Will the global recession affect the job market for research? - (Jan/29/2009 )
Do you think the global recession will affect the availbility of job in research?
I will be submitting my PhD thesis after three months.
At the moment, I can only find a three month volunteer technician job, which I can start after submitting my thesis.
I have been asking around but most PI aren't interest in taking a post-doc, not even a self-funded post-doc. 
Any tips in persuading people to take me as a self-funded post-doc?
I don't need the PI to pay me a salary, as I have enough saving to support myself for one year.
As long as the PI is willing to train me...not just making buffer and filling tip-box.
Minnie is very desperate for a job. I know many people are now unemploy.
It would be difficult for me to find a job. 
yes, i think the recession affects jobs in research. pharma is laying off and grants are more difficult to obtain. government jobs are frozen or being reduced. schools are getting reduced funding.
although you would think that any pi would take a self-funded postdoc you have to realize that there are other expenses than salary. supplies are required, with a certain amount of expected waste, when training someone. the pis may think that one year is not worth the investment and they can't afford to extend your stay.
that being said, there is always someone looking for a competent postdoc. so hang in there, you should be able to find something (where they will pay you).
This is horrible: nobody wants you even if you are self funded I was not funded during my PhD,but I never had a problem to get the abiltiy to work as long as I did not want money......
But where I learned a lot was when I was doing analyes for different working groups and companies to get some money.....lots of methods and strategies for experimental set-up, so maybe you can get hold on some of these freelacer jobs???? Its nothing forever, but I hope that funding will increase again in one or two years time and the economic pressure will decline.
Ok this might be an optimistic point of view, but do we have any options? I think most of us hanging round here are PhD students and PostDocs or depend on some project funding. So of course the global recession will affect research as well, especially "basic" research with no clear applicable goal (like my field - taxonomy, although you can not do proper research without knowing your organism).
Do you want to stay in a certain area or are you free to move? I think somebody like you should find a PosDoc position somewhere!
Poland isn't in recession (though the crisis is here, too) and I hope we'll stay in plus.
There are government plans to increase budget in science, actually, and those aren't supposed to be changed. There is a caveat, though - to have a decent payment, better apply for a Marie-Curie stipend or something like that, and you have to choose wisely your supervisor. Half of Polish PIs are with their minds still in socialism era; another half develops ideas very robustly. It's a matter of knowing where to apply.
I heard that countries with a lot of private funded universities will encounter problems, because the donations decrease largely and sponsors don't have that much money left or think twice if they still want to finance the university.
State-aided universities (or whatever is the correct term) will have less problems at least if not the government reduces the research budget, as telomerase wrote.
Perhaps poetic justice, the non-private ones were always underfunded...
hobglobin on Feb 1 2009, 05:21 PM said:
State-aided universities (or whatever is the correct term) will have less problems at least if not the government reduces the research budget, as telomerase wrote.
Perhaps poetic justice, the non-private ones were always underfunded...
But even before this economic meltdown, some gov'ts have been gradually reducing funding set aside for research- esp fundamental research..and now with many sectors asking the govt for bailouts, how do you think the universities and research institutions would rank in the gov't's list of priorities?
casandra on Feb 1 2009, 03:39 PM said:
hobglobin on Feb 1 2009, 05:21 PM said:
State-aided universities (or whatever is the correct term) will have less problems at least if not the government reduces the research budget, as telomerase wrote.
Perhaps poetic justice, the non-private ones were always underfunded...
But even before this economic meltdown, some gov'ts have been gradually reducing funding set aside for research- esp fundamental research..and now with many sectors asking the govt for bailouts, how do you think the universities and research institutions would rank in the gov't's list of priorities?
You're right, however here it's a political matter - raises in science budget were planned for a long time now and gained a lot of publicity. just like with funds for public schools. That is a very surprising amount of common sense for politicians, but our prime minister seriously thought to develop the country by raising science funds and building highways. Now they can't back, since the plans are already in motion.
It probably depends on the funding structures in every country.
Telomrase on Feb 2 2009, 07:40 PM said:
casandra on Feb 1 2009, 03:39 PM said:
hobglobin on Feb 1 2009, 05:21 PM said:
State-aided universities (or whatever is the correct term) will have less problems at least if not the government reduces the research budget, as telomerase wrote.
Perhaps poetic justice, the non-private ones were always underfunded...
But even before this economic meltdown, some gov'ts have been gradually reducing funding set aside for research- esp fundamental research..and now with many sectors asking the govt for bailouts, how do you think the universities and research institutions would rank in the gov't's list of priorities?
You're right, however here it's a political matter - raises in science budget were planned for a long time now and gained a lot of publicity. just like with funds for public schools. That is a very surprising amount of common sense for politicians, but our prime minister seriously thought to develop the country by raising science funds and building highways. Now they can't back, since the plans are already in motion.
It probably depends on the funding structures in every country.
they said the same here too, but now even our national funding agency was not able to approve any projects, as they are not sure to get enough money this year....but still I hope that it gets better again
Funding will be reduced in research due to global recession.
Will there be massive layoff in research?
Minnie Mouse on Feb 2 2009, 06:22 PM said:
Will there be massive layoff in research?
Oh yes, and it will be worse before it gets better...
..c'mon Minnie....let me be the prophetess of doom here...