Scientific Workforce

PART 1A: WHAT IS A POSTDOC? 
This factsheet gives a basic overview of what a postdoc is and presents data on how many postdocs are in the United States producing research in science, engineering, and health fields.

PART 1b: WHAT IS A POSTDOC? 
This factsheet is an expansion of the above version that provides an overview of what a postdoc is, the number of postdocs in the United States in science, engineering, and health fields, as well as the percentage of postdocs that are temporary visa holders.

PART 2: ACADEMIC POSTDOC "TRAINEES" LACK ACCESS TO BENEFITS
Academic postdocs are labeled “trainees,” which can be more easily understood by a general audience when comparing postdocs to other fields such as medical residents and junior members of the general workforce. However, postdocs face limited access to benefits because of this “trainee” status, unlike their counterparts in other fields.

National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics collects and disseminates data on the science and engineering enterprise in the United States. FASEB utilized data presented in the Survey of Earned Doctorates, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering, Survey of Doctorate Recipients, Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering report, and Science and Engineering Indicators report to highlight themes of interest in this series of workforce factsheets.

PART 1: FEMALE DOCTORATE RECIPIENT REPRESENTATION, FUNDING, AND DEBT
This factsheet explores female PhD representation in science and engineering, resources used to support educational and living expenses during graduate school, and overall debt by sex for all PhD recipients.

PART 2: FEMALE LIFE SCIENCES PHD EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY IN 2021
For life sciences doctorate recipients, highlights work sectors by sex, rank and salary for faculty at U.S. four-year educational institutions and those that are not employed or seeking work.

PART 3: DOCTORATE RECIPIENT DEBT IN 2023
Accumulated debt related to graduate education is more significant than undergraduate education for doctorate recipients in all fields of all races and ethnicities, and apparent disparities exist across racial and ethnic backgrounds. 

PART 4: INTERNATIONAL PHDs
Temporary visa holders that earn a doctorate in the United States intend to stay in the country at rates higher than securing a definite work offer. The current graduate and postdoctoral population in the sciences significantly represents non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents. 

PART 5: MASTER'S DEGREES IN SCIENCE
In the sciences, master’s students have a greater representation of those who identify as female and ethnic or racial minorities than doctoral students, and there are more master’s students than doctoral students in the sciences, largely accounted for by increased part-time enrollment. 

PART 6: MASTER'S DEGREES BY FIELD PRIOR TO DOCTORATE DEGREE IN 2023
Earning a master’s degree before a doctoral degree varies by field, with fields such as biology and chemistry not emphasizing earning master’s degrees as much as other science fields.

PART 7: PHDS WITH A DISABILITY IN 2023
This factsheet shows representation of doctoral degree holders in the workforce with one or more disabilities in various science fields, types of disabilities reported, and calls for additional evidence collection.

PART 8: INTERSECTION OF CITIZENSHIP, RACE, AND OTHER IDENTITIES FOR PHDS IN 2023
Science and engineering PhDs with one or more disabilities are relatively evenly distributed across demographics such as sex, race and ethnicity, and citizenship. Employed science, engineering, and health PhDs with one or more disabilities contribute to work across all sectors.

PART 9: POSTDOCTORAL APPOINTEES
This factsheet examines trends in the representation of postdoctoral scholars in the sciences over time. More women have pursued postdoctoral positions in the biological and biomedical sciences compared to other fields. The current postdoctoral population in the sciences significantly represents non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

PART 10: FINANCIAL SUPPORT 2023
This factsheet highlights federal and institutional funding for researchers and trainees in biological and biomedical sciences. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) remains the primary federal source of support for biomedical research in the United States.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GENERATIVE AI IN THE BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
The Generative Artificial Intelligence Task Force developed recommendations for the appropriate and responsible use of Gen AI in routine research activities related to the biological and biomedical research community.