This project is a large-scale longitudinal study on the problems that scientists confront related to making progress on their ideas, shedding light on the granular nature of scientific progress.
Recently, a number of important surveys performed or reported on by the journal Nature have highlighted issues facing post-doc researchers across many different fields. Our study is focused on understanding these issues in more detail.
Our team is currently conducting a study to understand scientific progress, collaboration, and communication in scientific labs. We are eager to involve as many post-doc researchers as possible!
As a part of this study, you will be asked to complete a series of 10 interviews and surveys over approximately two years.
During the interview, you will be asked questions about the specific projects you are currently working on, what specific tasks you have accomplished to push those projects forward in the last 2 months, what your goals are after leaving your post-doc, how you allocate your time on your research projects (for example, what does an average day look like for you working on your research?), and other similar questions about how you make progress on your work.
All interviews and surveys will be confidential and you will be compensated for your time at a rate of $75 per interview and survey completed, which will take no longer than 1 hour. After the first survey, you will be contacted for follow-up surveys and interviews on a regular schedule where you could continue to earn $75 per hour. You can withdraw at any point.
To qualify for this study, you must be a post-doc who will be remaining in your current lab at your current institution at least through the Fall 2024 - Winter 2025 academic year.
To join the study, email team@scientificprogress.org !