The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) held its seventh annual meeting last March. Among the issues emphasized at the meeting were the current incarnation of the science career path and the education that parallels it, since it is relatively new—mostly coming into its current form during the buildup of the Cold War. As such, the field of science needs to be malleable to correct for embedded mistakes that young fields can have; likewise, the field of science needs to be robust so that those educated within it can thrive despite changes in the economy, government policy, or the field of science. The NPA, though young itself, is meant to help shape the science career path as it matures, while also helping those who are trained within it.

The stated mission of the NPA is to maximize the effectiveness of the research community and to enhance the quality of the postdoctoral experience. As such, they tend to cater to the needs of graduate students at the end of their dissertation training, and to the needs of postdocs, both US citizens and internationals, in all phases of their training. The NPA has three major functions: gathering information about current postdoctoral life, advocating for positive changes in science policy through grassroots organization (although the NPA does have close ties with policy makers at the NIH), and providing resources for people in all stages of their scientific career.

Summaries of nationwide postdoctoral surveys and historical perspectives on the postdoc workforce are available at the NPA website¹. The summaries include the demographics of the current postdoctoral workforce, the average duration of postdoctoral training across disciplines, funding sources, and statistics about the benefits postdocs receive. This information is intended to be used to help inform people when making career choices and to help NPA shape science policy. The NPA is also developing a database which shows what policies and benefits individual institutions have implemented. This will facilitate benchmarking for individual institutions and Postdoctoral Associations as well as provide graduate students and postdocs with more information as they seek postdoctoral training.
The current policy goals of the NPA are aligned with the mainstream desires of most postdocs: to make salaries and benefits commensurate with training and experience, to renew emphasis on training, to facilitate research, to help students and postdocs establish their career options, and to facilitate the transition to one’s career². Additionally, the NPA aims to incentivize better mentoring, to increase the financial independence of postdocs, to re-examine the projected science and technology labor shortages, to enact reforms that increase the mobility of international postdocs, and to increase access to professional development that supports non-traditional career paths. Their progress and attempts in reaching these goals are described on their website. They also offer mechanisms by which you can enact these aims.
The NPA has gathered and developed a bounty of useful information³ for graduate students, postdocs, and even administrators and faculty. These include, but are not limited to, an overview of the tax issues that postdocs face and how to handle them, resources dedicated to diversity issues, and links to handbooks and manuals on mentorship. With regard to the mentorship, the NPA strongly encourages postdocs and their mentors to use the Individual Development Plan (IDP) worksheet on an annual basis. As stated in the IDP, these plans provide a “process that identifies both professional development needs and career objectives⁴. Furthermore, IDPs serve as a communication tool between individuals and their mentors.” While it is unlikely that Rockefeller University will implement a mandatory performance review between a postdoc and their mentor, the IDP provides a template, which those who are interested in improving their mentorship, can implement themselves.

For international postdocs, the NPA has developed a “Survival Guide” to living in the US. Upon request, the NPA will also send immigration lawyers to the institution to provide legal seminars that teach international postdocs about recent developments in immigration law, legal rights as temporary residents, visa options, and pathways to permanent residency.

Finally, the NPA is a tool itself. The NPA is currently looking to fill leadership positions to help lobby the government, develop new resources for postdocs, and improve outreach to the public. One of the trends in our career paths is that scientists need to improve both their networking and proactivity. Becoming a member of the NPA puts one in direct contact with those who will shape the field of science. Indeed, members become one of those people.

References:

1. What is a Postdoc?
2. Statements about the NPA are derived from attendance at their annual meeting and from their statements on their website .
3. The reader is encouraged to explore their website. If you would like to see information that is available to NPA members only, please contact the RU PDA.
4. Individual Development Plan for Postdoctoral Fellows