Background: The number of engineering PhDs pursuing postdoctoral research scholar (postdoc) positions has steadily increased in the last 30 years. Postdoc positions are commonly thought of as a step toward academic careers. However, engineering PhDs are more likely to work in industry, which leaves open the question of the role of postdocs in the…

Undergraduate economics degrees awarded by U.S. colleges and universities were stagnant from 2010 (2009-10) through 2013, increased almost 14 percent from 2013 through 2015, and have subsequently stabilized at just above one percent annual growth.

This instrumental case study (Stake, 1995) explores the external factors that influence international science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) postdoctoral scholars in the United States to pursue a career in STEM. Interviews with 20 international STEM postdoctoral scholars were analyzed deductively to shed light on their unique…

Purpose: Mentoring postdocs is a shared responsibility and dynamic process that requires a mutual commitment between the faculty mentor and postdoc. The purpose of this study is to understand how minoritized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) postdocs view and engage in mentoring exchanges with their faculty mentors. In the…

This narrative study examined the mentor-mentee relationship from the positioning of 31 minoritized STEM postdocs at a research-intensive institution. Seeking to enhance the current body of literature on mentoring and minoritized STEM postdocs to encourage institutions to adopt culturally responsive practices and cultivate sustainable research…

Scientists have the tendency to communicate their scientific accounts using linearly structured narratives (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion; IMRAD). Likewise, the linear narrative is dominant -- due to force of habit -- when scientists prepare films about their research. Yet, this does not necessarily have to be the case for the new…

An award as principal investigator (PI) is an aspiration for many post-PhD researchers. However, we know little of the actual journey from PhD graduation to achieving this goal. Using a qualitative narrative approach, this study explored how eight science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine post-PhD researchers (on contracts and…

The driving force behind research in many countries is funding for research and development. The research at postgraduate level is predicated on a core research group championed by one principal investigator which might include staff scientists, postdoctoral appointees, non-faculty doctorate researchers, or graduate students and they play major…

Academic and policy discourse has idealised academic mobility despite studies showing that it can have adverse effects on individuals' experiences and contribute towards exacerbating existing inequalities. This article focuses on career (im)mobility stories of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) early career researchers that…

Using two conceptual frameworks--boundary work and field theory--I examined how academic scientists' strategies for demarcating science from the market have implications for professional socialization. I focused on how field theory's emphasis on group differentiation, power, and rules within fields can inform analysis of boundary work. The study…

Anatomical sciences are foundational to the health professions, yet little is known about the qualifications of anatomy educators at the graduate and professional level in the United States. Moreover, there is concern that the number of qualified anatomy educators being trained may be insufficient to meet the growing demand posed by new and…

In discipline-based education research (DBER), early career scholars, such as graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, observe a slew of possible career pathways. Yet, there is a lack of opportunities to learn about such pathways, particularly when transitioning from traditional science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) disciplinary…

The aim of this study is to investigate how patterns of collaboration and scholarly independence are related to early stage researchers' development in two multidisciplinary learning environments at a Swedish university. Based on interviews with leaders, supervisors, doctoral students, and post docs, results show how early stage researchers'…

International mobility programmes, both in-person and virtual, aim to build human capital. Though there is evidence of their impact on skill development, there is scant research on career and professional benefits. Moreover, because virtual mobility is a new concept, there has been little investigation into how this mode affects the perceived…

Having a shared language such as English facilitates the globalization of science, but it can also limit science by posing barriers for those who have learned English-as-an-additional language (Eng+). Research on the experiences of Eng+ graduate students and postdoctoral researchers ("trainees") is needed as our scientific community…