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Research Workforce Diversity: The Case of Balancing National versus International Postdocs in US Biomedical Research

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  • Navid Ghaffarzadegan
  • Joshua Hawley
  • Anand Desai

Abstract

The US government has been increasingly supporting postdoctoral training in biomedical sciences to develop the domestic research workforce. However, current trends suggest that mostly international researchers benefit from the funding, many of whom might leave the USA after training. In this paper, we describe a model used to analyse the flow of national versus international researchers into and out of postdoctoral training. We calibrate our model in the case of the USA and successfully replicate the data. We use the model to conduct simulation‐based analyses of effects of different policies on the diversity of postdoctoral researchers. Our model shows that capping the duration of postdoctoral careers, a policy proposed previously, favours international postdoctoral researchers. The analysis suggests that the leverage point to help the growth of domestic research workforce is in the pregraduate education area, and many policies implemented at the postgraduate level have minimal or unintended effects on diversity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Navid Ghaffarzadegan & Joshua Hawley & Anand Desai, 2014. "Research Workforce Diversity: The Case of Balancing National versus International Postdocs in US Biomedical Research," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 301-315, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:srbeha:v:31:y:2014:i:2:p:301-315
    DOI: 10.1002/sres.2190
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Thomas E. Wei & Victoria Levin & Lindsay M. Sabik, 2012. "A referral is worth a thousand ads: Job search methods and scientist outcomes in the market for postdoctoral scholars," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 39(1), pages 60-73, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hyungjo Hur & Maryam A Andalib & Julie A Maurer & Joshua D Hawley & Navid Ghaffarzadegan, 2017. "Recent trends in the U.S. Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (BSSR) workforce," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Hyungjo Hur & Navid Ghaffarzadegan & Joshua Hawley, 2015. "Effects of Government Spending on Research Workforce Development: Evidence from Biomedical Postdoctoral Researchers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(5), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Jian Li & Eryong Xue, 2022. "“Sustainable or Unsustainable” in Higher Education Internationalization Development: Exploring the Post-Doctoral System in the Humanities and Social Sciences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-12, September.
    4. Ghaffarzadegan, Navid & Xue, Yi & Larson, Richard C., 2017. "Work-education mismatch: An endogenous theory of professionalization," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 261(3), pages 1085-1097.

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