When Erin Lee, a recent Master’s in Public Health (MPH-Health Services) recipient from the University of Washington (UW), proposed her master’s project, her thesis chair was extremely supportive but cautioned that the scope of work was ambitious for a two-year program. Lee was undeterred. Her passion for addressing maternal and child health inequities was her fuel. In her words, “It is high time to turn the tide, and make Black women’s health a priority.”

Lee’s research project aimed to gain a better understanding of the motivations and experiences of community-based doulas through a qualitative study. She developed an interview protocol and began interviewing doulas who worked at a local nonprofit organization, Open Arms Perinatal Services (OAPS). Her research goals were to demonstrate the improvement in care patients received through community-based doulas and identify ways to advocate for organizations like OAPS that improve public health by reducing racial disparities in health outcomes. 

In addition to her research, Lee spent time volunteering at SURGE Reproductive Justice, a nonprofit in Washington State focused on ending reproductive oppression for all. While there, Lee initiated a doula program for incarcerated people. “I am a Black woman, born from a Black woman, raised by a Black woman,” she said. “At the core of why I chose to go into public health is because of my intersecting identities as a Black woman…I understand what it means to not be seen and not be heard.” To learn more about Erin’s work, visit the University of Washington website.

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

Photo Credit: University of Washington

Sondrica Goines, a doctoral student in analytical chemistry at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, says she’s been math and science oriented since high school. Identifying her passion early has definitely paid off. She’s in her third year of the doctoral program and is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship recipient, the winner of the Winifred Burks-Houck Graduate Leadership Award from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, a member of the Department of Chemistry’s Graduate Committee for Professional Development and the Graduate Recruitment Committee, a student mentor, and hosts her own podcast, Curly Headed Chemist. Her research focuses on a group of synthetic chemical compounds called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which may sound complicated, so for a bit of context, we’ll start with a specific kind of PFAS.

In 1938, a chemist accidentally discovered a chemical compound called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which was ultimately trademarked by DuPont as Teflon™ in 1945. The new product was revolutionary for its extremely high melting point and was used in a variety of applications, most notably, non-stick cookware. By 1948, DuPont was producing over 900 tons of Teflon brand PTFE.

This is where Sondrica Goines and her research come in. PTFE is perhaps the best known of the PFAS, which are found in food packaging, commercial household products (e.g., Teflon), drinking water (because of the production process), and living organisms (animals and humans). In the 1990s, researchers discovered that this groundbreaking compound is absorbed into the body and can cause a long list of adverse health effects, including reproductive and developmental problems and cancers. Goines’s research focuses on exactly how PFAS molecules affect our health at the single-cell level. “They are a very persistent class of micropollutants,” Goines says. “If we can understand them at the single-cell level, we can better understand disease progression due to these pollutants.” To learn more about Sondrica’s work, visit the UNC-Chapel Hill website.

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

Photo Credit: Submitted by Sondrica Goines

Project Will Deepen Knowledge of Career Transitions Across All Broad Fields of Study

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Katherine Hazelrigg (202) 461.3888/ khazelrigg@cgs.nche.edu

Washington, DC — The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has announced a new phase in its efforts to understand and support diverse PhD career pathways. A significant grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF #2000750) will allow CGS to examine factors likely to impact retention and persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers, particularly for underrepresented students.  Meanwhile, a previously-announced grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will seek to uncover both challenges and decision-making factors at points of career transition for Humanities PhDs.

“The new grants from NSF and Mellon will give us the opportunity to delve deeper into experiences of students and alumni in STEM and Humanities fields,” said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega. “Our broader goal is to allow member universities to use data about PhD careers with greater nuance and awareness of challenges that students and alumni face at critical points of transition—in particular, from graduate school to career and in the years immediately following graduation. In 2021, we will launch a research hub for doctoral institutions as they seek to better understand and use PhD career data to improve programs.”

These projects build upon three earlier phases of CGS research: a feasibility study supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; a survey development phase supported by the Mellon, Sloan, and National Science Foundations (NSF #1534620); and a survey implementation phase supported by the Mellon Foundation and NSF (#1661272). In the most recent phase, CGS developed a network of 75 U.S. doctoral institutions through a competitive award process to collect data from STEM PhD students and alumni about their professional aspirations, career pathways, and career preparation.

Ortega believes the NSF-funded project will assist universities and scientific agencies in deploying investments and strategies that more effectively support STEM career trajectories. “Better understanding PhD career pathways has been a CGS research priority for nearly a decade, and this project takes the next step from understanding aspirations and experiences to bolstering career success. This work also has the potential to help funders and institutions refine their strategies for supporting graduate students and alumni pursuing careers in STEM fields.”

The Humanities Coalition, the new Mellon-funded effort, will further enhance the graduate education community’s understanding of humanities PhDs and their careers and to refine humanities-specific strategies for curricular change and program improvement. Additional research to better understand the nature of early career transitions for humanists is a primary component of the new initiative. CGS recently announced sub-awards for five institutions (Iowa State University, Purdue University, The University of Southern Mississippi, The University of Texas at El Paso, and University of Rochester) to join the data collection efforts. Additional sub-awardees will be identified in 2021 to support projects designed to develop and assess initiatives for better supporting humanities PhD students transitioning from graduate school.

For many graduate students, the emergence of SARS-COV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) greatly disrupted their research. For Katarina Braun and Gage Moreno, the pandemic shifted their entire focus from research on viruses like influenza and AIDS to the coronavirus. University of Wisconsin – Madison graduate students Braun, an MD and PhD student in the Medical Scientist Training Program and in Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Moreno, a PhD student in Cellular and Molecular Pathology, began studying the virus together in February.

As viruses spread, they replicate, and often the copies produced are not identical. Very small errors occur, and these changes, called mutations, can affect the spread of a virus. Using genetic sequencing, Braun and Moreno have identified variations in the virus among individuals infected in the state of Wisconsin. Being able to pinpoint the various mutations allows the researchers to track how the virus spreads and establish points of transmission. Their research has also been helpful in establishing risk probability for healthcare workers. By studying the particular genetic sequence of the virus in a Wisconsin healthcare professional and compare it to those of the patients being treated, Braun and Moreno could establish that the virus transmission likely occurred from exposure in the community, not the healthcare facility.

Their research is still in early phases, but they have made it publicly available to help researchers across the globe learn more about the virus. Braun and Moreno credit their advisors, Thomas Friedrich and David O’Connor, for ensuring open access to their data in an effort to benefit the global scientific community. “I feel lucky to be in a lab where I have had the opportunity to participate in the scientific community’s response to this virus,” Braun said. To learn more about Katarina and Gage’s work, visit the University of Wisconsin—Madison website.

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

Photo Credit: Katarina Braun and Gage Moreno

CGS Research in Brief, July 2020 

Radomir Ray Mitic & Hironao Okahana

PhD holders in the biological and life sciences pursue a wide array of careers in postsecondary, for-profit, not-for-profit, and government sectors. Among recent PhD recipients who continue to work in the postsecondary sector, many pursue postdoctoral researcher positions to develop additional research and lab manage- ment skills, and these opportunities are increasingly seen as a prerequisite to a tenure-track faculty position (Sauermann & Roach, 2016, Stephan, 2013). Although there are approximately 79,000 postdocs currently employed in the U.S. (Ferguson, McTighe, Amlani, & Costello, 2017), there is relatively little research on the benefits of postdoctoral appointments (Kahn & Ginther, 2017), particularly for those who transition into industry. What we do know is that postdoctoral researchers have experienced challenges related to professional development, the increasing length of postdoctoral appointments, finding a permanent position, and finances (DeJesus, 2012). Using survey data from the Council of Graduate Schools’ (CGS) PhD Career Pathways project, this brief provides new insights into the career outcomes of 996 PhD holders in the biological and life sciences three and eight years post degree with a particular emphasis on those who have been employed as postdoctoral researchers in academic institutions.

Key Findings:

• Among PhD holders eight years post-degree who hold a faculty position (N=160), two-thirds reported that their immediate previous position was as a postdoctoral researcher (with the remainder coming nearly exclusively from other faculty or research positions).

• Within this current faculty group, more than half reported post- doctoral appointments lasting five or more years with an average length of 4.24 years. For former postdocs currently working in industry, 40% left by the end of the third year with an average length of postdoctoral appointments being 3.42 years. (Figure 1)

Figure 1: Length of Postdoctoral Appointments by Job Type (8-Year Cohort)

• For PhD holders three years post-PhD who are currently employed as a postdoctoral researcher, the median salary is $55,000, with nearly a third earning less than $50,000 (N=136). Their counterparts in faculty positions, however, had higher earnings, with over one third earning above $100,000 and a median salary of $85,000 (N=117). At three years out, an even greater share of PhD holders who worked in the business or for-profit sector reported earnings over $100,000 with a median salary of $125,000 (N=89). (Figure 2)

Figure 2: Salaries by Job Type (3-Year Cohort)

• While those employed in industry enjoyed higher earnings compared to faculty and postdocs, PhD holders in industry positions reported that their jobs were not as closely related to their field of PhD study. However, many of these PhD holders in industry still work in scientific research positions. (Figure 3)

Figure 3: Job Relatedness by Job Type (8-Year Cohort)

• Across all cohorts, PhD holders in industry reported applied research (30%), management (23%), and development (20%) as their primary job responsibilities whereas faculty members reported teaching (43%), basic research (21%), and applied research (16%). (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Primary Job Responsibilities (All Cohorts)

Takeaway Points

• Many current faculty members held relatively long postdoctoral appointments prior to holding their current positions. Postdoctoral opportunities undoubtedly offer valuable training and professional development experiences to PhD degree holders. However, it was not clear from the data whether the doctoral or the postdoctoral experience significantly enhanced their preparation for a faculty position.

• In addition to the length of postdoctoral appointments, the state of postdoctoral researcher salaries remains a concern. Relatively low salaries of postdoctoral positions may deter promising researchers from pursuing what appears to be an important pathway to faculty jobs.

• Postdoctoral research appointments come in many forms. While many postdocs are funded through NIH grants that set a minimum salary, not all postdocs are funded through such grants. Although many institutions use the NIH scale for postdoctoral salaries, our survey shows that factors such as field or funding source may explain some of the lower salaries.

• Postdocs moving to a career in industry typically do so after three years and realize higher salaries, thus providing more immediate returns on their educational investment while still using many of the research and other skills acquired during PhD study.

• Finally, while a move to industry may bring a higher salary, PhD holders in the biological and life sciences may be holding jobs that are not quite as closely related to the domains of their doctoral studies. To the extent that PhD holders in industry are able to secure careers working in applied research and development activities, it appears that PhD training positions them with broader research skills and disciplinary knowledge necessary for launching a career beyond academic research.

Conversation Starters for PhD Program Improvement

We encourage graduate schools to engage in campus conversations about life science PhD careers to ensure that career diversity is seen and celebrated. Culture change happens incrementally and requires active participation of students, postdocs, faculty, and employers. A good first step is understanding how your campus community communicates about career options for PhDs and postdocs. Some of the questions that you may want to begin asking your campus colleagues (e.g. graduate school staff, college deans, graduate program directors, etc.) and others include:

• What kind of professional development opportunities does your institution provide PhD students in the life sciences for their career preparation and transition from graduate school, particularly for postdoctoral research opportunities?

• What kinds of professional development opportunities do postdocs receive at your institution?

• Are postdoctoral research opportunities a necessary stepping stone for a career in business, government, or non-profits? Could internships during doctoral study help clarify whether a postdoc makes financial and career sense?

• How can PhD students and postdoctoral researchers benefit from an Individual Development Plan (IDP) to prepare them for the career of their choosing?

• How does your institution ensure a smooth and timely transition for postdoctoral researchers into permanent roles as faculty members or in other capacities (through policies, resources, etc.)?

Additional Resources:

National Postdoctoral Association (NPA):

Since 2003, the National Postdoctoral Association has been the leading educational organization tasked with improving the postdoctoral experience. The NPA advocates for postdoctoral associates in academic, industry, non- profit, and government sectors. Learn more about the National Postdoctoral Association.

Individual Development Plans (IDP):

With increased focus on career planning in doctoral education, several disci- plinary societies and academic institu- tions have created resources meant for doctoral students and postdoctoral associates. These resources can be used iteratively by early career academics and their mentors to assess career options and set goals. Learn more about IDPs from the American Psychological Association and the University of California, Berkeley.

Graduate Career Consortium (GCC):

Since 1987, the Graduate Career Consortium is a 400+ member organization of higher education professionals who work with graduate students and postdoctoral associates on issues related to career and professional development. Learn more about the Graduate Career Consortium.

References:

DeJesus, M. (2012). Opinion: The postdoc challenge. The Scientist. Retrieved from https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/ opinion-the-postdoc-challenge-40651.

Ferguson, K., McTighe, M., Amlani, B., & Costello, T. (2017). Supporting the needs of postdocs. Rockville, MD: National Postdoctoral Association.

Kahn, S. & Ginther, D.K. (2017). The impact of postdoctoral training on early careers in biomedicine. Nature Biotechnology, 35(1), 90-94.

Sauermann, H. & Roach, M. (2016). Why pursue the postdoc path? Science, 352(6286). DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf2061

Stephan, P. (2013). How to exploit postdocs. BioScience, 63(4), 245-246.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents new obstacles to the matriculation, persistence and completion of U.S. graduate students, with those who are first-generation, low-income, racially and ethnically underrepresented (URM) at greatest risk for educational disruptions. With funding from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF #2037360) Rapid Response Research (RAPID) program, CGS will collaborate with the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools (CHBGS) to understand challenges currently faced by URM and first-generation students and to provide just-in-time information that will help support their success.

The new project, Investigating Challenges to Matriculation and Completion for Underrepresented STEM Graduate Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic, will focus on four specific areas of research: obstacles to matriculation, obstacles to retention, challenges to sustaining graduate school aspirations for rising college seniors, and strategies for graduate school success. The findings will inform graduate student advising and support structures and guide interventions to broaden URM student participation in STEM graduate education.

Press Release: CGS Takes Action to Protect Pathways to Graduate Schools for Underrepresented Graduate Students during COVID-19

Contact

Suzanne Ortega

On June 22, the White House published an executive order extending its original April 22 proclamation to suspend immigrant visas (green cards) and halting certain work visas through December 31, 2020. The proclamation does not impact F-1 or M-1 visas or the Optional Practical Training Program. CGS has prepared a summary on the relationship between the two executive orders.

On June 18, in a 5 to 4 decision, the Supreme Court deemed the Trump Administration’s move to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program unlawful. CGS applauds the high court’s ruling to uphold DACA, which will provide immediate relief for the over 650,000 individuals who have DACA status (“Dreamers”). 

“This marks a victory not just for Dreamers, but for our communities and our nation, as a whole,” said Suzanne T. Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools. “With so many Dreamers enrolled in our colleges and universities, ensuring they are able to remain in the United States— the country they call home— means they will continue to serve as vital members of their campuses and the communities in which they learn and work. A growing number of these hard-working and passionate individuals are pursuing graduate education. These are our future public servants, researchers, and leaders. If we want to be a nation that values liberty and justice for all, longer term solutions are needed. We have and will continue to stand with them.”

While the Supreme Court’s decision safeguards DACA from immediate repeal, it does not permanently protect Dreamers. Ultimately, Congressional action is needed to enact legislation that provides Dreamers a pathway to citizenship.

On June 15, following the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee unanimous approval of Dr. Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan’s nomination to become the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), CGS joined the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) in a letter urging Senate Leadership to oversee an immediate full Senate confirmation vote for Dr. Panchanathan’s nomination.

On June 2, Congressman Steve Stivers (R-OH) led a Dear Colleague letter signed by 20 of his House Republican colleagues to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf demonstrating the powerful contributions of international students to the U.S. and urging preservation of Optional Practical Training (OPT).