The precarious position of postdocs during COVID-19

Ahmed, Mona; Behbahani, Amir H.; Brückner, Adrian; Charpentier, Caroline J.; Morais, Lívia H.; Mallory, S. A.; Pool, Allan-Hermann

doi:10.1126/science.abc5143

Cited by 27 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…More recently, there has been increased awareness of how the COVID-19 research shutdown will impact graduate students and postdoctoral fellows [11][12][13]. Most of this work has focused on using past data about this population to predict what di culties and challenges they will experience due to laboratory closures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When the Labs Closed: Graduate Students’ and Postdoctoral Fellows’ Experiences of Disrupted Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Suart

Graham

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Physical distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread laboratory closures. This study aimed to examine the impact of this disruption on graduate students and postdoctoral fellows completing laboratory-based research in Canada. We used an anonymous online survey and semi-structured interviews to document the experiences of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows during laboratory closures and following the transition to working from home. We employed mixed-method analysis of survey and interview data to identify shared experiences, feelings, concerns, and supports.Respondents’ emotions reported from different points during the COVID-19 laboratory closures align with previously described Kübler-Ross model of grief following change. Respondents describe closure processes as chaotic and confusing, primarily due to inconsistent communication between graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, supervisors, and administration. Respondents reported increased anxiety during closures, however, those who experienced uniform laboratory closures also developed a sense of solidarity and safety while those with staggered shutdowns did not. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows reported increased indications of distress while working from home. Four key barriers to working from home were described; technical issues, domestic distractions, decreased motivation, and poor mental health. Five key supports while working at home were also identified, including financial security, social connections, establishing and maintaining routines, mental health support, and support from supervisors and administration. Respondents had concerns of how COVID-19 might impact them, including decreasing competitiveness applicants while limiting future employment opportunities. Finally, we outline five types of supports which can be implemented by supervisors and administrators to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to return to the laboratory, including; personal protective equipment and protocols, understanding and empathy, guidance and direction, timeline support, and financial support. Overall, we document shared experiences of respondents during the COVID-19 laboratory shutdown and identify areas of improvement in the event widespread laboratory closures occur in the future.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When the Labs Closed: Graduate Students’ and Postdoctoral Fellows’ Experiences of Disrupted Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Suart

Graham

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…1 Over the past weeks, several prestigious journals pointed out the importance of non-COVID-19 research during shutdown worldwide. [2][3][4][5][6][7] However, to our knowledge, no studies have been published regarding the pandemic's effect on personnel at different levels of their career in research institutions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On 17 March 2020, all research activities were suspended by the Berlin Senate Chancellery for Science and Research, unless there were valid reasons for continuation 1 . Over the past weeks, several prestigious journals pointed out the importance of non‐COVID‐19 research during shutdown worldwide 2–7 . However, to our knowledge, no studies have been published regarding the pandemic's effect on personnel at different levels of their career in research institutions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress test: translational research during COVID‐19 pandemic

Pumberger

Schömig

Haffer

et al. 2020

J cachexia sarcopenia muscle

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“…The coronavirus pandemic presents complex challenges that threaten to pervasively derail careers in science (Ahmed et al 2020;Byrnes et al 2020;Cardel et al 2020;Htun 2020;Inouye et al 2020;Staniscuaski et al 2020;Termini and Traver 2020;Turney et al 2020;Woolston 2020a, b, c). The effects of the pandemic on science education have been described in respect to pedagogical disadvantages of virtual lecture and laboratory learning, technical problems associated with delivering and receiving course content remotely, diminished in-person contact with faculty, reduced opportunities for peer interaction and support, and lack of community (Dhawan 2020;Elmer et al 2020;Roberts et al 2020).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%