NPA Releases 2025 Postdoctoral Needs Assessment Report

By: Nabila Riaz
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
On January 17, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) released its "2025 NPA Postdoctoral Needs Assessment Report," based on survey responses from over 600 postdocs in fall 2024.

The survey covered 19 issue areas, grouped into four categories: career trajectory, compensation and benefits, an equitable, inclusive and healthy workplace, and role, responsibilities and organizational status. The top concerns identified were fair salary and compensation, followed by the need for a clear pathway to the next position. Other key concerns included accessible housing, job security, and visa/immigration issues. The findings closely align with the 2024 Postdoctoral Needs Assessment Report, which used the same response scale and highlighted similar priorities.

Institutions across academia, industry, and beyond can address many of these concerns by adopting the NPA Recommended Postdoctoral Policies and Practices (2024) to enhance the postdoctoral experience.

FASEB, a longstanding supporter of NPA and its mission to advocate for postdocs recognizes the importance of regularly assessing postdoctoral needs through this survey mechanism to track changes over time.