A Note on PhD Population Growth in Biomedical Sciences
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Ghaffarzadegan_et_al-2015-Systems_Research_and_Behavioral_Science.pdf
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228.47 KB
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Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
2017debb479b022aa00466fd3e615180
Author(s)
Ghaffarzadegan, Navid
Hawley, Joshua
Larson, Richard Charles
Xue, Yi
Date Issued
November 2014
Journal
Systems Research and Behavioral Science
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Citation
Ghaffarzadegan, Navid et al. “A Note on PhD Population Growth in Biomedical Sciences.” Systems Research and Behavioral Science 32, 3 (November 2014): 402–405 © 2014 The Authors
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The explosive increase in the number of postdocs in biomedical fields is puzzling for many science policymakers. We use our previously introduced parameter in this journal, the basic reproductive number in academia (R-0), to make sense of PhD population growth in biomedical fields. Our analysis shows how R-0 in biomedical fields has increased over time, and we estimate that there is approximately only one tenure-track position in the US for every 6.3 PhD graduates, which means that the rest need to get jobs outside academia or stay in lower-paid temporary positions. We elaborate on the structural reasons and systemic flaws of science workforce development by discussing feedback loops, especially vicious cycles, which contribute to over-production of PhDs. We argue that the current system is unstable but with no easy solution. A way to mitigate the effects of strong reinforcing loops is full disclosure of the risks of getting PhD.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1002/SRES.2324
