(November 2013)
How valuable are postdocs? Who knows what postdocs are, what postdocs do, how postdocs contribute to research and the healthy and successful future of the global society? Do Postdocs receive the necessary support to perform at their best? What is the ideal support for Postdocs?
NewYorkPostdocs.com is dedicated to answer these questions by surveying New Yorkers, Postdocs and other academics.
A preliminary study (from November 2013) evaluates the knowledge and estimates of a small group of adult pedestrians from the Columbus Circle area (Manhattan). Participants were exposed to following sequence of questions and educational material:
1. Do you know what a postdoc is?
n=46, yes = 37%, no = 63%
2. Do you know what a professor is? (control for Q1)
n=46, yes = 93% , no = 7%
3. "Postdocs are people who have completed a PhD or MD degree and are actively conducting research. Postdocs contribute significantly to the US research progress by developing research ideas, performing experiments and training others.”
4. What do you think a typical annual starting salary is for a postdoc working at a major research university or institute in NYC?
n = 43, Mean = $ 59651, StError = $ 4214
5. How many years do you think it takes to earn a PhD in a field such as biomedical research? (control for Q4)
n = 42, Mean = 6.68 years, StError = 0.34 years
More information about this survey and subsequent surveys will be posted soon.