University and Department Influences on Scientists’ Occupational Outcomes

Kim, Jeongeun; Ott, Molly; Dippold, Lindsey

doi:10.1007/s11162-019-09584-6

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…This imbalance led most participants to consider a career in industry, government or national research labs as better suited for their intended work-life balance pursuits. As found by other researchers, poor supervisor support, organizational behavior and departmental norms that promote work-life imbalance play a negative role in whether one pursues a career in academia (Eddy and Gaston-Gayles, 2008;Hudson et al, 2018;Kachchaf et al, 2015;Kim et al, 2019;Van Benthem et al, 2020). An unhealthy work environment negatively influenced participants' career choices away from the professoriate, as many of these hopeful academics shared professorial fit uncertainty regarding personal work-life desires.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Although some aspiring professors may face negative career outlooks, postdoctoral positions that boost confidence and self-efficacy predict one’s desire to remain in academia (van der Weijden et al , 2016). Encouraging relationships with supervisors and other colleagues also tend to buffer postdoctoral scholars from the stress and burnout that push hopeful academics to turn to industry or governmental employment opportunities (Kim et al , 2019; Van Benthem et al , 2020). Other factors found to draw individuals to the professoriate include an attraction to the life of an academic (Lindholm, 2004); the perception of research autonomy, independence and individual expression (Gibbs and Griffin, 2013; Lindholm, 2004); and a desire to help others (Gibbs and Griffin, 2013; Mendez et al , 2021).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, researchers have found postdoctoral scholars of color often feel discouraged from pursuing the professoriate because marginalization, microaggressions and outright discrimination have marked their Engineering postdoctoral scholars academic experiences (Jaeger et al, 2017;Mendez et al, 2021;Robinson et al, 2016;Yadav et al, 2020). Other factors that have dissuaded hopeful academics include the norms and pressures associated with academia, a general disdain for grant writing, work-life imbalance, inadequate financial compensation, the political climate of higher education and poor supervisorial relationships (Hudson et al, 2018;Kachchaf et al, 2015;Kim et al, 2019;Van Benthem et al, 2020;Yadav et al, 2020). Possessing a greater understanding of perceptions of professorial fit during the postdoctoral career stage can heighten awareness of the relationship between the postdoctoral experience and the intent to pursue a career as a professor, as well as influence broadening participation efforts in engineering academia.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Professorial fit: perceptions of engineering postdoctoral scholars

Mendez

Cooksey²,

Starkey³

et al. 2022

SGPE

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Purpose This study aims to explore the perceptions of a diverse set of 16 engineering postdoctoral scholars regarding their fit for the professoriate. The professoriate speaks to the body of tenured/tenure-track faculty within higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach An intrinsic case study design was conducted to provide an in-depth understanding of the factors influencing engineering postdoctoral scholars’ perceived professorial fit using person–job fit theory. Findings As a result of inductive and deductive data analyses techniques, four themes emerged: the professoriate is perceived as a calling for those who desire to teach and mentor the upcoming generation of engineers; research autonomy in the professoriate is highly attractive; the work demands of the professoriate are contrary to the work–life balance sought; and the professoriate appears daunting due to the competitive nature of the job market and the academic environment. Originality/value This study is critical for those invested in possessing a deeper understanding of the postdoctoral career stage, its relationship to the professoriate as a career choice and broadening participation in engineering academia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Professorial fit: perceptions of engineering postdoctoral scholars

Mendez

Cooksey²,

Starkey³

et al. 2022

SGPE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Some previous studies reveal that the departmental prestige shapes early career researchers' productivity (Su, 2011), together with structural characteristics, organizational behaviors, and peer group characteristics (Kim et al, 2020). Institutional factors also affect how members' identities develop through cultural norms and behaviors (Hayter et al, 2021).…”

Section: Institutional Contextsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Striving Transition for University Academics: The Academic Role Identity of Young Postdocs at Universities in China

Song

Yang

2023

Sage Open

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Since implementing the postdoctoral system in China, the number and quality of postdocs have improved greatly. Under the policy of creating world-class universities, most universities have focused unprecedentedly on recruiting postdoctoral fellows, and the management regulations for postdocs have become increasingly diverse. Through in-depth interviews with postdoctoral fellows at three universities in a metropolitan city, we found that postdoctoral roles have been multidimensional and sometimes conflicting, including the quasi-role of university teacher, the rigid role of independent researcher, the inertial role of student and the unofficial role of associate supervisor. Sociocultural norms, institutional contexts, and professional community shape these role identities.

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“…Improving career transparency and promoting knowledge regarding the multitude of career opportunities and transitions that may occur over a career span can potentially help increase interest, persistence and diversity in the engineering doctorate. Many studies on the career outcomes of doctorates have tended to focus on PhDs' career intentions and early career attainment (Choe and Borrego, 2020;Gibbs and Griffin, 2013;Gibbs et al, 2014;Kim et al, 2020;Main, 2012;Nerad et al, 2007;NRC, 2010). With increased availability of long-term employment data, the number of studies highlighting PhDs' longterm career trajectories has expanded (Denton et al, 2019;Kahn and Ginther, 2017;Kulp, 2020;Main, 2016;Main and Wang, 2019;Main et al, 2019Main et al, , 2021Nerad and Cerny, 1999a, 1999b, 2003Wang and Main, 2021;Webber and Gonz alez Canché, 2018;Yang and Webber, 2015).…”

Section: Long-term Employment Outcomes Of Phdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Family formation and the career trajectories of women engineering PhDs

Main

2022

SGPE

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Purpose The underrepresentation of women in engineering has important consequences for meeting the need for a larger, talented scientific and technological labor force. Increasing the proportion of women faculty in engineering will help increase the persistence probabilities of women undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, as well as contribute to the range and diversity of ideas toward innovations and solutions to the greatest engineering challenges. This study aims to examine the association among gender, family formation and post-PhD employment patterns of a cohort of engineering doctorates. Design/methodology/approach Using the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Doctorate Recipients data, 2001–2010, descriptive and multinomial logit regression analyses are conducted to illustrate the career trajectories of engineering PhDs over a ten-year period. Findings The career trajectories of engineering PhDs are nonlinear, and transitions between employment sectors commonly occur over the ten-year time period studied. Although women engineering PhDs with young dependents are less likely to be employed initially after PhD completion, they tend to enter the workforce in the academic sector as time progresses. Early post-PhD employment as a postdoctoral researcher or in the academic sector contributes to the pursuit of the professoriate downstream. Originality/value While previous studies tend to focus on the early career outcomes of science and engineering students, this study contributes to the literature by focusing on the long-term career outcomes of engineering doctorates. Research findings provide engineering PhD students and PhDs with more information regarding potential post-PhD career trajectories, highlighting the multitude of career options and transitions that occur over time. Research findings also provide higher education administrators and doctoral program stakeholders with foundational information toward designing and revitalizing professional development programs to help PhD students prepare for the workforce. The findings have the potential to be applied toward helping increase diversity by shaping policies and programs to encourage multiple alternative career pathways to the professoriate.

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University and Department Influences on Scientists’ Occupational Outcomes

Cited by 7 publications

References 64 publications

Professorial fit: perceptions of engineering postdoctoral scholars

Professorial fit: perceptions of engineering postdoctoral scholars

Striving Transition for University Academics: The Academic Role Identity of Young Postdocs at Universities in China

Family formation and the career trajectories of women engineering PhDs

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