Lords told of science career obstacles

Many young academic scientists are being denied the career security necessary to help them become established, the Medical Research Council told the Lords this week.

Sir Dai Rees, MRC chief executive, said that the shortcomings of the career structure were most obvious in the management of young scientists during the "apprenticeship" stages of postgraduate study and immediate postdoctoral work.

There were too few pathways for scientists to progress from this point to secure jobs. He said it was important that young scientists not be given unrealistic expectations about career openings.

The MRC told the House of Lords select committee on science and technology, which is investigating academic careers for graduate scientists, that the current structure leads to institutions devoting resources to recruiting and training staff who may be retained for only a limited period. Their departure can lead to the research team being exposed to a loss of momentum.

"It is questionable whether contracts of less than about three years provide significant training and development," said the MRC in its submission.

The council said that the current career structure was heavily biased towards the junior end of the profession and that the explosion in contract research posts since the early 1970s had not been matched by a growth in career outlets. For those who remaining on contracts, the career structure provided too little recognition of their accumulating seniority. And short-term posts did not enhance their attractiveness to other employers.

The MRC said that it was attempting to alleviate the situation by increasing its funding for long-term research and boosting schemes for the personal support of scientists. It also wants to work more closely with universities to improve career management and career counselling of young scientists.

It has been collaborating with the Office of Science and Technology, the Royal Society and the other research bodies in drawing up a statement of the expectation of the councils in the management of contract staff by institutions. The Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals will join the discussions soon.

In response to questions about women in science, engineering and technology, the MRC said there were currently equal numbers of men and women holding MRC research studentships and studying for PhDs. "It is therefore difficult to conclude that there are any significant problems with the perception of science as a career for women."