New Factsheets Provide Data on Postdoctoral Scholars and Financial Support

By: Nabila Riaz
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
FASEB recently updated its series of one-page factsheets highlighting key science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce data. The National Science Foundation (NSF) surveys capture essential data on the emerging workforce, including educational history, demographics, funding sources, educational debt, and postgraduate plans. This data helps evaluate trends in doctoral education and degrees, ensuring that policies are data-driven and aligned with the realities of the next generation of researchers.

Using data from NSF’s 2023 Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering,
FASEB has developed two new factsheets that provide thematic insights for the research community:

• Postdoctoral Appointees: This factsheet examines trends in the representation of postdoctoral scholars in the sciences over time. More women have pursued postdoctoral positions in the biological and biomedical sciences compared to other fields. The current postdoctoral population in the sciences significantly represents non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
• Financial Support 2023: This factsheet highlights federal and institutional funding for researchers and trainees in biological and biomedical sciences. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) remains the primary federal source of support for biomedical research in the United States.