Exodus of life scientists from academia reaches historic levels, new data show

New data released Thursday by the National Science Foundation show the exodus of young life scientists from the Ivory Tower to industry has reached the highest level in nearly three decades, deepening concerns about the future of academic science in the U.S.

Among newly minted life science Ph.D.s in 2022 who had firm next steps, roughly 53% planned to pursue postdoctoral research, a temporary period of additional training that is virtually a requirement for those hoping to land a faculty job. That’s a sizable step down from the nearly 58% of graduates who went on to do a postdoc in 2021. Ph.D. graduates are now pursuing postdocs at the lowest rate since at least 1995, based on STAT’s review of NSF data available online.

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