Comments on: Pennies from Heaven…

By: The History Enthusiast

The History Enthusiast — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:52:08 +0000

I’m at one of the AAU institutions, so I really hope they do this next year so I can be eligible! It sounds promising for my colleagues who graduated last year.

By: Shaz

Shaz — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:29:25 +0000

Value of program aside, two $35K postdocs don’t equal one $50K position. I know at my University, overhead is about 55% and benefits are on top of that — so the rough rule of thumb (say for a grant for a postdoc) is that you need double the cash to actually pay for the person. E.g.: you’d need close to 100K for another postdoc. So maybe not a bad use of resources, distributing the 35K to two people.

I also wonder, as usual, about the gender aspects: Women are less likely to be portable (e.g.: have partners who can’t pick up and move for 2 years), so fellowships tied to particular places can, in the aggregate, further disadvantage women. Or do candidates get to request particular Universities? That might help, somewhat…

By: Rad Readr

Rad Readr — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:48:27 +0000

One of the foundations — don’t remember which one — established a program like this a few years ago. We got a postdoc at the university where I used to work, and if I’m remembering correctly this postdoc moved into the house where a good friend used to live. It was painful, not only because our good friend (who shall remain nameless) was gone to another u. but because after two years the postdoc still could not find a t-t job. But my employer got a postdoc supported by the foundation. So this may be a way to funnel money to AAU members.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:42:52 +0000

Gwen–I feel your pain. But, sorry: no soup for you! I guess the ACLS and AAU figure that anyone whose Ph.D. is older than 2 years should already have a job. (I don’t feel this way of course–I know people who have spent more than two years adjuncting who ended up getting really good jobs when the right jobs came along.)

Matt L: I was sent the survey to fill out for that study by the Carnegie people (or whatever it was.) I was one of the charter generations of beneficiaries of all of that money that was poured into elite universities to speed up the production of Ph.D.s to replace the legions of people who retired in the 1990s. I’d love to see the results of that survey. I think I’m probably in the minority as someone 1) still in the profession and 2) tenured or in a tt job.

ER Doc may have a point: a lot of people might be happy to take a postdoc just for the health insurance. (“Will teach for Anthem/BCBS/no copay?”)

By: Gwen

Gwen — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:21:44 +0000

So the change has happened since January of ’08? Really? I’ve been adjuncting and waiting for my turn since I graduated in January ’07. Which means I’m not eligible. So glad to know this is equal and fair and well thought out.

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:56:54 +0000

Well, it does sound as if they are taking care of their own, and their expectations are, well, high.

By: Comrade PhysioProf

Comrade PhysioProf — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:01:13 +0000

50,000 smackeroos per year as an entry-level post-doc is a lot more than entry-level science post-docs get.

By: Janice

Janice — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:53:45 +0000

A year from now, when this crop of post-post-docs is competing with the freshly-minted Ph.D.s without a post-doc to their name, I bet we’ll see a call to continue and expand the program for the new grads who can’t compete in what’ll still be a punishingly tough job market.

It’s not looking any brighter from where I’m sitting, folks. We’re quite literally asked to do more with less!

By: ER Doc

ER Doc — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:50:05 +0000

Not to overemphasize my field, but, the losing finalists get $35,000 one time cash. Along with the $50,000/year stipend for 2 years, plus $5,000 travel/research money/year and $1500 moving expenses, the winners get health insurance. That’s becoming a big deal in itself, these days…

By: Matt L

Matt L — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:24:58 +0000

Just when you thought the job market could not get any weirder, something like this drops in out of nowhere…

What happened to that Carnegie funded study run by the clever R-1 types to fix grad school and the job market? I know I did some sort of exit survey on that about four years ago, but I do not recall anything coming of it. Maybe they are still ‘writing up the results’ as the science colleagues say…