Advancing toward professorship in biology, ecology, and earth systems sciences: Perceptions of confidence in early career scientists

Background/Question/Methods

The proportion of female PhD recipients entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields has increased over the past decade, but attrition exists at each promotion step. Research demonstrates that the low proportion of female professors is due in part to a reduced number of female applicants, not discrimination against women in the hiring and promotion process. Women choose to remove themselves from the academic trajectory. Efforts reduce this attrition have typically focused on laboratory sciences, and there have been few initiatives for women in disciplines such as field biology, ecology and earth systems sciences (BEESS). Scientists in BEESS fields face unique challenges: fieldwork requires managing logistics; interfacing with diverse crews and stakeholders; negotiating time away from personal and professional relationships; and re-entering into relationships upon one’s return. For women, these challenges can be compounded by responsibilities for family interactions. To address these challenges, we developed a workshop, Advancing Toward Professorship in Biology, Ecology and Earth Systems Sciences (ATPinBEESS), to provide skills for early-career academic scientists to support fulfilling careers. Prior to the workshop, we evaluated participants’ experience and perception of success in: teaching, research, publication, managing field and lab logistics, network support, and negotiating employment terms.

Results/Conclusions

The ATPinBEESS workshop invited 34 participants from 16 institutions and 8 states. Pre-workshop surveys indicate that most participants lacked confidence in their ability to negotiate a salary or employment package, and to collaborate outside of their discipline. Responses suggests that sessions on fostering collaborations, networking, finding and being a good mentor, overcoming fieldwork challenges, navigating tenure, interviewing and negotiating a job offer, and maintaining work-life balance, succeeded in developing career advancement skills. Networking sessions within the workshop produced a supportive community that plans to continue to communicate about future challenges.  

Surveys show that the confidence to achieve a tenured position was positively correlated with the confidence to write grant proposals (r (1,22)=0.47, p<0.05) and also with participant experience doing so (r (1,22)=0.47, p<0.05). However, confidence to achieve a tenured position was negatively correlated with time spent teaching (r (1,22)=-0.69).  Responses from those who aspired to R1 institutions were negatively correlated with response from those who aspired to liberal arts universities (r (1,22)=-0.56).

These pre-survey results are part of ongoing work to assess the participants’ perceptions of confidence through time.  Future efforts to advance careers of women in STEM fields may be improved by considering discipline-specific influences on women’s career choices.