Readings and Items of Interest

Below we highlight published items of interest to current/future postdocs and other PhD professionals. We are especially interested in drawing attention to policy issues, minority postdocs, and national/regional postdoc diversity affinity groups. For busy PhD professionals, we will scan the diversity literature and news outlets.

Chronicle of Higher Education, July 2011

The most distressing result of the shaky academic job market is surely the numbers of unemployed Ph.D.'s that it is creating and the consequent graying of the profession...as long as demand for diversity exceeds the number of faculty members who belong to racial and ethnic minority groups, those professors will retain mobility as well.

Guardian Professional, July 2011

We need to reduce the impact of career breaks to encourage more women to pursue academic careers in science...we believe the key to increased representation of women in science lies firstly in ensuring that mechanisms are put in place for the career costs of parenthood to be more equally distributed between men and women.

ScienceCareers, August 2011

African-Americans and scientists from other nations who identify as black -- are about 10 percentage points less likely than their white peers to win these grants. (NIH R01s)

HHMI Bulletin, May 2011

Postdocs balance the joys of pure research with tough working conditions.

Nature, April 2011

Series of articles challenging academia to address the PhD oversupply problem. However, discussion focuses on controlling PhD production rather than new solutions for helping current postdocs.

NPA POSTDOCket, Spring 2011, p8

As the world of science continues to diversify, providing information on how to be aware of your own biases and how those biases affect your interactions with others is vital. Importantly, knowing how to handle conflict when it does arise is a valuable asset for all postdocs.

Empowering the Nation Through Discovery and Innovation, NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2011-2016

Goal T-2 of the NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2011-2016 was: Prepare and engage a diverse STEM workforce motivated to participate at the frontiers.

TheLoop21, February 2011

Highlighting a feature article written by a prolific minority blogger, Danielle Lee.

Nature, January 2011

"Disabilities have a real impact on a person's capacity to get a job. People with disabilities — physical, mental or emotional conditions that impair activity — consistently have a higher unemployment rate than the general population."

Investing in the Future: NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences Strategic Plan for Biomedical and Behavioral Research Training, 2011

XX-review authored month

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