Postdoc numbers rebound at national centers

The number of postdoctoral researchers employed at federally funded R&D centers (FFRDCs) ticked upward from 2013 to 2015, according to an NSF report released 20 October. Still, the latest figure of 2696 postdocs falls short of the 2010 peak of 3011.

The 42 FFRDCs, 24 of which employ postdocs, are public–private partnerships that conduct research for the Defense and Energy departments, NASA, NSF, and other government agencies. Nearly 28% of postdocs at FFRDCs in 2015 were engaged in physics or astronomy research. The next largest group, at about 25%, worked in aerospace engineering. Other fields included chemistry, biology, Earth science, computer science, health fields, and many areas of engineering.

The majority of postdocs at FFRDCs are men, although the gap has narrowed a bit. Women made up 24% in 2015, up from 21% in 2005. In addition, most of the postdocs hold temporary visas. In 2015 the share of temporary visa holders was about 54%, down from nearly 62% in 2005.

Last year two FFRDCs launched new postdoctoral programs. Lincoln Laboratory at MIT employed three postdocs in 2015 to focus on national security research, and Project Air Force, operated by the Rand Corporation, took on one postdoc to study policy analysis. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory employed the most postdocs of any FFRDC, with 449.