However, there aren't enough faculty jobs or even
staff scientist positions for postdocs currently seeking them.
High on his list is the creation of
a staff scientist position for researchers who love the bench but don't want to deal with the added responsibilities that come with assistant professorships.
Not exact matches
He currently has two Ph.D. - level
scientists on his
staff and open
positions for three more.
In particular, «[t] he calls
for greater transparency in career pathways, funding streams
for junior
scientists, support
for staff scientist positions, and improving the research environment are all things that ring very true in the US too.»
One participant,
for example, wondered aloud why any researcher would want a
staff scientist position, which does not permit full research independence.
With the small number of tenure - track faculty
positions available and the large number of Ph.D. holders in career limbo, many are advocating
for increased numbers of
staff scientist positions.
The extent to which the number of
staff scientist positions will continue increasing remains to be seen, but the role can offer an appealing option
for those who want to stay close to research while also expanding their skills and responsibilities.
Several programs have been initiated to help promote young investigators, such as the Avenir program at INSERM, which provides young
scientists who already have a permanent
position with fully equipped space within their host department and funding toward research expenses and salaries
for nonpermanent
staff for up to 5 years.
As we've reported what seems like countless times, numerous reports and studies on postdocs» plight have called
for raising their pay to the neighborhood of $ 50,000 and reducing their numbers (while creating more
staff scientist positions).
Faculty members and institutions,
for their part, should realize that the
position of
staff scientist does not imply a lack of scientific drive or disinterest in professional advancement and should strive to promote and nurture more of these
positions.
Shortly before President Donald J. Trump's inauguration, his
staff confirmed that he had met with two brilliant and pugnacious
scientists, each said to be a candidate
for the
position of science adviser or director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.