Abstract
The number of biomedical PhD scientists undergoing training and graduating far exceeds the number of academic faculty positions and academic research jobs. This trend compels biomedical PhD scientists to increasingly seek career paths outside of academia. Prior studies have used quantitative methodology to determine trends and outcomes of single factors contributing to this shift, but there is a literature gap in studies considering multiple factors and in qualitative work focusing on biomedical PhD scientists’ experiences and their processes of career navigation. This paper draws on a social cognitive career theory (SCCT) framework and incorporates case study data from a southeastern Tier 1 research university to explore a nexus of factors influencing PhD scientists’ employment sector preferences and job search processes. It simultaneously concludes that relationships with faculty, particularly the mentor advisor, are essential to the opportunities available to these professionals and to the career paths they choose.
Highlights
Academia has traditionally been the preferred career for PhD scientists, but available tenuretrack faculty positions are increasingly scarce in comparison to the number of highly-qualified candidates, creating a grim outlook for graduate students and academic institutions [1]
The findings are categorized into themes, which are organized according to social cognitive career theory (SCCT)
Both show an over-response for academic careers, as current trainees at the research site and those in postdoctoral training at other institutions selected academics as career sectors, even though none had technically entered a career path
Summary
Academia has traditionally been the preferred career for PhD scientists, but available tenuretrack faculty positions are increasingly scarce in comparison to the number of highly-qualified candidates, creating a grim outlook for graduate students and academic institutions [1]. Overemphasis of the academic track creates tension through stigmatization and devaluation of careers outside of academia by advisors, institutions, and funding sources [2], as many PhD scientists choose or are obligated to enter non-academic, or non-traditional, careers. Non-academic and non-traditional are used interchangeably and used to mean any position that is not a tenure-track academic research position. Individuals are less likely to go into biomedical research without a reasonable chance of finding a respectable job in their field after graduation [3,4]. Quantitative studies have reported on trends and outcomes of biomedical PhD
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