Written by Verena Haage, PhD1,2 - eLife Ambassador (@HaageVc, LinkedIn)
1Center for Translational & Computational Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, United States
2 Sustainable Leadership for Science Initiative, Berlin, Germany
As the backbone of scientific progress, postdoctoral researchers (postdocs) play a pivotal role in advancing knowledge and innovation while constituting the next generation of leading scientists. The significant challenges they currently face throughout their career trajectories have led to an alarming rate of early departures of postdocs – from research groups prior to finishing contracts or before the completion of research projects, thereby further exacerbating the postdoc crisis.
DALL-E image prompted by author of researcher leaving a lab
Through this survey-based study, Verena Haage, supported by the eLife Ambassadors, aims to shed light on the underlying causes, both personal and systemic, that contribute to this concerning trend. Additionally, the objective is to assess the financial implications of this phenomenon, particularly with regards to awarded grant money and fellowships.
If you are a postdoc, your participation in this 15-minute global survey will be crucial for contributing to our understanding of the complexities surrounding career paths of postdoctoral researchers. This will aid the community in developing future strategies to address needed systemic and infrastructural changes in the current academic system.
To make the survey as accessible as possible it will be available in six languages including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, and Spanish – Sana Nasim, Batool Almarzouq [Arabic], Ya Zhang [Chinese]; Béryl Laplace-Builhé, Amine Zaid [French]; Pallavi Raj Sharma [Hindi]; Marina Barcela Varena, David Mauricio Ramirez Sanchez [Spanish].
Click the relevant link below to complete the survey:
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Hindi | Spanish
Thank you for participating in this crucial investigation. The survey will be open for three months from Tuesday 30, January - Tuesday 30, April 2024. Together, we are working towards a more supportive and sustainable research environment for future generations of scientists.
Image by pch.vector on Freepik
Watch this space for the results and upcoming discussions!
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We welcome comments, questions and feedback. Please contact us at features [at] elifesciences [dot] org.
For more content regarding research culture: https://elifesciences.org/collections/edf1261b/research-culture-a-selection-of-articles
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