CHAIR, BOARD OF DIREC TORS NATIONAL POSTDOC TORAL ASSOCIATION

1 Davis, G. (2005). Doctors without orders. American Scientist 93(3), supplement.http://postdoc.sigmaxi.org/results/.

Foreword

.INSTITUTIONAL.POLICY.REPORT.2014..................................... . . . . ........NATIONAL.POSTDOCTORAL.ASSOCIATION......v

The NPA Institutional Policy Survey asks post-doctoralofficesaboutoffice structure,postdocdemographics, postdoctoral policies, profes-

sional development and career training, benefits,and more. This data provides a snapshot and aglimpse into the needs of the postdoctoral com-munity. The community of postdoctoral officesis relatively young; in the early 2000s, there wereless than 25 offices that served postdoctoral schol-ars, and many administrators worked withoutbudgets. In 2014, there are now 167 postdoctoraloffices serving the needs of approximately 79,000postdoctoralscholars.

A postdoctoral scholar is defined as:Anindividualwhohasreceivedadoctoraldegree(orequivalent)andisengagedinatemporaryanddefinedperiodof mentoredadvancedtrainingtoenhancetheprofessionalskillsandresearchindependenceneededtopursuehisorherchosencareerpath.2

The NPA Institutional Policy Survey questionscollecteddataonthefollowingareas:• Demographicsof theinstitutionandtheirpostdoc population• Structureof theinstitution’spostdocoffice• Postdocpolicies:lengthof appointment,postdoc handbook,exitsurvey• Postdoccompensationandbenefits• Careerandprofessionaldevelopmentservices• Otherinstitutionalservices

2 National Postdoctoral Association. (2007). What is a postdoc? http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/policy-22/what-is-a-postdoc.3 National Postdoctoral Association. (2005). Recommendations for postdoctoral policies and practices.

http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/policy-22/institutional-policies/recommended-practices-for-institutions.

“Data from the survey revealed

a lack a parity remains in

postdoc funding, health insurance,

appointment policies,

collection of outcomes data,

access to training program

and retirement benefits.”

Executive Summary

ToanalyzethedatafromtheInstitutionalPolicySur-vey,webenchmarkedhowpostdoctoralpoliciesandpractices had developed since the NPA crafted theRecommendationsforPostdoctoralPoliciesandPrac-tices.3 While significantprogresshasbeenmade inthelastdecadeforthecreationof postdoctoraloffices,datafromthissurveyrevealedthatalackof parityre-mainsinpostdocfunding,healthinsurance,appoint-mentpolicies,collectionof outcomesdata,accesstotrainingprograms,andretirementbenefits.

TheNPA’sInstitutionalPolicySurvey is intendedtobealongitudinaldatacollectionfromourpostdocof-fices.Wewill use this data tomeasure the progressandgrowthof postdocservicesandbenefitsovertime.

.INSTITUTIONAL.POLICY.REPORT.2014..................................... . . . . ........NATIONAL.POSTDOCTORAL.ASSOCIATION......1

TodaytheUnitedStatescompeteswithglobalcounterpartstoattractandretain thebest and thebrightest professionals for itsworkforce.Giventhestructureof the“knowledgeeconomy”thatcurrentlyexists,oursus-

tainedcompetitivenessasanationdependsupontheresearch,skills,innova-tions,andentrepreneurialabilitiesof ourworkforce.

Thecriticaljuncturebetweengraduateeducationandtheworkforceisacur-rentfocusof theCouncilof GraduateSchools.4DeanssurveyedacrosstheUnitedStatesbyCGSwereunsatisfiedwiththeirinstitution’sabilitytosupportgraduatestudentcareergoals,providecareerguidance,andpreparegraduatesforcareersoutsideof academia.5Ph.D.graduateswhogoontopursuepost-doctoralscholarlytrainingoftenencounterthesesameissues.Havingongoingaccesstocareerguidanceandtoprofessionalstrainedtoassistthemwiththeirindividualdevelopmentplansenablespostdoctoralscholarstodevelopapur-posefultrainingprogram.Institutionalsupportforadiverserangeof careerdevelopment programs for postdocs has never beenmore vital, as only 15percentof science,engineeringandhealthpostdocswillattainatenuretrackfacultyposition.6

Tomeasure institutional support, theNPA Institutional Policy Survey askspostdoctoralofficestoreportonofficestructure,postdocdemographics,pro-fessionalandcareerdevelopmenttraining,benefits,andmore.Thisdataillu-minatesthepersistingneedsof thepostdoctoralcommunity.Thecommunityof postdoctoralofficesisrelativelyyoung;intheearly2000s,therewerelessthan25officesthatservedpostdoctoralscholars,butin2014,thereare167postdoctoralofficesservingtheneedsof approximately79,000postdoctoralscholars.

B R I E F H I S T O R Y O F P O S T D O C T O R A L S C H O L A R S I N U . S . I N S T I T U T I O N S

The early American colonial college had a classical curriculum of Latin,Greek,logic,Hebrewandrhetoric,moralphilosophy,andmetaphysics.7Butasthenaturalandphysicalsciencesmatured,theroleof sciencechangedtheclassical course of study. In the 1860s as technological and scientific edu-cationadvanced,morecollegesandinstitutesdevelopedapracticalorienta-tion.8JohnsHopkinspledgedhisfortunetocreateauniversityinBaltimore,based upon the German-model research institution. This faculty-centeredinstitution, ledbyPresidentDanielCoitGilman, sought students thatweresufficientlypreparedtoprovidetheirfacultywithchallengingandrewardingstimulation.9

2013 NPA Institutional Policy Survey Respondents

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Argonne National Laboratory

Baylor College of Medicine

Boston University School of Medicine

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Brown University

Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Cornell University

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Duke University

East Carolina University

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Georgia Institute of Technology

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute

Harvard Medical School

Harvard School of Public Health

Harvard University

Indiana University, Purdue University at Indianapolis

Johns Hopkins University Homewood Postdoc Association

Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Maine Medical Center Research Institute

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Medical University of South Carolina

Michigan State University

Mount Sinai School of Medicine

National Cancer Institute

National Institute of Environmental Health Science

Introduction


Therootsof thepostdoctoraltrainingdatebacktothe1870swhenhigh-levelapprenticeshipswerepartof theGerman-modelresearchinstitution.10ThisapprenticeshipmodelwasusedbyJohnsHopkinsUniversityin1876,andby1920theRockefellerFoundationestablishedformalpostdoctoralfellowshipsinphysicalscience.AccordingtoEnhancingthePostdoctoralExperienceforScientistsandEngineers11publishedbytheNationalAcademies,thefirstpe-riodof rapidgrowthof postdoctoralscholars(“postdocs”)beganinthelate1950s.Withtheadventof theColdWar,therewasademandforscientistsandengineers,hencemanyof thePh.D.scompletinggraduateschoolstookpost-docpositionsto“broadenordeepentheirexperiencebeforemovingtofacultyorotherresearchcareeropportunities.”12

Inthe1970s,theU.S.governmentreducedsupportof graduatefellowships,contributingtograduatestudentsleavinglaboratorieswithoutpositions,andthenumberof non-U.S.graduatestudents increased. Bythelate1970s,asthenumbersof postdocs increasedandPh.D. labormarketsweakened, thetimespentasapostdocbegantolengthen,suggestingdifficultyinfindingjobplacements.Atthispoint,postdocsspentbetweentwotosevenyearsintheirpositions.13Significantnumbersof postdocsbegantoclaimthattheyacceptedtheirappointmentsbecausetheyhadfewoptions,14andthepostdocbecamea“holdingstation”ratherthanacareerchoice.Themostsignificantgrowthof thepostdocpopulationoccurredbetween1981and1998.Inthelastthreedecadesalone,science-basedpostdocshaveincreasedatarateof 10percentperyear.15

W H O I S A P O S T D O C T O R A L S C H O L A R ?

A postdoctoral scholar is defined as:An individual who has received a doctoral degree (or equivalent) and is engaged in a tempo-rary and defined period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue his or her chosen career path.16

Whilethisdefinitionseemsquitestraightforward,datacollectionof thispopu-lationhasbeenconfoundedbythefactthatpostdoctoralscholarsareappoint-edwithawidevarietyof titlesbyinstitutionsacrosstheUnitedStates.Ina2011surveyconductedbytheNPA,forexample,therewereover37differenttitlesassignedtopostdoctoralscholars.17

Themajorityof institutionsusethefollowingtitles:• Postdoctoralfellow• Postdoctoralscholar• Postdoctoralassociate• Researchassociate• Postdoctoralresearchfellow• Postdoctoralscholaremployee• Postdoctoralresearcher• Researchfellow• Postdoctoraltrainee• Visitingresearchfellow• Postdoctoralresearchassociate• Researchassistant

2013 NPA Institutional Policy Survey Respondents (cont’d)

New York University School of Medicine

North Carolina A&T State University

North Carolina State University

Northwestern University

New York University

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Ohio State University

Oregon State University

Penn State University

Princeton University

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute

Scripps Research Institute

Stanford University

Stony Brook University

Stowers Institute For Medical Research

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute

The City University of New York

The J. David Gladstone Institutes

The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

The Rockefeller University

Thomas Jefferson University

Tufts University

Tulane University

University at Buffalo, State University of NY

University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Irvine

University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, San Diego

University of California, San Francisco

University of California, Santa Cruz

University of Chicago

University of Colorado Denver

University of Florida


H O W M A N Y P O S T D O C S A R E T H E R E ?

AccordingtotheNationalScienceFoundation(NSF),thelargestgrowthinthepostdoctoralpopulationoccurredbetween1981and1998.Thenumberof postdocsinuniversityscienceandengineeringdepartmentsmorethandou-bled,from18,000to39,000.In1998theestimatednumberof postdoctoralscholarswas52,000,withslightlymorethanhalf non-U.S.citizens.

Today,apostdoctoralappointmentisanecessaryrequirementforthosewhowish to have a long-term independent research career in the life sciences,physics,chemistry,andagrowingnumberof otherfields.Historically,institu-tionshavenotkeptaccuraterecordsof postdoctoralscholars,althoughmoreandmoreinstitutionsaredoingsotoday.Asaresult,itisnotclearpreciselyhowmanypostdoctoralscholarsarecurrentlyemployedintheUnitedStates,buttheNSFestimatestherearebetween30,800to63,400.18Theseestimatescoverdifferentsegmentsof thepostdocpopulation,includingpostdocswithresearchdoctoratesinscience,healthandengineeringfieldsfromU.S.univer-sities,butnotthosewithdoctoratesfromnon-U.S.universities;andpostdocsfromU.S. academic graduate departments, regardless of where these indi-vidualsearned theirdoctorate, thusmissingallpostdocswhoareemployedoutsideof academe.ThesenumbersalsodonotaccountforpostdocsinthehumanitiesintheUnitedStates.

TheNPA’smemberpostdoctoralofficesestimatetheyserveabout79,000post-doctoralscholars;thisnumberisthoughttobeclosertothetruetotal,thoughstill incomplete.This includesbothpostdocsemployedatnational labsandpostdocswhohaveearneddoctoratesoutsideof theUnitedStates.Anesti-mated60percent19areinternationalpostdocs,hereontemporaryvisas.

W H Y A R E T H E R E S O M A N Y P O S T D O C S ?

Thecurrentscienceandengineeringenterprisereliesheavilyonthepostdoc-toralpopulation,whocarryouta largeproportionof thenation’sresearch.Postdocs educate, train and supervise junior members, assist with writinggrant proposals and papers, oftentimes presenting their research at profes-sionalsocietymeetings,allthewhilebuildingtheircurriculumvitae.Conse-quentlythepostdochasbecomeaprerequisiteformostindividualsinscienceandengineeringseekingatenure-trackfacultyposition.20Somescientistsevenmovethroughmultiplepostdocpositions,sometimesbecausefundingranout,becauseof aconflictwiththeirprincipalinvestigator,ortheychoosetoworkinadifferentlablearninganewsetof skills.21

T H E H I S T O R Y O F T H E N AT I O N A L P O S T D O C T O R A L A S S O C I AT I O N

TheNPAisa501(c)(3)nonprofitassociationheadquarteredinWashington,D.C.foundedtoimprovethepostdoctoralexperiencebysupportingenhancedresearch traininganda cultureof enhancedprofessional growth tobenefitthescholarshipof innovation.TheNPAservesthepostdoctoralcommunity,including some2,800 individualmembers and167 InstitutionalSustainingMembers.Througheducation,advocacyandcommunitybuildingtheNPAsupportstheneedsof thepostdoctoralcommunity.Everyyear,theNPAholdsanAnnualMeeting,whichistheonlynationalvenuededicatedsolelytothe

2013 NPA Institutional Policy Survey Respondents (cont’d)

University of Georgia

University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Iowa

University of Kansas Medical Center

University of Maryland Baltimore

University of Massachusetts Medical School

University of Missouri Postdoctoral Association

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of Pennsylvania

University of Rochester

University of South Florida

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

University of Virginia

University of Wisconsin Madison

Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida

Van Andel Research Institute

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Tech

Washington University in St. Louis

Wayne State University

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Wistar Institute

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Wright State University

Yale University


4 Council of Graduate Schools and Educational Testing Service. (2012). Pathways through graduate school and into careers. Report from the commission on pathways through graduate school and into careers. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

5 Council of Graduate Schools and Educational Testing Service. (2012). Pathways through graduate school and into careers. Report from the commission on pathways through graduate school and into careers. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

6 National Science Foundation Division of Science Resource Statistics. (2014). Science and Engineering Labor Force. Science and engineering indicators 2014. (pp. 36, table 3-18). Arlington, VA: National Science Board.

7 Rudolph, F. (1962). The American college and university: A history. (pp. 244). New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.8 Rudolph, F. (1962). The American college and university: A history. (pp. 244). New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.9 Rudolph, F. (1962). The American college and university: A history. (pp. 244). New York, NY: Alferd A. Knopf.10 National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. (2000). Postdoctoral Scholars in US Institu-

tions. In Enhancing the postdoctoral experience for scientists and engineers: A guide for postdoctoral scholars, advisers, institutions, funding organizations, and disciplinary societies. (pp. 4). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

postdoctoralcommunity.In2009,theNPAlaunchedNationalPostdocAppreciationDaytoincreaseaware-ness of postdocs and to recognize the contributionstheymaketotheU.S.researchenterprise.In2010thiswasexpandedtoafullweek,NationalPostdocAppre-ciationWeek (NPAW). TheNPAactivelyadvocatesonbehalf of postdocsforincreasesinNationalInsti-tutesof Health(NIH)trainingstipends,requirementformentoringplansonNIHgrants,more indepen-dentfundingforpostdocs,betterbenefitsforpostdocs,andincreaseddatacollectiononpostdocs, includingtracking outcomes. The National Academy of Sci-ences, theOfficeof ScienceandTechnologyPolicyof theWhiteHouse,theNIH,andtheNSFhavecon-sultedwiththeNPAonsignificantpolicymattersandreportsforpostdoctoralscholars.

S E M I N A L R E P O R T S O N P O S T D O C TO R A L T R A I N I N G A N D T H E P O S T D O C TO R A L W O R K F O R C E

Beginningin1998,therewereaseriesof reportspub-lished that examined the postdoctoral scholar. TheAssociation of AmericanUniversities published theCommittee on Postdoctoral Education Report andRecommendations,whichdefinedapostdoctoralfel-low, and made recommendations to systematicallyincorporate postdoctoral education into the overallacademicprogram.22Inthesameyear,theNationalResearchCouncilpublishedTrendsintheEarlyCa-reersof LifeScientists,whichcharacterizedthepost-doctoralperiodasa“holdingpattern.”Datainthisreport showed38percentof life sciencePh.D.s stillheldpostdoctoralpositionsfive to sixyearsafter re-ceivingaPh.D.23 Thispublicationprovidedrecom-mendations such as the dissemination of career in-formationtoallpostdocs,andashiftinsupportfromresearchgrantstotraininggrantsandotherfundingmechanisms.

The National Academy of Science published En-hancingthePostdoctoralExperienceforScienceandEngineers:aGuideforPostdoctoralScholars,Advis-ers, Institutions, FundingOrganizations, andDisci-plinary Societies, also known as the Committee onScience,EngineeringandPublicPolicy(COSEPUP)report.Thisreportmaderecommendations toadvi-sors,institutions,fundingorganizations,anddisciplin-arysocietiesoncompensation,postdocpolicies,eval-uations,healthinsurance,timelimits,careerguidanceandtransitions.

The Federation of American Societies for Experi-mental Biology’s (FASEB) Individualized Develop-mentPlan(IDP)outlinedaplanningprocesstoassistpostdoctoral fellows in identifying career goals andincludedself-assessment,careerexploration,andgoalsettingcomponents.24TheIDPwasintendedtoim-provecommunicationbetween thepostdocand fac-ultymentor.Inthiscareerplanningprocess,postdocsareempoweredtotakechargeof theircareers.

Bridges to Independence called attention to the in-creasingageatwhichPh.D.researchersreceivetheirfirstNIHgrant.25 While repeatingprevious recom-mendations regarding the duration of the postdoc,increasingtraininggrants,andimprovingcareerad-vising,BridgestoIndependence’snotablerecommen-dations included: the blueprint for career transitiongrants (K99/R00),mentoringplans forpostdocsonR01grants,andenhanceddatacollection.Thatsameyear,theAmericanAssociationof MedicalCollege’s(AAMC)CompactBetweenPostdoctoralAppointeesandTheirMentorsoutlinedfourcoretenetsof post-doctoral training: institutional commitment, qualitytraining, importanceof mentoring,andflexibility incareerchoices,anddelineatedtheresponsibilitiesof bothpostdoctoralappointeesandtheirmentors.26


11 National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. (2000). Enhancing the postdoctoral experience for scientists and engineers: A guide for postdoctoral scholars, advisers, institutions, funding organizations, and disciplinary societies. Washing-ton, DC: The National Academies Press.

12 National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. (2000). Postdoctoral Scholars in US Institu-tions. In Enhancing the postdoctoral experience for scientists and engineers: A guide for postdoctoral scholars, advisers, institutions, funding organizations, and disciplinary societies. (pp. 5). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

13 Patton, S. (2014). “Between postdoc and job, a whole lot of questions.” Vitae. https://chroniclevitae.com/news/632-between-postdoc-and-job-a-whole-lot-of-questions.

14 National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. (2000). Postdoctoral Scholars in US Institu-tions. In Enhancing the postdoctoral experience for scientists and engineers: A guide for postdoctoral scholars, advisers, institutions, funding organizations, and disciplinary societies. (p. 6). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

15 Patton, S. (2014). “Between postdoc and job, a whole lot of questions.” Vitae. https://chroniclevitae.com/news/632-between-postdoc-and-job-a-whole-lot-of-questions.

16 National Postdoctoral Association. (2007). What is a postdoc? http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/policy-22/what-is-a-postdoc.17 National Postdoctoral Association. (2011). National Postdoctoral Association institutional survey on postdoctoral compensation, benefits, and

professional development opportunities. http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/membership-6/member-categories/sustaining-member/sustaining-toolkit.

18 National Science Foundation Division of Science Resource Statistics. (2014). Science and Engineering Labor Force. Science and engineering indicators 2014. (pp. 38). Arlington, VA: National Science Board.

19 National Science Foundation Division of Science Resource Statistics. (2010). Science and Engineering Labor Force. Science and engineering indicators 2010. Arlington, VA: National Science Board.

20 Dunn, D. (2014). “A Brief History of the Humanities Postdoc.” Vitae.https://chroniclevitae.com/news/593-a-brief-history-of-the-humanities-postdoc.

21 Dunn, S. (2014). “The rise of the post-post-postdoc.” Vitae. https://chroniclevitae.com/news/655-the-rise-of-the-post-post-postdoc.

22 Association of American Universities. (1998). Committee on Postdoctoral Education Report and Recommendations. https://www.aau.edu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=468.

23 National Research Council. (1998). Trends in the Early Careers of Life Scientists. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.24 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. (2002). Individualized development plan.

http://www.faseb.org/portals/2/pdfs/opa/idp.pdf.25 National Research Council. (2005). Bridges to independence: Fostering the independence of new investigators in biomedical research. Washing-

ton, DC: The National Academies Press,26 American Association of Medical College. (2005). Compact between postdoctoral appointees and their mentors.

https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/research/postdoccompact/.


To fully understand the needs and developsolutionstopostdocissues,comprehensivedatagatheringisneeded.TheSigmaXiPostdocSur-

vey27wasthefirstlarge-scalesurveyof individualU.S.postdocs administered through institutions. Of the22,000 postdocs thatwere contacted, 7,600 partici-patedinthesurvey.Itcreatedabroaderlookatwhatpolicies, benefits, and trainingprogramswere avail-able topostdocsacross thecountry.Findingsof thissurvey revealed that postdocs who had the greatestamount of structuredoversight and formal trainingweremuchmorelikelytosaytheyweresatisfied,givetheiradvisorshighratings,experiencefewerconflictswiththeiradvisorsandbemoreproductive.

Initial work on theNPA Institutional Policy Surveybegan in2012 through thegenerous supportof theBurroughsWellcome Fund and the Sloan Founda-tion.ThefirsttaskwastorevisethesurveyquestionsfromtheSigmaXi/NPAPostdocSurveyandcreatenewquestions for thenewsurvey.TheNPAInstitu-tionalPolicySurveyrequiredadministratorsrespon-sibleforpostdocaffairsattheirinstitutionstoanswerthesurvey;incontrast,theSigmaXiPostdocSurveyrequestedindividualpostdocstocompletethesurvey.The NPA surveyed postdoctoral offices (PDOs) togainamoreaccurateunderstandingof office struc-ture, operating budgets, and university polices andbenefitsthatpertaintopostdocs.

Eighty-sevenpossiblequestionswereaskedinanon-linesurveytoPDOs.TheNPAtaskforcespentagreatdealof timedecidinghowpostdocswouldbedefinedinregardstocompensationandbenefits.Aftermuchdeliberationfourcategoriesweredecidedupon:

Insitutionally Funded Postdoc Employees(PIresearchgrant)This indicates the classification(s) your institutiontypically uses for a postdoc funded on a principalinvestigator’sgrant.(e.g.RO1grant)

Methodology

Insitutionally Funded Postdoc Trainees(Institutionaltraininggrant)This indicates the classification(s) your institutiontypically uses for a postdoc funded on a principalinvestigator’sgrant.(e.g.T32traininggrant)

Individually Funded Postdocs(Individualfellowship)This indicates the classification(s) your institutiontypically uses for a postdoc funded by a fellowshipthat is paid to the institution. (e.g. AmericanHeartAssociationfellowship)

Externally Funded Postdocs(Externalfunding)This indicates the classification(s) your institutiontypicallyusesforapostdocfundedbyafellowshipthatispaiddirectlytothepostdoc.(e.g.Fellowshippaidbythepostdoc’shomecountry)

New questions created for the survey include thefunding and reporting structures of PDOs. Know-ingwhere PDOs reside in the organizational struc-tureof theirinstitutions,whofundsthePDO,whoisdesignatedtooverseepostdocaffairs,andhowmanyfull-timeemployeesaresolelydedicatedtopostdocaf-fairs,enablesinstitutionstocomparethisdatatopeerinstitutions.

“The NPA’s Institutional Policy Survey

is intended to be a longitudinal data

collection from our postdoc offices.

We will use this data to measure

the progress and growth of postdoc

services and benefits over time.”


InJuly2013,theInstitutionalPolicySurveywassenttoall167NPAInstitutionalSustainingMembers.Re-sponseswerereceivedthroughJanuary2014.Of the92institutionsthatstartedthesurvey,74institutionscompletedthesurvey.Ourresponseratewas55per-centforthosethatstartedthesurveyand44percentforthosethatfullycompletedthesurvey.Thesurveyiscomprisedof 87possiblequestions.Dependingonone’sanswertosomequestions,arespondentmayormaynotseeadditionalquestionsonaparticulartop-ic.Thesurveycouldbecumbersomeforaninstitutiontoanswer,dependingonthequantityof dataandthecomplexityof gathering thedataonan institution’spostdocpopulation.Thesurveycollecteddataonthefollowingareas:•Demographicsof theinstitutionandtheirpostdoc population•Structureof theinstitution’spostdocoffice•Postdocpolicies:lengthof appointment,postdoc handbook,exitsurvey•Postdoccompensationandbenefits•Careerandprofessionaldevelopmentservices•Otherinstitutionalservices

27 Davis, G. (2005). Doctors without orders. American Scientist 93(3), supplement. http://postdoc.sigmaxi.org/results/.28 National Postdoctoral Association. (2005). Recommendations for postdoctoral policies and practices.

http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/policy-22/institutional-policies/recommended-practices-for-institutions.

ToanalyzethedatafromtheInstitutionalPolicySur-vey,theNPAbenchmarkedhowpostdoctoralpoliciesand practices had developed since theNPA craftedtheRecommendations for Postdoctoral Policies andPracticesin2005.28Throughthecurrentreport,theNPA examines the state of the PDO and whethertheserecommendedpracticesandpolicieshavebeenachieved in the lastnineyears.TheNPA ispleasedthatmanyof therecommendationsoriginallydevel-oped are now widespread among the postdoctoralcommunity.Morereliabledataisstillneeded,howev-er,onthesizeof thepostdocpopulationoverall,theirdemographics,benefits,andtrainingopportunities.

TheNPA’sInstitutionalPolicySurvey is intendedtobealongitudinaldatacollectionfromourpostdocof-fices.Wewill use this data tomeasure the progressandgrowthof postdocservicesandbenefitsovertime.


P O S T D O C D E M O G R A P H I C S

The Institutional Policy Survey asked thequestion,“Whatpercentageof postdocsatyourinstitution is female and male?” The overall

postdoc population at respondent institutions is 56percentmaleand44percentfemale(see Figure 1).

56%44%

Figure1. Average Gender Percentage. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

DistributionofPercentageofPostdocsonTemporaryVisas

Figure2. Distribution of Percentage of Postdocs on Temporary Visas. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey..

AverageGenderPercentage

Women Men

Overview of Findings

1 2

7

12

23 22

6 4

0-9% 10-19% 30-39% 40-49% 50-59% 60-69% 70-79% 80-89%

Num

bero

fIns

titut

ions

Figure 2 shows the distribution of institutionsaccording to the percentage of postdocs on tempo-raryvisas.Themajorityof institutionsreportedthatinternational postdocs make-up over half of theirpostdoctoralpopulation(see Figure 2).

The diversity of the biomedical workforce is of paramount concern to government agencies andthepolicycommunity.TheNPAInstitutionalPolicySurveyasked,“Whatpercentageof postdocsatyourinstitution is from underrepresented groups?” Thedefinition used for underrepresented groups in thesurveyis29:• Peoplewithdisabilities,i.e.,whohaveaphysicalormentalimpairmentthatsubstantiallylimitsoneormoremajorlifeactivities.

• Peoplefromdisadvantagedbackgrounds.

• Racial and ethnic groups such as Blacks or Afri-can Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, AmericanIndiansorAlaskanNatives,andNativeHawaiiansorotherPacificIslanders.


R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S F O R P O S T D O C T O R A L P O L I C I E S A N D P R A C T I C E S

In2005, theNPAdeveloped theRecommendationsforPostdoctoralPoliciesandPractices.Theseinclud-ed:1)establishpostdoctoralpolicies (centralizedap-pointments,equalbenefits)2)establishapostdoctoraloffice3) utilize an IDPandannual review4)main-tain an international scholar office 5) create a post-doctoralhandbookand6) offer careerdevelopmentservices. These recommendations were updated in2014toincludespecificrecommendationsregardingestablishingapostdoctoralassociation,definingwhatapostdocisandtheemploymentcategorizationtheyoccupy: fellow,employeeorscholar.Inaddition, theNPA recommended facilitating effective mentoringandpersonal responsibility through career planningwith an annual review, providing career counsel-ing and development services, providing a fair andequitable benefits package to all postdocs, nationalandinternational,atthesameinstitution,andallow-ingmatchedcontributions toa retirementprogram.TheoriginalrecommendationscalledforestablishingaDiversityOffice to ensure diversity and inclusion,and theupdated recommendations seek to establishformalrecruitmentmechanismstoincreasediversity

TypeofInstitutionsthatRespondedtotheSurvey

Figure4. Type of Institutions that Responded to the Survey. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

The size of the postdoctoral population served byPDOs varies widely between institutions, from 25to more than 2001 postdocs. Thirteen percent of PDOsservelessthan100postdocs.Eighteenpercentof PDOs serve between 751 – 1500 postdocs. Andonlytwopercentof PDOsserveabove1500postdocs(see Figure 5).

DistributionofthePercentageofPostdocsfromUnderrepresentedGroups

Figure3. Distribution of the Percentage of Postdocs from Underrepresented Groups..

Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

2523

5

4 3

Num

bero

fIns

titut

ions

6-10% 11-15% 16-20% 21%andabove

0- 5%

amongthepostdoctoralpopulationandtocreatesup-port systems that improve retention and success of postdocs fromunderrepresentedandnon-traditionalbackgrounds.

P O S T D O C T O R A L O F F I C E S ( P D O )

TheNPA’sRecommendations forPoliciesandPrac-ticesstatesthatthepresenceof bothaPDO(staffedbypermanentemployees)andapostdoctoralassocia-tion(PDA)(runbythepostdocsthemselves)facilitatesopen communication with the administration andgivespostdocsanindependentavenuetoprovidein-put to the administration. In 2003, when the NPAstarted,therewerelessthan25PDOs.In2014,thereare167NPAInstitutionalSustainingMembers.

The types of institutions in the NPA InstitutionalPolicy Survey include private (52 percent), public(45 percent), and government (3 percent) (see Figure 4).ManyPDOsarehousedwithinmedical schools,where the first PDOs began. Sixty-eight of theninety-twoPDOswhorespondedtothissurveyresideinmedicalschools.

5

45%

PublicPrivate

Government3%

52%

Ahandfulof institutionsreportedlargerpercentagesof postdocs fromunderrepresented groups, but themajority of institutions reported their percentageof postdocs from underrepresented groups was 10percentorless(see Figure 3).


Percentage of Institutions

Training O ce

Human Resources

Central Administration

An Administrative Dean

Other

Provost/President/Chancellor

An Academic Dean

Research A airs

Graduate School 26%

19%

14%

13%

10%

8%

5%

4%

1%

Postdoctoral offices vary widely in how theyare structured. Eighty-three percent of PDOsreport they are separate units, not housedwithin adepartment,division,orexecutiveofficewithintheirinstitutions, while 17 percent are not. PDOs mostfrequently report to the graduate school (26 per-cent),researchaffairs(19percent),anacademicdean(14percent),or theofficeof thepresident/provost/

PDOReportingStructure

Figure6. PDO Reporting Structure...Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

chancellor(13percent)(see Figure 6).Incontrast,PDOfundingmost frequently comes from the president/provost (23percent),researchaffairs (20percent),orgraduateschool(20percent)(see Figure 7). Thus,whilePDOsmostfrequentlyreporttothegraduateschool,theyaremostfrequentlyfundedbytheofficeof thepresident/provost.

NumberofPostdocs

Figure5. Number of Postdocs..Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

<50

Perc

enta

ge o

f Ins

titut

ions

51-100

101-200

201-300

301-500

501-750

751-1,000

1,001-1,500

1,501-2,000

>2,001

8%5%

14%17%

21%

15%

9% 9%

1% 1%


O P E R AT I N G B U D G E T S

Thirty-nine percent of PDOs do not have anannual operating budget beyond the salary of thePDOadministrator(s)(theymaybeapartof someoneelse’sadministrativebudget).Seventypercentof theinstitutions state theyhave an operatingbudget lessthan$40,000(see Figure 8).

An Academic Department Chair

Other

Human Resources

An Administrative Dean

An Academic Dean

Central Administration

Graduate School

Provost/President/Chancellor


PDOFundingSources

Figure7. PDO Funding Sources..Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

Figure8showstheaveragenumberof postdocsservedbyeachbudgetamountcategory.Postdoctoralofficesthat had no budget served 323 postdocs, and thosethathadbetween$1000-$9,999served238postdocs.Postdoctoral offices with larger budgets of $40,000andaboveserveabove300postdocs,andthosethathave$80,000-99,000budgetsservethe largestnum-berof postdocs,751.

PDOAnnualOperatingBudgetsandAverageNumberofPostdocsServed

323

238

439 182 472 344751 334

443

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

NoBudget

$1,000-$9,999

$10,000-$19,999

$20,000-$39,999

$40,000-$59,999

$60,000-$79,999

$80,000-$99,999

$100,000-$200,000

above$200,000

Perc

enta

ge o

f Ins

titut

ions

Figure8. PDO Annual Operating Budgets and Average Number of Postdocs Served..Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

Averagenumberofpostdocsserved

10%

17%

20%

20%

23%

4%

3%

2%

1%

1%


P O S T D O C T O R A L P O L I C I E S Administrative policies recommended by the NPA’sRecommendations for Postdoctoral Policies andPractices include misconduct, grievances, author-ship disputes and concerns related to intellectualproperty. As institutions recognize its postdoctoralpopulation has unique needs and concerns that dif-fersubstantiallyfromothersintheuniversity/institutepopulation, it can create and implement policiesthat pertain specifically to postdoctoral scholars.Policies should include whether postdocs are treat-edas employees inall casesoronly in certain cases(e.g.bysourceof funding).Whileitisnotnecessarytocreatenewpoliciesforeverycircumstance,institutionsshouldclearlydefinewhichexistingpoliciesapplyordonotapplytopostdocs.Postdocspecificpoliciesthat

InstitutionalAdministrativePolicies

Institutional policies that include postdocs

Postdoc specific policies

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

None of the above

Termination Policy

Grievance Policy

Authorship Policy

Responsible Conduct of Research Policy

Misconduct Policy

Intellectual Property Policy

Sexual Harassment Policy

Figure9. Institutional Administrative Policies..Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

should be clearly delineated include administrative,training,andbenefitspolicies.

Institutions were asked to identify the type of poli-cies in place for postdocs. At many institutions,postdocs are covered under institutional policies.Postdoc-specific policies were more common fortermination, grievance, and responsible conduct of researchpolicies.WhenPDOswereaskedaboutinsti-tution-widepoliciesthatincludedpostdocs,88percentstatedtheyhadamisconductpolicy,71percenthadagrievancepolicy,75percenthadanauthorshippolicy,97 percent had an intellectual property policy, and86percenthadaResponsibleConductof ResearchPolicy(see Figure 9).



Handbook for PostdocsTheNPA’sRecommendations for Postdoctoral Poli-cies and Practices suggest that institutionsmaintainahandbook that includes importantpolicy informa-tion,aswellaslocalinformation,asanindispensablereferenceandresourceforpostdocs.Ideally,thishand-bookwouldbeproducedasacollaborativeeffortbe-tweenthePDO,thePDA,theinternationalscholarsoffice,andthehumanresourcesoffice.Amongotherresources, thehandbookshouldcontain informationon the implications of funding support from train-ing grants (individual and institutional) versus re-search grants; authorship and intellectual propertypolicies; and an overview of conflict resolution andmisconductpolicieswithcontactinformationfortheappropriate ombudsman office. Postdocs should beprovidedwith a hard copy of this document at thestart of their training. Additionally, this documentshouldbeeasilyaccessibleonlineforfuturereference.The majority of institutions are not providing thisresource(see Figure 10).

PostdocHandbook

Figure10.Postdoc Handbook..Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

AppointmentsThe NPA’s Recommendations for Postdoctoral Poli-cies and Practices advises that institutions adopt aspecificprocessforappointingpostdocs.Thisprocesswillenableaninstitutiontoknowpreciselyhowmanypostdocsworkattheirinstitution,andtoevaluatetheworkingconditionsof theirpostdoctoralscholars.Anappointmentletterdetailingthetermsof theappoint-ment,verifyingtheexistenceof sufficientfundsfortheduration of employment, delineating conditions forre-appointment, detailing stipend information, andexplaining benefits, should be part of this process.The letter should be submitted to the PDO if suchan office exists, in addition to the department chairordean.Theappointmentprocessshouldbeuniform

Figure11.Appointment Process. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

Themajorityof institutionscapthelengthof postdoctoralappointmentatfiveyears(see Figure 12).Fifty-sevenpercentstatethemaximumlengthof timethatanindividualcanbeclassifiedasapostdocdoesnotincludepreviousyearsof experienceinthecurrentlengthof appointment,and43percentmaintainitisincludedinthecurrentappointment.

AppointmentProcess

Figure12. Maximum Postdoc Term Limit. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

MaximumPostdocTermLimit

Perc

enta

ge o

f Ins

titut

ions

andensure thatpostdocsareawareof the termsof theirappointmentandthatsufficientfundsareavail-abletoprovidefinancialsupportforthedurationof theirappointments.

Postdoctoralofficeswereaskedif theyhadacentral-izedappointmentprocess.Eighty-sevenpercentsaidtheydid centralize theprocess, and13percent saidtheydidnot(see Figure 11).

3 4 5 6Years

7

42%58% Yes

Yes

No

No

87%

13%

6% 10%

63%

19%

2%


Orientation ProgramProvidinganorientationprogramfornewpostdocsissuggestedintheNPA’sRecommendationsforPostdoc-toralPoliciesandPractices.Anorientationshouldbeheldwithinthefirstthreemonthsof apostdocstartingatan institution so thepostdoc is awareof services,programs,andbenefitsthatareavailabletothem.Sev-entypercentof PDOssaidtheywereofferinganori-entationprogramand30percentsaidtheywerenot (see Figure 13).

Figure13.Orientation ProgramSource: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

OrientationProgram

Exit SurveyThe NPA’s Recommendations for Postdoctoral Poli-cies and Practices propose that institutions conductexitsurveyswithpostdoctoralscholarstoobtainfeed-back regarding the success of the postdoctoral pro-gramandtotrackthecareerpursuitsof thepostdocs.Maintainingsuchoutcomedatawouldhelpestablishanalumninetworkandenablepolicydecisionstobedrivenbydata.Additionally,reliableinformationfrominstitutions would provide valuable data regarding

Figure14.Exit Survey ProvidedSource: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

ExitSurveyProvided

the scientificworkforce.These surveyswould ideallybe conducted by the administrative body overseeingpostdoctoralresearchataninstitutionbut,regardless,should be conducted by an impartial entity and insuchawayastoencouragehonestfeedbackwithoutfearof reprisal.

According to the Institutional Policy Survey, only45 percent administer an exit survey (see Figure 14).Themajorityof institutions (77percent) stated theydidnothaveamechanismfortrackingpostdocsaftertheyleavetheirinstitutions,while23percentsaidtheywereabletotracktheirpostdocs.

Annual SurveyUtilizinganannualsurveyprovidesPDOsandPDAswith valuable information regarding the needs andconcernsof theirpostdoctoralpopulation.Manyin-stitutionsconductanannualsurveywherequestionsare asked about satisfaction with current position(50 percent), evaluation of programs offered(63 percent), incoming expectations (20 percent),careerplans(40percent)andemploymentoutcomes(43percent)(see Figure 15).

30%

70%

Yes

Yes

No

No

45%55%

Figure15.Type of Data Collected by PDO Surveys of Their Postdocs. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

TypeofDataCollectedbyPDOSurveysofTheirPostdocs

Incoming Expectations

Career Plans

Exit/Employment Outcomes

Satisfaction with Current Position

20%

40%

43%

50%

63%



T R A I N I N G P O L I C I E S

The NPA’s Recommendations for PostdoctoralPolicies and Practices states training policies shouldinclude professional development, career develop-ment, establishing a time frame for postdoctoraltransitiontoindependence,facilitatingeffectivemen-toring, and providing career counseling and profes-sionaldevelopmentservices.

Professional Development ProgramsPostdoctoral offices are offering a wide range of professional development programs for postdocs.These include grant proposal writing, manuscript/scientific writing,mock study sections, labmanage-ment for an academic, teaching skills, presentationskills, negotiation skills, interpersonal skills, respon-sible conduct of research, diversity and outreachprograms, English language training, internationallegalissues,andtimemanagement.

Of theseofferings,thetypesof workshopsthatPDOsoffermost oftenaregrantproposalwriting (94per-cent), responsible conduct of research (93 percent),presentationskills(77percent),andteachingskills(75percent).Fewerinstitutionsofferedtimemanagement(41 percent), international legal issues (33 percent),mockstudysessions(33percent),projectmanagementfor an academia (28 percent), and projectmanage-mentforindustry(22percent)(see Figure 16).

Figure16. Professional Development Programs. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

ProfessionalDevelopmentPrograms

“The majority of institutions

(77 percent) stated they did not have

a mechanism for tracking postdocs

after they leave their institutions,

while 23 percent said they were able

to track their postdocs.”

Project Management for an industry setting

Project Management for an academic setting

Mock Study Sections

International Legal Issues

Time Management

Diversity and Outreach Programs

&Lab Management for an academic setting

English Language Training

Interpersonal Skills

Negotiation Skills

Teaching Skills

Presentation Skills

Responsible Conduct of Research

Grant Proposal Writing

22%

28%

33%

33%

41%

46%

52%

58%

59%

61%

68%

75%

77%


93%

94%


“Overall, few PDOs offer

project management for

an industry setting, mock study

sections, and international

legal issues programs.”

Postdoctoral offices serving 750 or more postdocsoffer more programs than other PDOs, includingpresentationskills (94percent),negotiationskills (94percent) and manuscript/scientific writing (88 per-cent).Overall, fewPDOsofferprojectmanagementforanindustrysetting,mockstudysections,andinter-national legal issuesprograms(see Figure 17). PDOsserving less than100postdocsoffer fewerprogramsoverall. Programs in project management are not

widelyoffered,regardlessof thenumberof postdocsserved,despitethefactthatprojectmanagementskillsenable postdocs to establish priorities, develop timemanagement competencies, collaborate (intra/inter-lab), develop a strategic plan, develop and managebudgets,andtrackmaterialandequipmentuse.Manyof these skills are recommendedby theNPA’sCoreCompetencies.30

Individualized Development PlanAn individualized development plan (IDP) is adocument that outlines one’s developmental objec-tivesandcareergoalsandprovidesaplanningprocessforattainingthem.Itistypicallydevelopedjointlybytheemployeeandsupervisor,or in thecaseof post-docs, by the postdoc and the postdoc supervisor. Inthisway, itcanserveasamechanism forenhancingcommunicationandmentoringbetweenthetwo.

Figure17. Professional Development Programs Offered by Postdoc Size. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

ProfessionalDevelopmentProgramsOfferedbyPostdocSize

Color Key.

. 0% - 24% 50% - 74% 90% - 100%

25% - 49% 75% - 89%

.. N U M B E R O F P O S T D O C S

. <100 101–200 201–300 301–500 501–750 750+

Grant Proposal Writing 100% 92% 100% 87% 100% 100%

Responsible Conduct of Research 100% 77% 85% 93% 92% 100%

Presentation Skills 67% 69% 77% 73% 83% 94%

Teaching Skills 33% 69% 77% 80% 92% 81%

Manuscript/Scientific Writing 67% 54% 54% 73% 67% 88%

Negotiation Skills 17% 46% 46% 67% 75% 94%

Interpersonal Skills 17% 54% 46% 53% 58% 88%

English Language Training 33% 62% 38% 67% 75% 56%

Lab Management for an academic setting 17% 46% 54% 33% 75% 69%

Diversity and Outreach Programs 33% 46% 46% 40% 42% 69%

Time Management 0% 46% 23% 33% 58% 63%

International Legal Issues 17% 23% 31% 27% 25% 56%

Mock Study Sections 17% 46% 31% 20% 42% 38%

Project Management for an academic setting 17% 38% 8% 27% 33% 44%

Project Management for an industry setting 0% 31% 0% 20% 17% 50%

*Percentages are of those that do offer the program.. . . . . . .


CareerServicePrograms

Themajorityof PDOs(47percent)requireIDPsorencouragethem(37per-cent)although16percentdonot (see Figure 18).Sixty-eightpercentof supervi-sors/principalinvestigators/mentorsstatedthattheyhelpwithdevelopingtheIDPs,howeveronly9percentsaidtheyrequiredtohelp,and19percentwerenotrequiredtohelpwithIDPs.

Figure18. Individualized Development Plans. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

IndividualizedDevelopmentPlans

University of California Berkeley’s Pronouncing American English (PAE)

Penn Center for Innovation Fellows Program

The VocalEase nine-week course on Pronouncing American English (PAE) is designed to help postdocs gain confi-dence in English, be understood more easily, and develop techniques for continued learning. Emphasis is placed upon speaking the sounds that are most difficult and saying challenging words and specialized vocabu-lary. Participants practice social customs for effective communication in person and over the phone, in social and academic settings.

The Penn Center for Innovation (PCI) Fellows Program is an experiential education program that was launched in the fall of 2008. It is available to graduate (Master’s degree/doctoral degree/Master of Business Administration) students and postdoctoral fellows at the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on the schools of medicine, engineering, arts and sciences, and business. The program concentrates on providing sup-port for the assessment of the commercial potential of new technologies disclosed to PCI. PCI fellows are exposed to a wide range of emerging technologies and commercial-ization opportunities in the life sciences, physical sciences, and nanotechnology ar-eas. Participants interact with professionals across multiple areas within PCI. The pro-gram includes both instructional and expe-riential components.

Career DevelopmentFor career development, PDOs offer career exploration/programs/panelsandtalksmostfrequently(84percent),jobsearchskillsworkshops(includinginterviewing, negotiating) (70 percent), andnetworking events (77 percent).Other, less frequent career development offerings include individual careercounseling appointments (59 percent), formal career interest assessments(Strong Interest Inventory,etc.) (26percent),on-campus interviews (14per-cent),andon-sitevisitstolocalemployers(17percent)(see Figure 19).

Figure19. Career Service Programs. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

e

s

s

s

s

s

s

s

NotApplicabl

On-CampusInterviews

On-SiteVisitstoLocalEmployer

FormalCareerInterestAssessment

CareerLibrary

MockInterviews

EmployerPresentations

Career-relatedWebsiteResource

Self-AssessmentPrograms/Workshops

IndividualDevelopmentPlanWorkshops

AcademicJobSearchProgram

CareerFairs

IndividualCareerCounselingAppointment

JobSearchSkillsWorkshops

CV/CoverLetterReview

NetworkingEvent

CareerExplorationPrograms/Panels/Talks

3%

14%

17%

26%

35%

45%

46%

54%

54%

59%

62%

70%

77%

84%

51%

38%

38%


Yes,required

Notrequired

Yes,encouraged

47%37%

16%


ForPDOs serving less than100postdocs,program-ming around academic job search, formal careerassessments,onsitevisitstolocalemployers,andca-reer libraryandcareer-relatedwebsite resourcesareoffered themost. Curriculum vitae (CV) and coverletter review are offered by themajority of institu-tions serving 500 postdocs ormore, but only by 17percentbyinstitutionsservinglessthan100postdocs.

Figure20. Career Services Programs Offered by Postdoc Size. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

CareerServicesProgramsOfferedbyPostdocSize

Color Key.

. 0% - 24% 50% - 74% 90% - 100%

25% - 49% 75% - 89%

Mockinterviewswerenotofferedbyinstitutionslessthan100,butwereconductedregularlybyinstitutionsgreater than501 (see Figure 20).MostPDOsareof-feringCV/coverletterreviews,IDPs,andindividualcareer counseling appointments. These individualappointments give postdocs an opportunity to beadvisedbyacareerservicesprofessionalinonetoonesessionsthatcanhelpguidetheircareerplans.

. N U M B E R O F P O S T D O C S . . . .

. <100 101–200 201–300 301–500 501–750 750+Career Exploration Programs/Panels/Talks 67% 90% 69% 86% 82% 100%

Networking Events 67% 20% 31% 29% 18% 6%.

Job Search Skills Workshops . 17% 70% 69% 64% 73% 88%

CV / Cover Letter Reviews 17% 70% 62% 64% 82% 94%

Individual Career Counseling Appointments 17% 70% 38% 57% 64% 88%

Career Fairs 83% 30% 62% 43% 55% 31%

Academic Job Search Programs 100% 50% 85% 36% 36% 13%

Individual Development Plan Workshops 33% 40% 31% 50% 73% 69%

Self-Assessment Programs/Workshops 33% 60% 38% 29% 45% 69%

Career-related Web site Resources 83% 40% 69% 71% 55% 31%

Employer Presentations 100% 60% 92% 57% 45% 44%

Mock Interviews 0% 50% 8% 21% 73% 56%

Career Library 83% 80% 92% 64% 55% 38%

Formal Career Interest Assessments 100% 60% 85% 93% 55% 50%

On-Site Visits to Local Employers 100% 80% 92% 86% 82% 63%

On-Campus Interviews 100% 90% 100% 93% 64% 75%

*Percentages are of those that do offer the program.. . . . . . .


B E N E F I T S P O L I C I E S

TheNPA’sRecommendations for Postdoctoral Poli-cies andPractices advocate that institutions providea comprehensive, fair, and equitable benefits pack-agetopostdocs,comparabletothatwhichisreceivedbyother full-timeemployeesat thesame institution.Postdocs should receive a benefits package that iscommensuratewithother full-timeemployeesat theinstitution. This benefits package should minimallyinclude health and dental insurance plans for post-docs.Additionally,institutionsshouldprovidepoliciesforvacationandsickdaysallowedforpostdocsaswellasforfamilyleavebenefits.

Postdoc Minimum StipendsManyinstitutionsadopttheNIH’sRuthL.KirschsteinNational Research Service Award (NRSA) stipendscaleasaminimumfordepartmentsfundedthroughtheNIH.TheNRSAscaleprovidesabaselinestipendforpostdocswhohaverecentlygraduatedandadjustsupwardsbasedonthenumberof yearsof experience.

Fifty-two percent of PDOs are offering the NIH’sNRSA stipend scale of $39,264 (raised to $42,000in 2014) as theirminimumpostdoc stipend at their

Figure21. Postdoc Minimum Stipends. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

PostdocMinimumStipends

10%

0%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

$32,000 - $33,999

$30,000 - $31,999

$23,000 - 29,999

$34,000 - $35,999

$36,000 - $37,999

$38,000 - $39,999

$40,000 - $41,999

$42,000 - $43,999

$44,000 - $45,999

$46,000 - $47,999

$48,000 - $49,999

$50,000 - $59,999

$60,000 - $69,999

$70,000 - $79,999

Perc

enta

ge o

f Ins

titut

ions

2013 NIH minimum, $39,264

institution (see Figure 21). Eighty-nine percent of PDOshaveaminimumstipendpolicyestablishedfortheirpostdocs,and93percentthathaveaminimumstipendpolicyrequireitismet.

Health BenefitsThe Institutional Policy Survey indicates thatall four types of funded postdocs receive health,dental, and vision insurance with institutionallyfunded postdoc employees (those on their princi-pal investigator’sresearchgrant)receivingthemostcoverage: 95 percent for single and family healthinsurance,91percentand95percentforsingleandfamilydental,and80percent for singleand familyvision.If apostdocisinstitutionallyfunded(byinsti-tutionalgrants,T32)orfundedbyindividualfellow-ships (e.g. AmericanHeart Association fellowship),their coverage for health and dental insurance isbetween77-82percent;howevercoverageforsingleand family vision insurance drops down to 67-69percent.Externally fundedpostdocs (e.g. fellowshippaidbythepostdoc’shomecountry)havethelowestfundingforcoverageof alltypes(see Figure 22).


Figure22. Health, Dental, and Vision Benefits. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

Health,Dental,andVisionBenefits

Family Friendly BenefitsGiventhatmanypostdocsareatastageof lifewhenestablishingafamilyisas important as their professional development, institutions should ex-tend family-friendly benefits to all postdocs.These benefits should include:adherencetothefamilyandmedicalleaveactfornon-employees,maternity/paternityleave,accesstoon-sitechildcareand/orsubsidies,accesstodepen-dentcoverageforhealthinsurance,supportprogramsforforeignspouses,andpart-timestatusforpostdocs.

Retirement programGiventheincreasingageof postdocsandlengthof timespentasapostdoc,theopportunitytocontributetoretirementaccountsisanimportantresource.Recognizing the temporary nature of the postdoctoral position, institu-tions should establish special rules for vesting by postdocs and for allowingemployer-matchedcontributions.


FamilyVisionInsurance

SingleVisionInsurance

FamilyDentalInsurance

SingleDentalInsurance

FamilyHealthInsurance

SingleHealthInsurance

Postdoc Classifications

Institutionally Funded Postdoc Employees (PI research grant) This indicates the classification(s) your insti-tution typically uses for a postdoc funded on a principal investigator’s grant. (e.g. RO1 grant)

Institutionally Funded Postdoc Trainees (Institutional training grant) This indicates the classification(s) your insti-tution typically uses for a postdoc funded on a principal investigator’s grant. (e.g. T32 training grant)

Individually Funded Postdocs (Individual fellowship) This indicates the classification(s) your insti-tution typically uses for a postdoc funded by a fellowship that is paid to the institution. (e.g. American Heart Association fellowship)

Externally Funded Postdocs (External funding) This indicates the classification(s) your insti-tution typically uses for a postdoc funded by a fellowship that is paid directly to the postdoc. (e.g. Fellowship paid by the postdoc’s home country)

“Externally funded postdocs

(e.g. fellowship paid by

the postdoc’s home country)

have the lowest funding for

coverage of all types.”

29 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. NIAID Glossary of Funding and Policy Terms and Acronyms—U. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/glossary/Pages/u.aspx.

30 National Postdoctoral Association. (2009). The NPA core competencies. http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/publications-5/competencies.

Institutionally Funded Postdoc Employees

Institutionally Funded Postdoc Trainees

Individually Funded Postdocs

Externally Funded Postdoc

46%

49%

56%

56%

61%

67%

68%

69%

82%

81%

85%

88%

67%

67%

80%

77%

83%

85%

80%

80%

95%

91%

95%

95%


InsuranceBenefitsOfferedbyPostdocSize

T Y P E S O F I N S U R A N C EVisionHealth Dental DisabilityLife

Figure23. Insurance Benefits Offered by Postdoc Size. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

Color Key

0% - 24% 50% - 74% 90% - 100%

25% - 49% 75% - 89%

Single Two-Party Family Single Two-Party Family Single Two-Party Family Short-Term Long-Term

< 100 PostdocsInstitutionally Funded 83% 50% 83% 67% 50% 83% 83% 33% 67% 67% 33% 33%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 67% 33% 67% 50% 33% 67% 67% 33% 67% 50% 33% 33%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 71% 29% 71% 57% 29% 71% 71% 29% 71% 57% 29% 43%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 57% 14% 43% 43% 14% 43% 57% 14% 43% 29% 29% 29%

101 – 200 PostdocsInstitutionally Funded 92% 67% 92% 92% 50% 92% 83% 50% 92% 92% 100% 100%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 92% 67% 92% 92% 50% 92% 83% 50% 92% 58% 67% 58% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 92% 62% 85% 85% 54% 77% 85% 46% 85% 54% 62% 54%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 62% 31% 62% 62% 15% 62% 54% 15% 62% 31% 31% 31%

201 – 300 Postdocs Institutionally Funded 100% 83% 100% 100% 83% 100% 83% 83% 83% 67% 67% 50%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 83% 58% 75% 75% 50% 67% 58% 50% 58% 50% 50% 33%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 86% 50% 79% 79% 50% 79% 57% 43% 57% 50% 43% 36%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 57% 36% 50% 50% 36% 50% 43% 36% 43% 29% 14% 14%



750+ Postdocs Institutionally Funded 100% 75% 100% 100% 75% 100% 88% 75% 88% 100% 75% 75%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 100% 75% 100% 100% 75% 100% 81% 69% 81% 81% 69% 69%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 100% 75% 100% 100% 75% 100% 81% 63% 81% 69% 63% 63%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 81% 63% 81% 75% 63% 75% 63% 56% 63% 38% 38% 44%


Figure24. Time Off and Parental Leave Policies by Postdoc Size. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey

TimeOffandParentalLeavePoliciesbyPostdocSizeT Y P E S O F T I M E O F F A N D L E AV E

* holiday, personal, vacation, sick ** other than vacation/sick & income provided through disability insurance *** other than vacation/sick time

Color Key

0% - 24% 50% - 74% 90% - 100%

25% - 49% 75% - 89%

Paid Unpaid Paid Unpaid Paid Unpaid Time-off * Time-off * Maternity ** Maternity Paternity *** Paternity < 100 PostdocsInstitutionally Funded 100% 33% 50% 83% 50% 67% Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 83% 33% 33% 67% 17% 67% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 86% 43% 29% 71% 29% 71% PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 57% 43% 29% 57% 14% 43% 101 – 200 PostdocsInstitutionally Funded 67% 33% 42% 75% 42% 67%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 50% 42% 42% 67% 42% 50% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 54% 46% 46% 62% 46% 54%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 31% 23% 23% 38% 23% 23% 201 – 300 Postdocs Institutionally Funded 100% 67% 33% 81% 25% 50%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 67% 42% 17% 58% 17% 58%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 64% 43% 21% 36% 14% 43%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 43% 43% 14% 36% 7% 43% 301 – 500 Postdocs Institutionally Funded 87% 80% 27% 67% 13% 60%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 67% 60% 20% 47% 13% 47%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 75% 56% 25% 50% 13% 44%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 56% 38% 13% 38% 6% 38% 501 – 750 Postdocs Institutionally Funded 83% 58% 25% 50% 25% 50%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 67% 50% 17% 50% 17% 50%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 33% 42% 17% 25% 8% 25%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 8% 25% 8% 17% 0% 17% 750+ Postdocs Institutionally Funded 83% 58% 81% 50% 25% 50%Postdoc Employee Institutionally Funded 94% 81% 81% 75% 69% 69%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 88% 75% 69% 69% 56% 63%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 75% 75% 63% 63% 44% 56%


Figure25. Family Friendly Benefits Offered by Postdoc Size. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

FamilyFriendlyBenefitsOfferedbyPostdocSize

Color Key

0% - 24% 50% - 74% 90% - 100%

25% - 49% 75% - 89%

Adoption Access to On-site Subsidized Child Care Tuition Transportation Discounted Assistance Child Care Facility Child Care Costs Scholarships Assistance Assistance Athletic Membership < 100 PostdocsInstitutionally Funded 33% 17% 0% 0% 17% 17% 0% Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 17% 17% 0% 0% 17% 17% 0% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 29% 29% 14% 14% 29% 29% 14% PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 14% 14% 14% 14% 14% 14% 14% 101 – 200 PostdocsInstitutionally Funded 25% 33% 17% 17% 58% 50% 58%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 17% 25% 17% 8% 25% 42% 50% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 15% 38% 15% 8% 23% 38% 54%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 15% 31% 23% 0% 15% 31% 46% 201 – 300 Postdocs Institutionally Funded 17% 50% 17% 17% 33% 33% 42%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 0% 50% 8% 0% 8% 17% 42%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 0% 36% 7% 0% 14% 21% 36%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 0% 29% 7% 0% 7% 14% 29% 301 – 500 Postdocs Institutionally Funded 27% 60% 20% 13% 33% 33% 27%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 13% 47% 20% 13% 13% 27% 20%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 13% 38% 19% 19% 25% 25% 31%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 6% 44% 19% 6% 6% 19% 13% 501 – 750 Postdocs Institutionally Funded 17% 58% 17% 8% 50% 58% 25%Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 17% 50% 17% 8% 33% 33% 25%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 8% 42% 8% 0% 8% 8% 17%Postdoc Externally Funded Postdoc 0% 33% 8% 8% 0% 0% 17% 750+ Postdocs Institutionally Funded 17% 58% 17% 8% 50% 58% 25%Postdoc Employee Institutionally Funded 25% 69% 19% 31% 50% 50% 44%Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 19% 69% 19% 31% 31% 44% 50%PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 0% 44% 6% 13% 13% 19% 25%


RetirementandOtherEmployeeBenefitsOfferedbyPostdocSize

Figure26. Retirement and Other Employee Benefits Offered by Postdoc Size. Source: NPA, 2014, Institutional Policy Survey.

Color Key

0% - 24% 50% - 74% 90% - 100%

25% - 49% 75% - 89%

Matched Contribution Indiv Tax-deferred Flexible Employee Assistance to Retirement Plan Retirement Plan Spending Account Program < 100 PostdocsInstitutionally Funded 67% 50% 67% 67% Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 50% 33% 67% 50% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 57% 29% 71% 57% PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 29% 14% 29% 29% 101 – 200 PostdocsInstitutionally Funded 67% 75% 75% 92% Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 25% 33% 42% 50% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 31% 23% 38% 46% PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 15% 23% 31% 38% 201 – 300 Postdocs Institutionally Funded 42% 83% 83% 67% Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 17% 58% 42% 50% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 0% 36% 43% 50% PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 0% 21% 29% 50% 301 – 500 Postdocs Institutionally Funded 40% 87% 73% 73% Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 7% 27% 13% 33% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 13% 31% 25% 44% PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 6% 19% 6% 19% 501 – 750 Postdocs Institutionally Funded 58% 83% 67% 75% Postdoc EmployeeInstitutionally Funded 33% 50% 42% 67% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 8% 25% 8% 42% PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 8% 17% 0% 17% 750+ Postdocs Institutionally Funded 58% 83% 67% 75% Postdoc Employee Institutionally Funded 6% 44% 38% 75% Trainee PostdocIndividually Funded 0% 31% 25% 56% PostdocExternally Funded Postdoc 0% 13% 6% 44%


Using the NPA’s Recommendations for Post-doctoralPoliciesandPracticesasaguide,wecommend the growth of postdoc offices to

provide a needed support system, advocacy, educa-tion,andresourcesforpostdocsthatwouldnotexistwithouttheirpresence.TheNPAInstitutionalPolicyReportdatahighlightareasneedingimprovementtoincreaseequityandservicesforpostdocs.

F U N D I N G

Some operating budgets of PDOs are low andsuggestalackof commitmenttopostdocsandsupportservices (see Figure 8). Institutions should givePDOsadequatebudgets to fundpostdoc services thathelppostdocs connect with critical resources and obtaineffectivecareerguidance.

H E A LT H C A R E I N S U R A N C E

Institutionalpolicies forobtaininghealthcare insur-anceshouldclearlystatewhetherpostdocsaretreatedasemployeesinallcasesoronlyincertaincases(e.g.bysourceof funding).Postdocs thatareclassifiedasexternallyfundedpostdocsreceivefewhealth,dental,andvisioninsurancebenefits(between46percentand67 percent) (see Figure 22). Institutions and externalfundersshouldincreasetheamountof healthbenefitsforthesepostdocssotheyareabletosecureadequatehealthcareforthemselvesandtheirfamilies.

A P P O I N T M E N T

The length of time that postdocs are serving is un-clear.Thedata indicate that themajorityof institu-tionslimitpostdocappointmentstofiveyears.How-ever 57percent state that prior years of experienceare not included in the maximum length of time

Recommendations

thatanindividualcouldbeclassifiedasapostdoc.If postdocsareservingsixtonineyearsastrainees,thenthe intent of thepostdoctoral trainingperiod tobea defined period of mentored advanced training isfalseandtraineesareservingasunderpaidemployees.According to theNIHNRSA traininggrantdefini-tion of a postdoc, the postdoctoral training periodshouldbeamaximumof fiveyears.31

E X I T S U R V E Y

The NPA recommends that all institutions con-duct exit surveyswithpostdocs toprovide feedbackregardingthesuccessof thepostdoctoralprogramatthe institution and to track the career outcomes of postdocs.Asonly45percentof PDOsadministeranexitsurveyandthemajority(76percent)donothaveamechanism for tracking postdocs after they leavetheirinstitutions,importantdataabouttheoutcomesof postdoctoral scholars is being lost (see Figure 14). Institutions need to commit resources to providingexit surveys and tracking postdocs after they leavetheinstitutionbecausethiscareerinformationcanbeparticularly beneficial to undergraduates, graduatestudents,andprospectivepostdocs.Byunderstandingpostdocoutcomes,postdoctrainingcouldbetailoredtoteachskillsthatpostdocsneedtobemoreeffective.Finally,dataontheeconomicimpactof postdoctoraltrainingcouldbeascertained.

T R A I N I N G P R O G R A M S

Thevarietyof professionalandcareerdevelopmentprogramofferingsarerichandvaried.Theseincludegrant proposal writing, presentation and teachingskills.As60percentof ourpostdocpopulationisontemporary visas, international legal issues (offeredby 33 percent of PDOs) need to be offered more


frequently, as well as project management foracademia (28percent) and for industry (22percent)(see Figure 16). Postdocs will need to lead teams inanynumberof environments, therefore theirabilityto conceptualize a project from start to finish, andexecute it while leading their teams, is paramount.Career development programs that could be morewidelyofferedincludeformalinterestassessmentstoenablepostdocstoknowhowtheirinterests(entrepre-neurial,teaching,business)maycorrespondtocareersinindustry,nonprofit,academiaorgovernment.

31 National Institutes of Health. (2014). Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2014. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-14-046.html.

R E T I R E M E N T B E N E F I T S

Giventhe lengthof timepostdocsspendintrainingduring their thirties, the opportunity to contributetoaretirementaccountisanimportantresourceforpostdocstoestablishfinancialsecurity(see Figure 26).Institutions should establish special rules for vest-ing and allow postdoc to contribute to retirementprograms,similartofull-timeemployees.


Postdoctoralofficeshaveseensignificantimprovementsinthelastdecade.Whethertheyserve,50toover2000postdocs,PDOsare thehubforpostdocs toreceivecareerguidance,personalsupport,grievancecounseling, and benefits information.Without PDOs, postdocs would be afloat in large bureaucratic

researchinstitutions.TheNPAcommendsthePDOadministratorsfortheimportantworktheydoeverydayforpostdocs.

Conclusion


American Association of Medical College. (2005). Compact between postdoctoral appointees and their mentors. https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/research/postdoccompact/.

Association of American Universities. (1998). Committee on postdoctoral education report and recommendations. https://www.aau.edu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=468.

Council of Graduate Schools and Educational Testing Service. (2012). Pathways through graduate school and into careers. Report from the commission on pathways through graduate school and into careers. Princeton, NJ: Educa-tional Testing Service.

Davis, G. (2005). Doctors without orders. American Scientist 93(3), supplement. http://postdoc.sigmaxi.org/results/.

Dunn, S. (2014). “A brief history of the humanities postdoc.” Vitae.https://chroniclevitae.com/news/593-a-brief-history-of-the-humanities-postdoc.

Dunn, S. (2014). “The rise of the post-post-postdoc.” Vitae. https://chroniclevitae.com/news/655-the-rise-of-the-post-post-postdoc.

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. (2002). Individualized development plan. http://www.faseb.org/portals/2/pdfs/opa/idp.pdf.

National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. (2000). Enhancing the postdoctoral experience for scientists and engineers: A guide for postdoctoral scholars, advisers, institutions, fund-ing organizations, and disciplinary societies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. NIAID Glossary of Funding and Policy Terms and Acronyms—U. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/glossary/Pages/u.aspx.

National Institutes of Health. (2014). Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2014. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-14-046.html.

National Postdoctoral Association. (2009). The NPA core competencies. http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/publications-5/competencies.

National Postdoctoral Association. (2011). National Postdoctoral Association institutional survey on postdoctoral compensation, benefits, and professional development opportunities. http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/membership-6/member-categories/sustaining-member/sustaining-toolkit.

National Postdoctoral Association. (2005). Recommendations for postdoctoral policies and practices. http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/policy-22/institutional-policies/recommended-practices-for-institutions.

National Postdoctoral Association. (2007). What is a postdoc? http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/policy-22/what-is-a-postdoc.

National Research Council. (2005). Bridges to independence: Fostering the independence of new investigators in biomedical research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press

National Research Council. (1998). Trends in the early careers of life scientists. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

References


National Science Foundation Division of Science Resource Statistics. (2014). Science and Engineering Labor Force. Science and engineering indicators 2014. (p. 36, table 3-18). Arlington, VA: National Science Board.

National Science Foundation Division of Science Resource Statistics. (2010). Science and Engineering labor force. Science and engineering indicators 2010. Arlington, VA: National Science Board.

National Science Foundation Division of Science Resource Statistics. (2014). Science and Engineering labor force. Science and engineering indicators 2014. (p. 38). Arlington, VA: National Science Board.

Patton, S. (2014). “Between postdoc and job, a whole lot of questions.” Vitae. https://chroniclevitae.com/news/632-between-postdoc-and-job-a-whole-lot-of-questions.

Rudolph, F. (1962). The American college and university: A history. (p. 244). New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Founded in 2003Providing a national voice and seeking positive change for postdoctoral scholars

National Postdoctoral Association1200 New York Avenue NW, Ste. 957

Washington, DC 20005202.326.6424

[email protected]

Documents

National Postdoctoral Association Institutional Policy ......The NPA’s report summarizes the postdoctoral policies (institutional, training, health insurance, and benefits)at 92