In Case You Weren't Already Despairing

Despite more and more people being awarded science degrees, young PhDs are turning away from pursuing careers in academia, writes Sheril Kirshenbaum at Science Progress. Two recent studies, one from NIH and another from AAAS, say that young scientists are leaving due to a lack of funding and opportunities. Young investigators, says Kirshenbaum, submit twice as many grant proposals as established investigators, leaving little time to hone their scientific skills. But even getting an academic position is daunting -- the probability that someone with a PhD who is under the age of 35 will get a tenure-track position is 7 percent.