Recent PhDs Research Articles

Gender, Institutional Inequality, and Institutional Diversity in Archaeology Articles in Major Journals and Sapiens

AbstractStudies in the sociopolitics of archaeology have shown patterns of inequality in publishing. Because this inequality affects the richness of perspectives on the past, the extent of unevenness requires continual documentation. This article explores gendered and institutionally based patterns of authorship in prominent archaeology journals, archaeology papers in general science journals, and Sapiens, a public-facing web magazine, from 2016 to 2021. We find that the representation of women is similar across these two types of journals, for authors both in the United States and abroad. Men still publish significantly more than women though the gap is narrowing due to the publication activity of recent PhDs. Using a large database of PhDs as a baseline for comparison, we find that women publish less in these venues than expected, resulting in an imbalance. Some archaeology programs have a larger presence in journal publishing than others, but this imbalance is not as pervasive as what has been observed in hiring practices. Archaeology journals exhibit healthier measures of diversity, compared to Science, in terms of the institutional affiliation of authors.

History and Approaches to Heritage Studies, Pedagogy and Practice in Heritage Studies

History and Approaches to Heritage Studies, Pedagogy and Practice in Heritage Studies

Recent PhDs

Recent PhDs

Predicting early career productivity of PhD economists: Does advisor-match matter?

We assess the role played by department rank and advisor-match on the early stage productivity of recent PhDs in economics using a tailor-made data set based on RePEc. After allowing for the potential influence of other factors, including gender and field of specialisation, we find as expected that both advisory quality and rank of the graduation institution are positively related to the academic productivity of graduates. However, in top institutions, students working with the most productive academics do not outperform others unless they co-author with their advisor. For students in non-top institutions, being advised by the best academics is always associated with a higher research output. Possible explanations for this difference are pointed out, including selection and differences in advising styles.

“I Know I Have to Work Twice as Hard and Hope that Makes Me Good Enough”: Exploring the Stress and Strain of Black Doctoral Students in Engineering and Computing

Background/Context It is well documented that Black doctoral students in engineering and computing fields experience more stress and strain during doctoral training than their White and Asian peers. However, few studies have examined how Black engineering and computing doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers experience these challenges and stressors or focused on the psychological effects, behavioral responses, or health costs for these students. We interviewed 48 Black PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in engineering and computing departments to find out how they describe, make sense of, and cope with stressors and strains in their training programs. Study participants (29 men and 19 women) ranged from first-year doctoral students to recent PhDs. Students attended various institutions and institution types, primarily in eastern and central time zones. Nine participants attended historically Black colleges and universities, and though we anticipated that their experiences would be vastly different, their experiences closely resembled those of students in other institutions. Research Design Each person participated in either an individual interview or focus group. Data were collected via video- and audio-recording. All focus groups took place at either a national engineering-/computing-related conference or at the students’ home institutions. Twenty-three participants were interviewed, while the remainder participated in focus groups of three to five students (maximum of ten). Interviews and focus groups were semistructured, using open-ended questions but allowing some flexibility to develop new ideas and order topics differently. Data Collection and Analysis This study employed transcendental phenomenology, using three steps to investigate and make meaning of participants’ experiences: examining the phenomenon with intentionality, eidetic reduction, and constitution of meaning. Transcendental reduction allowed for examining the experience of Black doctoral students in engineering and computing in general and separating what the research perspectives supplied from what our intuitions offered, guided by our theoretical frameworks of role strain and racial battle fatigue. Transcendental phenomenology also gave the authors a context to examine and disclose our own experiences and feelings. Findings Consistent with prior research on role strain and John Henryism (i.e., trying to overcome a chronic stressor by working harder), we found that seeking success in training, employment, work, or career was more important to these Black graduate students and postdocs than safeguarding their mental or physical health. Meeting the demands of a PhD program or postdoctoral fellowship were critical priorities congruent with their phase of life. Their focus and sacrifice may have helped them complete their degrees, but our findings suggest that these strategies exacted psychological, emotional, and physical costs. The study deepened our understanding of significant interrelated dynamics for this population in four key ways. We found that (a) the stresses and strains made students question their qualifications; (b) racialized experiences were often the source of stress, strain, and academic performance anxiety; (c) discordance between the racial make-up of their academic environments and their racialized engineering and computing identities appeared to exacerbate impostor phenomenon; and (d) the students’ proactive coping mechanisms took an emotional toll. Participants discussed the nature and sources of their feelings of self-doubt. The implications extend beyond the dwindling numbers of Black students earning STEM doctorates; this racial climate also affects the academic workforce and the professional landscape. Although Black researchers who leave academia after completing doctoral training can influence scientific innovation through other positions, it is alarming and problematic that potentially qualified future professors are dissuaded from pursuing academic careers because of their training experiences. Their absence from faculty can hinder critical innovation, breakthroughs, and the training of succeeding generations of scholars who might have learned from and collaborated with them. Conclusions and Recommendations The added stress, strain, and toll on Black students’ well-being is an underappreciated reason for their relinquishing of academic careers. Our findings illustrate the students’ resilience and strength. Continued research on added stressors (e.g., impostor syndrome, racialized stress) and strengths could add much-needed consideration of cultural, structural, and interpersonal racism and the ways that Black students earning doctoral degrees in STEM fields manage to succeed despite cultural and institutional barriers. Future research should explore how to modify the microculture of STEM programs and departments to allow Black students to feel that these are healthy, safe, and fair spaces in which they can make contributions. Otherwise, an invaluable diversity of perspectives may disappear altogether from academic environments. In addition, diversifying the faculty and students in doctoral engineering and computing programs could help to reduce impostor syndrome, isolation, and other damaging psychological stress. Forthcoming research, programs, and policies should consider what Black students in STEM endure, because simply surviving racially toxic environments should not be the end goal.

Recent PhDs

This section consists of an overview (names, universities, thesis titles and abstracts) of new PhD:s within the field of health economics in the Nordic countries.

What Comes Next? Graduate Education and Contingent Labor in Theatre and Performance Studies

What Comes Next?Graduate Education and Contingent Labor in Theatre and Performance Studies Jonathan Chambers (bio), Eero Laine (bio), K. Frances Lieder (bio), Diana Looser (bio), Heather S. Nathans (bio), Elizabeth A. Osborne (bio), Danielle Rosvally (bio), and Kristen Wright (bio) “What comes next?” This question haunts faculty and doctoral students alike when confronting an academic job market that has contracted dramatically since 2008. For the past decade, PhD programs in theatre and performance studies have wrestled with how to prepare students to make substantive contributions to new scholarship, and to enjoy rewarding careers in a fundamentally transformed academic landscape. Past models that envisioned the graduate-student-to-tenure-track-professor arc have given way to frustratingly long periods spent in contingent labor positions, significant student debt, and shrinking scholarly output from colleagues struggling to balance multiple part-time jobs without institutional support for their research. Beginning in 2016, a group of colleagues, both senior and emerging, from numerous institutions undertook an investigation of “what comes next?” in doctoral training: Jonathan Chambers (professor, Bowling Green State University), Eero Laine (assistant professor, University at Buffalo, State University of New York), K. Frances Lieder (assistant professor, College of Saint Rose), Diana Looser (assistant professor, Stanford University), Heather Nathans (professor, Tufts University), Elizabeth Osborne (associate professor, Florida State University), Danielle Rosvally (clinical assistant professor, University at Buffalo, State University of New York), and Kristen Wright (graduate student, Cornell University). Our goal was not only to document the current state of the field from the perspective of those colleagues enmeshed in the process of graduate programs and job hunts, but to solicit examples of best practices, examine what has changed over the past several years, and offer recommendations for the future based on the collective wisdom of those we surveyed. We began our research with the assumption that graduate faculty care deeply about their students and about their students’ success. We acknowledge that faculty members face increased demands for institutional and professional services these days, and that the one resource faculty are all lacking is the time to radically rethink curriculum and training structures, do new research on the job market, and implement new programs. However, we encourage all who have an interest in doctoral education in our fields to explore the feedback gathered below from hundreds of current and recent PhDs. Their thoughts reveal that there may often be a disconnect between faculty members’ perception of mentorship success and its impact on students. Ultimately, their insights remind all colleagues working in graduate education to ask what could be more important than making meaningful changes to programs that launch students toward successful and fulfilling careers, and in smoothing the path for those on the job market? As part of our process we circulated two surveys, which netted 548 responses.1 We used organization-wide listservs to solicit potential interviewees, and ultimately conducted over forty interviews (in person and via Skype, phone, and email) with current graduate students, recent graduates, and seasoned professionals.2 We reviewed doctoral program websites and data gathered [End Page 85] by the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP).3 We also turned to information collected in previous surveys by the New Paradigms Committee and the Working Conditions Task Force of the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR), as well as the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). We presented our initial findings at ATHE roundtables in 2017 and 2018, and incorporated audience feedback into our research as well. The results reflect both the challenging realities that so many of our colleagues face today, as well as possible directions for the future. We heard praise for graduate programs or organizations that have responded creatively to the tenure-stream job shortage. We heard frustration from those who perceive themselves as part of a “lost” generation of scholars, stranded in low-paying and/or part-time jobs. We spoke to colleagues whose hopes of pursuing an “alt-ac” career were hampered by fears that they would be disappointing their PhD programs if they moved beyond the academy. We also heard from students who found routes to alt-ac careers challenging because their PhD provided no clear path to opportunities beyond the academy...

The Matthew effect in science funding

A classic thesis is that scientific achievement exhibits a "Matthew effect": Scientists who have previously been successful are more likely to succeed again, producing increasing distinction. We investigate to what extent the Matthew effect drives the allocation of research funds. To this end, we assembled a dataset containing all review scores and funding decisions of grant proposals submitted by recent PhDs in a €2 billion granting program. Analyses of review scores reveal that early funding success introduces a growing rift, with winners just above the funding threshold accumulating more than twice as much research funding (€180,000) during the following eight years as nonwinners just below it. We find no evidence that winners' improved funding chances in subsequent competitions are due to achievements enabled by the preceding grant, which suggests that early funding itself is an asset for acquiring later funding. Surprisingly, however, the emergent funding gap is partly created by applicants, who, after failing to win one grant, apply for another grant less often.

Recent PhDs

This section consists of an overview (names, universities, thesis title and abstracts) of new PhD:s within the field of health economics in the Nordic countries. Published: December 2017.

Early Career Research Production in Economics: Does Mentoring Matter?

We assess the role played by advisory supervision on the early stage productivity of recent PhDs in economics using a tailor-made data set based on RePEc. After allowing for the potential effects of other relevant determinants, including gender and field of specialisation, we find as expected that both advisory quality and rank of the graduation institution are positively related to the academic productivity of graduates. However, students in top institutions do not benefit from working with the most productive academics, unless they become co-authors. For students in non-top institutions, being advised by the best academics is always associated with a higher research output. Possible explanations for this difference can be advising styles, with advisors in top-institutions devoting less time to their advisees unless they are co-authors, or a larger role of learning from peers, relative to advisors, in top-institutions.

Geography of doctoral education in The Netherlands: Origin and current work location of recent PhDs from five Dutch universities

Human capital is indispensable for regional innovation and economic growth, and PhD graduates (PhDs) play an important role in these processes. This is the first study describing the geographic origin and current work location of PhDs from Dutch universities, which are located in a densely populated area with a high concentration of basic science and science-based industries. Our study shows that their country of origin is strongly related to the field of study, as engineering PhDs were born outside The Netherlands much more often than PhDs from other fields. Furthermore, we show that PhDs disproportionally come from the same region as where the PhD university is located. PhDs also frequently did their pre-PhD degree at the university where they obtained their PhD degree. Finally, a disproportionate number of PhDs stay in the PhD region to work, especially if they also did their pre-PhD degrees at the PhD university. The extent of PhDs staying in the PhD region varies by sector, with PhDs in the higher education sector staying in the PhD region more often than PhDs working in other sectors. This implies that the geographic concentration of PhDs in the region of the PhD university is mainly due to PhDs staying to work at the same university rather than employment opportunities in other (science-based) industries—a finding at odds with Dutch science policy, which promotes mobility in academia but also stresses the importance of the region in innovation by science-based industries.

Competition in Science: Links Between Publication Pressure, Grant Pressure and the Academic Job Market

In the current discussions concerning the pressure for publication and to obtain grants, the questions about what publication and grant pressure actually involve and how they are linked to the academic job market, are often neglected. In this study, we show that publication and grand pressure are not just external forces but internal ones as scientists apply pressure to themselves in the process of competition. Through two surveys, one of 1,133 recent PhDs at five Dutch universities and one of 225 postdoctoral researchers at two Dutch universities, we found that publication and grant pressure have to be considered in relation with competition for academic jobs. While publication and grant pressure are perceived to be too high by a majority of these early career researchers, the effects of publication and grant pressure by themselves are limited.

The Role of Gender in the Employment, Career Perception and Research Performance of Recent PhD Graduates from Dutch Universities.

Recent decades have seen a sharp increase in the number of female PhD graduates in the Netherlands. Currently, the share of females among newly graduated PhDs is almost on par with that of males. A considerable body of scientific studies has investigated the role of gender in the academic workplace. However, the role of gender in the careers of all PhD graduates, including those outside academia, has been studied less. In this study, we investigate gender differences in type of job, occupation, career perception and research performance of recent PhDs. The study is based on a survey of persons who obtained a PhD from one of five Dutch universities between 2008 and early 2012. We show that gender differences in post-PhD careers are non-existent in some aspects studied, but there are small differences in other aspects, such as sector of employment, type of contract, involvement in teaching and management, and career perception. In contrast, male and female PhDs differ sharply on two factors. The first is field of PhD, females being heavily underrepresented in engineering and the natural sciences. The second is part-time employment, females being much more likely to work part-time than males, especially if they work in the Netherlands. In later career stages, the combination of the small and large differences can be presumed to affect the career progression of female PhDs through cumulative disadvantage.

ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE OF WORKFORCE CAPACITY IN DEMENTIA RESEARCH

Dementia currently affects 850,000 people in the UK, devastates families and costs the UK economy an estimated £26 billion a year. After decades of underfunding, investment in dementia research in increasing, but there are still too few researchers working on the condition. A small research workforce may limit the progress that can be made in all fields of investigation, including aetiology, treatment development, care and public health. Alzheimer’s Society commissioned RAND Europe to conduct an independent review of the UK dementia research landscape with a particular emphasis on the current research capacity challenges and policy strategies to address them. RAND Europe’s review used three methods: (i) a bibliometric analysis of UK dementia research; (ii) a tracing exercise of dementia PhDs from the British Library to estimate retention of researchers in the field; (iii) in-depth interviews to investigate workforce strengths and gaps in more depth. These three streams of work were combined to develop a set of ten policy recommendations for building capacity within the UK dementia research workforce. Bibliometric analysis identified the UK as second in the world in terms of the number of dementia research publications produced. There is a shortage of people completing PhDs in dementia, with five times fewer theses completed compared to those in cancer fields. There is also a lack of security and career progression for early career researchers, with at least 70% of recent PhDs leaving the field within 4 years. In biomedical dementia research, there is a particular lack of opportunities for those at the mid-career stage, whereas in clinical and care professions, the opportunity gap is mostly at the early career stage where people will enter into research for the first time. Significantly more academic, clinical and care researchers must be brought into the dementia to find new, innovative ways for our health and social care systems to support the increasing number of people living with dementia. This work has developed ten policy recommendations to inform future strategies aimed at building a large and diverse dementia research community in the UK. Reference: Marjanovic et al. (2015) RAND Europe report

The Africanisation of African Archaeology: What are the Implications for a “World Archaeology” Department?

comments on under-representation in archaeology, and draw on some of her points regarding obstacles to career progression in light of my own experiences as an “Africanist”. I believe there are a number of issues beginning to arise not just in African archaeology but in “World Archaeology” more generally that the academic community will sooner or later need to address. African archaeology has a strong history within the Institute; many of the new generation of British Africanists – and a good number of the old – have been affiliated with the department at some stage, whether through undertaking study, research or teaching here, or through collaboration. Until a few years ago an MA course in African Archaeology was available, though this was cancelled due to lack of interest. I would argue that this may be symptomatic of wider issues. For the first time in as long as I have been affiliated with the Institute (since 2007), there are no sub-Saharan African research students here and, to my knowledge, only a single student at Masters-level. The postcolonial era has taken time to impact on the representation of Africans working in archaeology; it is only relatively recently, perhaps as late as the 1980s, that Africans have regularly begun to set research agendas and taken up key positions within the heritage sector (Reid, 2014). Today, however, African archaeology is being reclaimed. A number of universities in sub-Saharan Africa now offer quality undergraduate and graduate courses in archaeology, and these courses are generally taught by Africans. Further, the ethical obligations of foreign researchers towards the countries they work in have become a vital topic and one that today is omnipresent at Africanist meetings (Giblin, King & Smith, 2014). It is – rightly, of course – no longer possible in most African countries to conduct research without the consent of and engagement with, local communities and national heritage institutions. Though it could never be reasonably suggested that these developments are anything but a force for good, I would like to raise the question of where this leaves African archaeology as a subject taught at and practiced by Western universities. Though at present it appears that there are generally enough project-based research positions to accommodate the majority of recent PhDs, there are worryingly few permanent jobs available at the few UK institutions that maintain a focus on Africa. I do not believe that this situation is unique to African archaeology. Indeed, from my own experience working in Mexico prior to Forum

Roads Less Traveled in Middle East Anthropology—And New Paths in Gender Ethnography

Marcia C. Inhorn is the recipient of the 2013 Middle East Distinguished Scholar Award, given by the Middle East Section (MES) of the American Anthropological Association. This biennial award was established in 2006 to recognize the efforts of “a senior scholar in Middle Eastern anthropology who is an outstanding academic in terms of scholarly publications and service to Middle Eastern anthropology.” The MES Award Committee wrote to Inhorn: “Our committee greatly values your efforts as a scholar, a mentor, and a leader who has been deeply invested in the anthropology of the Middle East. We very much value your impressive pioneering and important work on medical anthropology, science and reproductive technologies, the anthropology of gender, and religion in the Middle East. Your thick ethnographic accounts of the lives of men and women who struggle with infertility and how they appropriate different discourses and technologies in their quest for conception as well as your engagement with broader theories and concerns in anthropology have been very valuable contributions to our field. We also greatly value your service to the anthropology of the Middle East and leading role in making our discipline more visible in different institutions and organizations, including MESA as well as your committed work with the Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies. In addition, we deeply appreciate your mentoring of students and junior faculty. As was communicated by one of your students, you are renowned among graduate students and recent PhDs ‘as one of the best mentors in the field’ for your ‘support, enthusiasm, and warmth.’ On behalf of the MES Distinguished Scholar Award Committee, I would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations and warmly invite you to give our Distinguished Lecture at the MES Business Meeting during the AAA’s 2013 Annual Meetings, and we look forward to celebrating your work and contributions to our field.” Inhorn’s Distinguished Lecture reflects on the state of Middle East anthropology, including ten directions for the future. New paths in Middle East gender ethnography are highlighted.

Recent science PhDs in the workforce no longer disproportionately white

Recent science PhDs in the workforce no longer disproportionately white

Abstracts of Recent PhDs

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How To Be a Peer Reviewer: A Guide for Recent and Soon-to-be PhDs

AbstractPeer review is central to political science. In this article we collect the ideas of journal editors in political science and several recent PhDs, who met as a panel at the 2011 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting to discuss the principles of the review process. This includes why reviewing is important to the development of one's own scholarship but also offers some nuts and bolts on reviewing.

E-NeoTutor: A Novel Online Intelligent Tutoring System for Teaching Neuroscience Curriculums and Playing BCI NeuroGames in the Cloud

Event Abstract Back to Event e-NeoTutor: A Novel Online Intelligent Tutoring System for Teaching Neuroscience Curriculums and Playing BCI NeuroGames in the Cloud Jeff B. Cromwell1* 1 Neuronal Architects, United States Effective clinical research work in the field of neuroscience requires considerable depth in multiple research domains. Researchers have to be cognizant of the latest advances in the fields of mathematics, computer science, neuroscience, neuroinformatics, neuroanantomy, statistics, and the new field of neurogames designed to address different pathologies with novel commercially available brain computer interfaces. Projects like the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF), the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF), and the Neuron Registry provide descriptions and additional opportunities to connect disparate data sources for students and researchers. Because of the plethora of available data, models, information, and tool sets, it would be helpful to provide an organizing context to help accelerate the learning process for both students and academic researchers new to the domain. eNeoTutor at www.neuronalarchitects.com/eNeoTutor/is designed to enable graduate students, recent PhDs, scientists, and experts in many diverse fields an opportunity to create, accelerate and translate their expertise. This online intelligent tutor enables users to access the latest information from a wide variety of databases, tool sets, track assignments, lecture course objectives and play different video games associated with commercially available EEG sensing devices such as Neurosky and Emotiv. Four separate hierarchical sliding panels offer the students the ability to build neuroscientific software in popular languages such as C, .NET. Java, along with statistical languages such as R and mathematical languages like MATLAB; track lecture material, take assessments and notes, track assignments and play HTM5/Javascript and XNA based games; assess their performance with an intelligent dashboard that monitors academic performance and schedules; and the ability to measure sustained and switching multiple brain states associated with gamma and theta wave activity. Using the principle of having everything on one page with a heavy dose of modularity of third party user controls coupled to a hybrid statistical engine called Neural Maestro, students can organize an entire neuroscience curriculum, read and create papers and develop e-book content along with several neuroinformatics knowledge databases. eNeoTutor includes four distinct database models that generate the entity relationships for object oriented modeling, examining and building pathways associated with several neuropathologies: Autism, ADHD, Schizophrenia, Epilepsy and other mental disorders. In addition to the main tutor application, there are three additional navigators for both simulation and predictive analytics: (A) Brain Navigator, (B) EEG Navigator, and a (C) Neural Tissue Simulator. Each designed to process student data sets, aid in project development, provide article and grant proposal generation. Currently, the tutor is being tested and will be available online at the end of April 2013. Keywords: Intelligent tutoring systems, EEG, Neurinformatics, BCI, human computer interaction, time series analysis Conference: Neuroinformatics 2013, Stockholm, Sweden, 27 Aug - 29 Aug, 2013. Presentation Type: Demo Topic: General neuroinformatics Citation: Cromwell JB (2013). e-NeoTutor: A Novel Online Intelligent Tutoring System for Teaching Neuroscience Curriculums and Playing BCI NeuroGames in the Cloud. Front. Neuroinform. Conference Abstract: Neuroinformatics 2013. doi: 10.3389/conf.fninf.2013.09.00111 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 08 Apr 2013; Published Online: 11 Jul 2013. * Correspondence: Dr. Jeff B Cromwell, Neuronal Architects, Pittsburgh, United States, jeffcromwell@msn.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Jeff B Cromwell Google Jeff B Cromwell Google Scholar Jeff B Cromwell PubMed Jeff B Cromwell Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. 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