Ideas From Postdoctoral Scholars on What Can Increase Their Sense of Belonging

• In Event: Centering Both the Who and the Where: Place, Space, and Belonging

Abstract

While postdoctoral scholars (postdocs) play an important role in the research goals of academia, postdocs can experience challenges leading to negative impacts on their personal and professional lives (National Postdoc Association, 2023). Further, previous research has identified the connection between a sense of belonging and levels of research productivity for early career scientists (Margherio et al., 2016). We investigated postdocs’ experiences with belonging through structured interviews (n=30) and asked participants how their sense of belonging could be increased. Using an ecological model as a lens, we organized findings at federal, institutional, and the individual level. Findings identify changes that could be made to increase postdocs’ sense of belonging in the workplace, invoking a call to action within the research enterprise.

Authors

• Chelsea O'Brien, University at Albany - SUNY

• Elizabeth Jach, State University of New York, System Administration