Release of the NASEM Report

On March 9, 2021, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released one of their consensus study reports entitled “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Careers of Women in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine” (Figure 1). This report, which was spearheaded by senior program officer Maria Dahlberg, originated from five publications that focused on how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affected the following factors for women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM): (1) career trajectories; (2) work-life boundaries; (3) networking and collaboration; (4) academic leadership; and (5) mental health and well-being. The report also revealed the results of a survey of 933 women in academic STEMM careers on how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affected their professional lives between March and October of 2020. Although only five of the survey participants were postdoctoral scholars, the results of this report indicate that the lasting fallout from the pandemic will largely affect early-career female scientists, especially female postdocs.

Figure 2. The number of male authors on manuscripts uploaded to the the bioRxiv and arXiv preprint servers has grown faster than the proportion of female authors. Image credit.

Career Casualties among Female Postdocs

Pandemic restrictions and subsequent laboratory shutdowns caused many scientists to fall behind on their research progress. Widespread burnout and excessive stress likely exacerbated decreases in productivity and delays in career advancement that would have occurred regardless due to lab shutdowns. While these factors undoubtedly put stress on male researchers, studies on publishing trends have shown that their productivity has not been impacted to the same extent as their female counterparts. For instance, the increased percentage of male authors submitting preprints from 2019 to 2020 was higher than the increase in the percentage of female authors on the arXiv and biorXiv servers (Figure 2). A separate study by Muric et al. showed that the proportion of manuscripts with women researchers as the first author decreased by approximately 4.9 percent during the pandemic.

“Opportunities for career-building collaborations among female scientists have also been disproportionately stifled by the pandemic.”

Since publication is often a key factor for determining tenure and promotion among academic researchers, this discrepancy between male and female researchers could prove problematic for postdocs and early-career tenure track faculty. This widening gap between male and female researchers receiving tenure further exacerbates the issues experienced by women scientists, especially women of color, who are underrepresented at higher levels of institutional research leadership. With male leaders favoring decisions that benefit their male colleagues, the detrimental effect of the pandemic on female researchers is likely to be magnified and affect the future of the STEMM pipeline.

Upsets in Work-Life Balance and Mental Health

Opportunities for career-building collaborations among female scientists have also been disproportionately stifled by the pandemic. While the increased use of video conferencing platforms has benefitted some researchers, women are less likely to benefit from its use due to differences in priorities and responsibilities. Specifically, female scientists with families have less time available to collaborate virtually with their other researcher peers when they are taking on most of their household’s labor.

Assisting children with virtual school and other childcare responsibilities fall overwhelmingly on female researchers, which limits their ability to devote time to scientific collaborations. The closure of schools and daycare facilities has also created conflicts between usual job-related activities, such as teaching courses online or writing manuscripts, and helping children with online education. For single academic parents and those without access to affordable childcare, this issue is often far worse. A Scientific American article highlighted the plight of Emilia Arturo, Ph.D., a postdoc at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, and a single mother of three children. Due to her childcare responsibilities during the large part of her daytime hours, Arturo would spend all night researching and reading papers after her live-in partner came home to watch the children. For other postdocs or early-career researchers, social distancing often meant working in shifts, which meant that female scientists with children often had to forgo in-person work if they did not have access to childcare.

Not surprisingly, the increase in domestic workload coupled with social isolation and the blurring of boundaries has caused female postdocs to suffer from burnout and deteriorating mental health. Since women in STEMM tend to rely more on their support network as a coping mechanism compared to men, social distancing likely had a greater negative effect on female researchers than on male researchers. Job insecurity among women in STEMM was identified as another major factor contributing to pandemic-related stress. According to a Nature survey, 61 percent of respondent postdocs believed that the pandemic has negatively affected their job prospects due to factors such as lost grant funding and laboratory shutdowns (Figure 3). For female postdocs and other early-career researchers in a caregiving role, a lack of job security leaves them uncertain about being able to financially provide for their families or loved ones. When asked about her job prospects, one married female postdoc with children who participated in the NASEM survey said “There is no guarantee whether I can have a postdoc in the next six months because it all depends on my supervisor and the funding agency. There is no fallback in these times of pandemic.”

Figure 3. According to a survey of 7,670 postdocs conducted by Nature, most respondents are concerned about how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect their job prospects. Image credit.

Getting Back on Track

The NASEM report highlighted several policy changes that need to occur at the institutional level to help female STEMM researchers cope with the effects of the pandemic. For instance, several universities have proposed changing tenure evaluation criteria and other academic performance assessments to account for the unique challenges faced by female researchers during this time. Although stopping tenure clocks has been suggested as a measure to counteract decreases in productivity during the pandemic, Malisch et al. suggest that these measures often negatively affect women by excluding them from leadership roles and research opportunities only available to tenured researchers. Furthermore, while research funding agencies may allow for no-cost extensions that provide investigators with more time to complete projects and publish the results, it does not provide them with additional funding for graduate students and postdocs who are supported by research project grants. To ensure that the research enterprise does not lose the next generation of talented female researchers, it is imperative that research institutions and funding agencies provide them with the financial, emotional, and professional support that they need to weather this crisis.

Adriana Bankston, PhD, is a scientist, advocate and mentor at the intersection of research, higher education, science policy, and workforce development. She is the chief executive officer & managing publisher of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance, an internationally recognized non-profit organization and peer-reviewed publication dedicated to empowering early career scientists, engineers, and policy professionals in international science policy debate.

Stephanie M. Davis, Ph.D. is a program fficer at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute who has served as an associate editor for the POSTDOCket since 2019. She is an alumna of the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellows Program (2019-2020) and currently serves as the chair of the Women in Bio- Capital Region Chapter and a member of the Future of Research Board of Directors.

Disclaimer: This article was written in Stephanie’s personal capacity and does not represent the views of the National Institutes of Health or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

However, many postdocs persevered; either by receiving extensions on positions they already held or by securing new jobs. Fatima Brunson, Ph.D., at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education is one such postdoc. She defended her dissertation only a few days before her institution shut down on March 13, 2020, with no immediate job prospects in hand. She had considered taking a summer job, which ended up not working out due to the closures, spending two months in quarantine instead, uncertain of what was next. Then, an acquaintance who works at the University of Pittsburgh contacted her and asked if she had a position, and things fell into place from there. She moved from Chicago to Pittsburgh and has been working remotely ever since. In some ways, Bruson notes that the inequities highlighted by COVID-19 and the protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder last year worked to push her research into a more antiracist direction and revitalized areas of research that had previously not been as heavily supported. Of course, there weren't just benefits. Brunson says, "Shout out to anyone still trying to do research in schools,” noting that in the field of education, many graduate students and postdocs had to pivot what their work looks like. Many educational settings not only moved to remote instruction and meetings, but also suspended external research efforts, causing many graduate students and postdocs to lose research sites, or require substantial Internal Review Board (IRB) amendments and modifications.

“From scrambling to access affordable childcare and healthcare to losing opportunities due to closed borders and visa holds and trying to stay healthy and encouraged amidst hiring freezes and uncertainty. However, many postdocs persevered; either by receiving extensions on positions they already held or by securing new jobs.”

Although most postdocs desire to remain in academia, many must reckon with the realities of the contemporary job market.

While unique, Brunson’s path to a postdoc position rests on many of the foundations taught by postdoctoral career coach, Tracy Costello, Ph.D. Costello provides one-on-one private coaching for graduate students and early-career postdocs and faculty by exploring ways to set themselves up for success. Over the last year, she reports that many international students in particular lost opportunities (due to visas being revoked or not issued), but also interacted with many postdocs whose positions were extended or altered. She encouraged postdocs on the job market to attend more informational interviews and to connect with their networks. Despite hiring freezes and a sharp drop in available positions during the pandemic, postdoc opportunities cropped up in some fields, such as the pharma industry. However, the academic job market, which had already been declining before the pandemic, has left many postdocs wondering what’s next for them. According to a survey by Nature, 56 percent of the surveyed postdocs had a negative view of their job prospects. Although most postdocs desire to remain in academia, many must reckon with the realities of the contemporary job market.

For this reason, Costello encourages postdocs to engage in a reflective process, asking them, for example, to reflect on what they love about what they do, what they do not like, and what they find motivating and satisfying. She notes that many universities offer on-campus career resources to postdocs (check out your local postdoctoral association), and many professional societies do so at the national level (e.g. American Chemical Society’s Career Kickstarter Program). Overall, Costello has developed a ten-step framework to engage in the career and job search process in her work as a coach:

1. Self-assess (consider your skills, interests, and values)
2. Network (build relationships over time)
3. Request and attend informational interviews (they help you understand what an actual job looks like)
4. Research career paths
5. Understand a skill you need to obtain (do you need additional training?)
6. Learn the skill
7. Identify jobs you want to apply for
8. Prepare application materials (CV, teaching statement, research statement, diversity statement, presentation/job talk prep), resume, cover letter, LinkedIn)
9. Go to interviews
10. Negotiate

What Bruson’s story highlights, and Costello's work drives home is the importance of relationships, self-awareness, and flexibility in developing career prospects. Costello reminds postdocs: “You are not just your technical skills. You are so much more. As you are progressing, be sure to reach back and propel others!”

Tanja Burkhard, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of human development at Washington State University.

As we rapidly make our way into the second half of 2021, safely traveling both domestically and internationally has become a real possibility for U.S. postdoctoral scholars. With vaccination rates continuing to rise, more countries have begun opening their borders to tourists from the former pandemic hotspot. Excitement abounds for summer vacations and visits home. However, navigating the various rules and restrictions for different countries can be a challenge and not all countries are open for travel. The dramatic rise in demand has also driven up travel costs, particularly domestically. Unfortunately for international postdocs with family and friends in countries not yet open to U.S. travelers, COVID-19 remains a barrier, or at least a serious complication, to any reunions.

Why travel?

Many people within and beyond the postdoc community have experienced some form of isolation since lockdowns and in-person work restrictions began back in March 2020. For much of 2020, the idea of a holiday or visiting family, particularly elderly or at-risk relatives, seemed far off on the horizon. The psychological toll of this isolation is evident in rising rates of mental health concerns during the pandemic. Research shows both planning and taking a vacation can boost multiple health outcomes, and now that many are fully vaccinated, it feels relatively safe to do so. Now more than ever, a reprieve from the monotony of virtual meetings and trying to keep a disciplined work-from-home schedule- our ‘new normal’- is much needed. The ability to travel is not just about taking a break though. It is also allowing many to visit friends and family again and to finally celebrate weddings, birthdays, and other milestones with fewer restrictions. It’s an exciting time to be heading into summer with in-person social events to look forward to again.

“If planning on taking a vacation or visiting home to any aforementioned ‘open’ countries, non-U.S. citizens must consider U.S. travel restrictions upon return.”

Domestic vs Overseas travel

According to a recent Bloomberg article, two thirds of Americans intend on taking a trip (domestic or international) in 2021. Flight capacity in the United States has returned to 84 percent of 2019 levels with an average 1.2 million increase in daily travelers in June 2021 vs 2020. While good news for the tourism industry, this may not bode well for the consumer, who can expect rising costs of airfares, accommodation, rental cars, and other travel expenses. For U.S. domestic travel that cost next to nothing a year ago, fares are expected to average close to $300 for June through August, making interstate family visits more costly. Nonetheless, with much to see and do here, a trip in the United States is a great option for tourists, and people are flocking to national parks in record numbers. Unlike overseas travel, compliance with any COVID-related rules is relatively easy, as there are few restrictions remaining.

With increased domestic travel costs, discounted flights to newly opened countries are tempting for those able to take an overseas vacation. Trips to countries in the Caribbean and Europe, where U.S. tourists are now welcomed, have become particularly popular in recent months. However, these overseas holidays are not without complications. Significant research is required to ensure the protocols of destination countries are followed. Particularly within Europe, varied policies on COVID testing, quarantine, and vaccination requirements between countries can complicate holiday planning. Thankfully, there are many online resources that are keeping U.S. citizens up to date on the countries where travel is permitted and the associated requirements, such as this detailed guide. Importantly, any traveler, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, is required to provide a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of departure for a return flight to the United States. It should also be acknowledged that the CDC recommends international travel only for those who are fully vaccinated, and the United States has its own travel advisories based on COVID-19.

Travel for International Postdocs

For internationals, the rules are even more complicated. With close to half of U.S. postdocs being of international origin this heavily impacts the postdoc community. If planning on taking a vacation or visiting home to any aforementioned ‘open’ countries, non-U.S. citizens must consider U.S. travel restrictions upon return. This currently applies to foreign travelers who visit China, India, Iran, Brazil, the UK, Ireland, the Schengen Area of Europe and South Africa. U.S. policy currently barrs re-entry to foreign travelers who visit China, India, Iran, Brazil, the UK, Ireland, the Schengen Area of Europe and South Africa. Although postdocs can apply for a National Interest Exemption to allow for their return, this policy makes international travel difficult. For citizens of highly restricted countries like Australia and New Zealand, effectively closed to all visitors, entry home is allowed, but a 14-day quarantine on arrival is mandatory and flights are limited. Therefore, although restrictions vary with respect to VISA type and citizenship, for much of the international postdoc community the idea of visiting home remains unrealistic.

The potential to travel again is exciting, but we are far from returning to ‘normal,’ and there are many considerations to make before planning a trip. Although domestic travel may be expensive, it remains safer and easier than overseas travel. While the outlook is more optimistic for ease of worldwide travel over the coming months, sadly for a lot of international postdocs, the wait to visit home continues. Far from all doom and gloom though, there are now many options for postdocs to take a safe vacation.

Caitlin Lewis, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and an associate editor for The POSTDOCket.