Reasons for Becoming a Postdoc: Differences by Foreign-Born Status and Race

• In Event: Navigating the Pathway to the Professoriate

Abstract

The postdoctoral career stage has been transformed from a type of advanced training or apprenticeship to a form of low-wage scientific labor. Concurrently, foreign born doctoral holders have become a significant share of postdoc employment in U.S. Yet, relatively little is known about why these individuals elect to take postdocs positions in the U.S. Draws on the 2006 Survey of Earned Doctorates, this study used the multinomial logit regression to model the primary reason for taking the most recent postdoctoral appointment by using race, foreign-born status as predictors. Findings indicate significant distinctions between the foreign-born and the U.S.-born group and among races. In light of prior research, the implications of these results for postdoctoral policies and practices will be discussed.

Authors

• Ying Huang, Michigan State University

• Brendan Cantwell, Michigan State University

• Barrett Taylor, University of North Texas