Identifying Career Pathways for PhDs in Science

In the past decade, the number of PhDs conferred throughout the U.S. in scientific disciplines has risen dramatically, most notably in engineering (47%) and biological sciences (49%). There has also been a marked influx of PhD-level scientists trained overseas coming to the U.S. following receipt of their degrees. These trends have increased the pool of applicants for tenure-track faculty positions substantially. Yet while the number of potential applicants has grown, the number of tenure-track jobs available has remained flat.

Given these changes in the academic job market, it is critical to provide insight into the vast array of choices available to PhD-trained scientists. While there are some data sets available via the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics that illuminate career options for PhDs, gaps still remain in identifying skills developed by PhDs, occupations they move into, and their level of satisfaction in those occupations. To address these gaps in data, a new survey instrument was created in 2014-2015 to capture information on recent PhDs in the U.S. job market. The survey included questions about educational background, postdoctoral training (if any), skill development, experiential activities, and career outcomes.

About the speaker: Melanie Sinche is currently the Director of Education at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, developing programs for undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and clinicians in genomic education. Prior to this position, she served as a Senior Research Associate in the Labor and Worklife Program at the Harvard Law School. She was also the Founding Director of the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Harvard University.