FASEB Supports Renewal of NSF Workforce Surveys

By: Nabila Riaz
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently issued an Information Collection Request seeking comments on its intent to renew the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) and Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR) for an additional three years. NSF’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) collects, analyzes, and interprets workforce data, with demographics routinely measured in NCSES surveys.

On January 19, FASEB submitted comments supporting the renewal of the SED, which provides valuable insights into the emerging workforce, including educational history, demographics, funding sources, educational debt, and postgraduation plans. FASEB commended NSF for expanding demographic data in the 2025 SED questionnaire beyond traditional categories of sexual orientation and gender identity, which previously included only males and females. While applauding the inclusion of data on disability and dependent care—disaggregated by citizenship, race, and ethnicity—FASEB recommended additional questions on the number of dependents doctoral recipients have and whether they took leave during their PhD for caregiver responsibilities. Collecting data on PhD scientists with caregiving responsibilities and disabilities will help identify barriers and support a more inclusive and productive biomedical research workforce.

FASEB also submitted comments supporting the renewal of the SDR, which provides unique and valuable data on the careers of U.S.-trained science, engineering, and health doctoral scientists, including their training, experience, salary, and career development. While expressing overall support for SDR renewal, FASEB emphasized the need for demographic data to reflect the identities of the research population more accurately. Specifically, FASEB recommended expanding sex categories beyond the traditional male-female binary to capture personal identities and intersectionality better.

For decades, NSF and NCSES have collected scientific workforce demographic data and now have the opportunity to lead in reporting disaggregated data that acknowledges multiple intersecting identities. Expanding data collection will provide key insights into the evolving workforce ecosystem and is essential for shaping policies and practices that foster equitable environments.