Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grants for Research on the U.S. Science and Engineering Workforce

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is pleased to announce the second round of its small grants program to support creative research on the U.S. workforce and labor markets in science and engineering ("S&E"). The due date for submissions will be November 17, 2008.

In the second round of this research competition, the Foundation wishes especially to encourage proposals that focus on the complex nexus between the U.S. science and engineering workforce and international migration.

[Full Grant Announcement]

Federal funding of academic science and engineering (S&E) R&D failed to outpace inflation for the second year in a row.


According to a study by NSF a 2-year decline in federal funding in constant dollars is unprecedented for this data series, which began in 1972

[Read Full Report]

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University of California Post doc Union Wins Official Recognition

After a failed attempts in 2006, the PRO/UAW, has successfully organized the post docs on the 10 University of California (UC) campuses. The move brings an estimated 10% of U.S. post docs into UAW. The union faced no noticeable opposition..

[Read Full Article]

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Career Patterns of Foreign Born Scientists and Engineers Trained and or Working in the U.S. Workshop Report

By Richard Freeman, Paula Stephan and John Trumpbour, January 2008

The internationalization of science and engineering has transformed many debates concerning "brain drain" and brought increasing attention to concepts of global "brain circulation." Yet, much of this discussion is often based on insufficient evidence about the actual flows of scientific workers among nations or the composition of the workforce as it relates to origin, both in terms of birth and training. With the support of a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to Georgia State University, a workshop was held November 7, 2007 at the National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA with the purpose of exploring various approaches for studying career patterns of foreign-born scientists and engineers trained and or working in the U.S. The co-organizers of the workshop were Richard Freeman, Paula Stephan and John Trumpbour.

[Read the full report here]

Recent Articles By Vivek Wadhwa

"The Real Problem with Outsourcing," Vivek Wadhwa, BusinessweekViewpoint, Nov 7, 2006.

"About that Engineering Gap," Vivek Wadhwa, Businessweek Viewpoint, Dec 13, 2005

"Where the Engineers Are," Vivek Wadhwa, Gary Gereffi, Ben Rissing, Ryan Ong. Issues in Science and Technology (NAS) Spring 07, page 73-84

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The Future of the Biomedical Sciences

Paula Stephan, SEWP network member and economist at Georgia State University, spoke about the future of the biomedical sciences in her talk: "Early Careers for Biomedical Scientists: Doubling (and Troubling) Outcomes" at Harvard University on Feb. 27th, 2007. The message: employment opportunities are getting worse for future biologists a trend that has to be reversed for the future of the biomedical sciences in the US.

[Talk in PDF format]

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Call for Proposals � Initial Access to Nanobank Data

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>>> Find out more here

***NEW EDITION*** Does Science Promote Women? Evidence from Academia 1973-2001

By Donna K. Ginther and Shulamit Kahn

Many studies have shown that women are under-represented in tenured ranks in the sciences. We evaluate whether gender differences in the likelihood of obtaining a tenure track job, promotion to tenure, and promotion to full professor explain these facts using the 1973-2001 Survey of Doctorate Recipients.
[full paper]

Immigration In High-Skill Labor Markets: the Impact Of Foreign Students On the Earnings Of Doctorates

By George Borjas

The rapid growth in the number of foreign students enrolled in American universities has transformed the higher education system, particularly at the graduate level. [full paper]

Improving the Postdoctoral Experience: An Empirical Approach

By Geoff Davis

Recent reports have called for changes to the training of postdoctoral scientists and engineers. We tested the hypothesis that the practices advocated make a measurable difference in the experiences and productivity of postdoctoral researchers...
[full paper]

For all recent articles: [full article list]