scholarly journals The career outlook of engineering PhDs : Influence of postdoctoral research positions on early career salaries and the attainment of tenure‐track faculty positions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce B. Main ◽  
Yanbing Wang ◽  
Li Tan
Keyword(s):  
Early Career ◽  
Tenure Track ◽  
Tenure Track Faculty ◽  
Faculty Positions ◽  
Postdoctoral Research

scholarly journals Postdoctoral research training and the attainment of faculty careers in social science and STEM fields in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanbing Wang ◽  
Joyce B. Main
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Tenure Track ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tenure Track Faculty ◽  
Faculty Positions ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Postdoctoral Research

Purpose While postdoctoral research (postdoc) training is a common step toward academic careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, the role of postdoc training in social sciences is less clear. An increasing number of social science PhDs are pursuing postdocs. This paper aims to identify factors associated with participation in postdoc training and examines the relationship between postdoc training and subsequent career outcomes, including attainment of tenure-track faculty positions and early career salaries. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates and Survey of Doctorate Recipients, this study applies propensity score matching, regression and decomposition analyses to identify the role of postdoc training on the employment outcomes of PhDs in the social science and STEM fields. Findings Results from the regression analyses indicate that participation in postdoc training is associated with greater PhD research experience, higher departmental research ranking and departmental job placement norms. When the postdocs and non-postdocs groups are balanced on observable characteristics, postdoc training is associated with a higher likelihood of attaining tenure-track faculty positions 7 to 9 years after PhD completion. The salaries of social science tenure-track faculty with postdoc experience eventually surpass the salaries of non-postdoc PhDs, primarily via placement at institutions that offer relatively higher salaries. This pattern, however, does not apply to STEM PhDs. Originality/value This study leverages comprehensive, nationally representative data to investigate the role of postdoc training in the career outcomes of social sciences PhDs, in comparison to STEM PhDs. Research findings suggest that for social sciences PhDs interested in academic careers, postdoc training can contribute to the attainment of tenure-track faculty positions and toward earning relatively higher salaries over time. Research findings provide prospective and current PhDs with information helpful in career planning and decision-making. Academic institutions, administrators, faculty and stakeholders can apply these research findings toward developing programs and interventions to provide doctoral students with career guidance and greater career transparency.

scholarly journals Who Creates a Google Scholar Profile?

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 515-520
Author(s):  
Hannah June Kim ◽  
Bernard Grofman
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Tenure Track ◽  
Tenure Track Faculty ◽  
Early Career Faculty ◽  
Citation Counts ◽  
Science Departments ◽  
Highly Cited

ABSTRACTThis article uses data collected from Google Scholar to identify characteristics of scholars who have chosen to create a Google Scholar profile. Among tenured and tenure-track faculty with full-time appointments in PhD-granting political science departments, we find that only 43.7% have created a profile. However, among R1 faculty, young and early-career faculty are more likely to have Google Scholar profiles than those in older cohorts. Although subfield differences are largely nonexistent, there is a notably low proportion of theory faculty with profiles and a slightly higher proportion with profiles among methodologists. Moreover, within cohorts, those who are highly cited are more likely to have profiles than those who have low citation counts. We conclude by discussing implications of our findings, the increasing usage of Google Scholar and profiles, and the increasing importance of an online presence in the academy.

scholarly journals Navigating academia during the COVID-19 pandemic: Can you do it all?

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-112
Author(s):  
Abha Rai ◽  
Kristen Ravi
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Tenure Track ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Tenure Track Faculty ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Faculty Positions ◽  
The World

The goal of this reflection paper is to draw from our own experiences of starting new tenure-track faculty positions in social work departments amid a global pandemic. By drawing from our experiences, we hope to reflect on strategies and resources utilized. By discussing our approach, we endeavor to provide support to other academics across the world. We believe these resources and strategies will be useful as we continue to live in the “new normal.”

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