Climate Survey Results
Preliminary findings from the Climate Survey are provided below from the Office of Data Analytics, Institutional Research division. The full report will be published in the summer and announced in the Doc Report. This is the first postdoc survey at CU Boulder.
Who are CU Boulder's postdocs? According to campus records, most postdocs are men (70.5%). Nearly half (46%) are not U.S. citizens. The average age is 33 years. About 50% of UCB postdocs are affiliated with research institutes such as CU NIST Prep Program and JILA. One fourth are affiliated with physics, chemical and biochemical engineering, ecology and evolutionary biology, biochemistry, and chemistry, and the remainder are scattered across programs associated with STEM, social sciences, and other disciplines. Survey responses indicate that 10% identify with the LGBTQIA community, and 20% have children.
What are postdocs doing? Postdocs are working hard—87% work more than 40 hours per week. The majority of survey respondents (46%) reported working 40-49 hours per week. More than one in four (27%) reported working 50-59 hours, and 14% reported working 60 or more hours per week. Only 12% reported working fewer than 40 hours per week. They report spending most of their time on research. Although the majority of postdocs report that their workload is “Neither too heavy nor too light” (57%), about one in three (36%) described their workload as “Slightly too heavy.” The vast majority of postdocs expect to be in their position 1-2 years (48%) or 3-5 years (44%). Only 9% expect their postdoc to be longer than 5 years.
How are postdocs doing? A combined 43% of postdocs report “A lot” or “A great deal” of stress or anxiety related to their postdoctoral training. Fortunately, 36% report “a moderate amount” of stress and 21% percent report “A little stress” or “None at all.” The great majority of postdocs are “Extremely satisfied” or “Somewhat satisfied” with their overall postdoc experience (82%), the quality of guidance/mentoring (83%), and the time being individually advised by their supervisor/mentor (71%). Most also “Strongly Agree” or “Agree” that their postdoc is preparing them for their future career (85%). Postdocs also overwhelmingly believe that their colleagues value their research/scholarship and that their supervisor/mentor supports their career development (94% Strongly Agree or Agree with each of these statements). Fewer agree that they feel like they are part of the CU Boulder community (59%) and postdoc community (46%).
Mentorship. Most postdocs (56%) report having regular discussions of goals and expectations with their supervisor/mentor monthly or more often. The next largest group (38%) said they discussed goals and expectations when they first started their job. Although the great majority of postdocs (81%) report that they have received some kind of evaluation as a postdoc (informal, written, or oral),19% report receiving no feedback of any kind regarding their performance.
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. 93% of postdocs in the survey were aware of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, and 39.5% reported using the office.
Gift Card Winners
OPA is also pleased to announce the two winners of $50 gift cards for completing the 2018 Climate Survey: Drs. Haorui Wu and Jeremy Calder. Dr. Wu is a postdoctoral research associate in the Natural Hazards Center and Institute of Behavioral Science. Dr. Calder is a 2017 Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistrics. The winners were selected randomly by the Office of Institutional Research, which administered the survey in March.