Foreign postdocs: the changing face of biomedical science in the U.S.

Abstract

Progress in biomedical research depends upon the intellectual and physical effort of talented scientists. In the U.S., the composition of this essential resource has undergone substantial change over the past three decades. Postdocs have become the largest segment of the workforce in biomedical science and in recent years, foreign postdocs have accounted for all of the growth in the postdoctoral population. This workforce has helped fuel our extraordinary progress in biomedical research, but over-reliance on a temporary workforce may have far-reaching, negative consequences for our research enterprise.