Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

A wish list to improve postdoctoral life

Postdoctoral researchers (postdocs), vital contributors to academia, often face vulnerability and uncertainty. Here is a wish list from a fellow postdoc, outlining key measures to improve postdoctoral life — from employment stability and fair compensation to better work-life balance and mentorship.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Prozesky, H. & van Schalkwyk, F. The profile of postdoctoral research fellows in South Africa: Trends over the past two decades. S. Afr. J. Sci. 120, 15898 (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kerr, P. Career development or career delay? Postdoctoral fellowships and the de-professionalizing of academic work in South African universities. Br. J. Sociol. Educ. 43, 550–565 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Moyo, Z. Towards enacting social justice in higher education: a case of postdoctoral research fellows. Int. J. Afr. High. Educ. 6, 77–96 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Nordling, L. Falling behind: postdocs in their thirties tire of putting life on hold. Nature 622, 881–883 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Nordling, L. Africa’s postdoc workforce is on the rise — but at what cost? Nature 628, 673–676 (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Liénard, J. F., Achakulvisut, T., Acuna, D. E. & David, S. V. Intellectual synthesis in mentorship determines success in academic careers. Nat. Commun. 9, 4840 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges her mentor at the University of Pretoria, T. Mashamba-Thompson, for her unwavering efforts to support the author and provide an environment in which the author can grow and build a career as an emerging academic. The author would also like to acknowledge her colleagues K. Maluleke and B. Moethla for their support and assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Siphesihle R. Nxele.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Nxele, S.R. A wish list to improve postdoctoral life. Nat Rev Bioeng 2, 631–632 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00202-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00202-4

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing