Why do so many doctoral graduates pursue postdoctoral positions？

Professor Kamuro's near-future science predictions:

Why do so many doctoral graduates pursue postdoctoral positions despite the low likelihood of securing a professorship and the existence of unpopular jobs?

Quantum Physicist and Brain Scientist

Visiting Professor of Quantum Physics,

California Institute of Technology

IEEE-USA Fellow

American Physical Society-USA Fellow

PhD. & Dr. Kazuto Kamuro

AERI：Artificial Evolution Research Institute

Pasadena, California

HP: https://www.aeri-japan.com/

and

Xyronix Corporation

Pasadena, California

HP: https://www.usaxyronix.com/

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Why do so many doctoral graduates pursue postdoctoral positions despite the low likelihood of securing a professorship and the existence of unpopular jobs?

1. In the past, those who obtained their doctoral degrees in graduate school had opportunities to become university assistant professors or research positions in national research institutions. However, these paths have become significantly narrower today.

Around 1980, there was a shift towards concentrating resources in universities, significantly increasing graduate school enrollments, particularly at former imperial universities. Nevertheless, the number of posts for university assistant professors (formerly known as assistants) or research positions in national research institutions did not grow proportionally. As a result, the so-called "overdoctors," who continued their research without pay, increased, leading to a societal issue.

To address the overdoctor issue, a plan was initiated, aiming to create 10,000 postdoctoral positions, expanding the roles for overdoctors as CEO at academic promotion organizations and as doctoral researchers in national research institutions.

In contrast to the West, where the common path is Ph.D. ➡ Postdoc ➡ Research Position (tenure or term), Japan still has the Ph.D. ➡ Research Position (tenure) route. In national research institutions, they tend to select promising individuals from among postdocs for research positions (tenure). Some institutions have a tenure track system, appointing a few as tenure professors.

In universities, most assistant professors have term positions. Depending on the university or position, some are term positions with the possibility of renewal (effectively tenure), while others are fixed-term positions without renewal. However, once you become an assistant professor, things often work out somehow.

In any case, the path from obtaining a doctoral degree to a research position (tenure) or assistant professorship is quite limited. If you aim for a research position or university teaching, it usually involves obtaining a Ph.D., becoming a postdoc, building research achievements during that period, and then aiming for a higher position, such as assistant professor.

In the selection of research positions and university faculty, there is typically no strong preference for recent graduates like in the private sector. Having a strong research record is advantageous. Those hiring often prefer a postdoc with 5-10 well-established publications over a Ph.D. fresh graduate with only 1-2 peer-reviewed papers. In Japan, postdocs are becoming increasingly essential for those aiming for research positions in national research institutions and university faculty.

Of course, postdoc graduates often find themselves repeatedly in term positions without immediately securing tenure. Only the most successful postdocs eventually reach research positions or faculty roles. By the way, the salary for postdocs is around 4 million yen for the CEO of an academic promotion organization and slightly higher at around 5 million yen for postdocs in national research institutions. It's not particularly high but not so low that it's impossible to make ends meet.

2. Both Japan and the United States face a significant problem of having too many doctoral degree holders and too few professorship positions.

Looking at these doctoral degree holders, you can't help but feel their situation is quite dire. Many of them fear the harsh realities of the business world and continue to remain within the academic system even after completing their undergraduate degrees. Academia is like a warm womb, or perhaps a place where life's path remains uncertain, leading some to continue as students by default. We call them "moratorium students."

As time goes by, the situation of these doctoral degree holders becomes increasingly unstable. Becoming a professor is a privilege reserved for a very small elite. Those who cannot become professors end up in administrative or editorial roles or, even if they have impressive academic backgrounds, may take low-paying service industry jobs, desperately clinging to the fringes of academia. Many doctoral degree holders end up burdened with overwhelming debt.

Postdocs, which are essentially temporary positions to gain academic employment, often require individuals to invest 100% of their efforts into research, leaving little room for romantic pursuits.

In this scenario, individuals who engage in romantic relationships or marriage during their postdoc period or those who seem disengaged and unfocused within the student body often have no intention of ever becoming professors. They could be considered "moratorium individuals," "dropouts," "misfits," "failures," or "stragglers," or even foreign exchange students.

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Quantum Brain Chipset & Bio Processor (BioVLSI)

Prof. PhD. Dr. Kamuro

Quantum Physicist and Brain Scientist involved in Caltech & AERI Associate Professor and Brain Scientist in Artificial Evolution Research Institute（ AERI: https://www.aeri-japan.com/ ）

IEEE-USA Fellow

American Physical Society Fellow

PhD. & Dr. Kazuto Kamuro

AERI & Xyronix Corporation

HP: https://www.aeri-japan.com/　

HP: https://www.usaxyronix.com/

email: info@aeri-japan.com

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【Keywords】　Artificial Evolution Research Institute：AERI

HP： https://www.aeri-japan.com/

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