Astronomy and particle physics : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence.
- Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
- Date:
- 2011
Licence: Open Government Licence
Credit: Astronomy and particle physics : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![Physics and Public Engagement in Science at the University of Surrey, said to us, such perceptions are not surprising given recent and future funding constraints: If, at the moment, they are hearing the stories that research grants are squeezed, there aren’t the post-doc positions at universities in particular areas, and, “If you want to do this, you are going to have to go abroad”, of course, it is going to turn them away, even if they are well aware of a possible career path in science.*” Post-doctoral research positions 59. Evidence to the inquiry highlighted a particular problem with Post-Doctoral Research Assistant (PDRA) positions where the number of such positions has fallen by around half over the last decade.** In the case of astronomy, Professor John Peacock, Head of the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Astronomy, said that 56 new PDRA positions were awarded in the most recent STFC grant round compared with over 100 in 2005.” Although the STFC delivery plan commits to maintaining studentship and fellowship funding,” there appears to be no commitment to correct this historical decline in PDRAs. The delivery plan does state that the STFC intends to implement a new Studentship Enhancement Programme (STEP) which will provide 15 awards per year to students “in the first stages of their postdoctoral research careers”,”’ but funding for this will be redirected from elsewhere in the STFC’s programme.” The STFC acknowledged to us that: In terms of the number of postdoctoral researchers, yes, it has declined [and] it is magnified by the fact that we have such a large fraction of long-term commitments that are beyond our immediate control in the short term [i-e. international subscriptions]. So the postdoc numbers are part of this little amount of flexibility we have and, clearly, they suffer much more proportionally.” 60. Professor Robert Kennicutt, Director of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, told us that the full impact of past reductions in the number of postdoctoral positions is yet to be realised. However, he warned that if the situation persisted, the “best and brightest” would begin to look to fields outside of particle physics and astronomy™ and that: The worry is that the Stephen Hawkings of the future, who are coming up as undergraduates, will move away from the subject, from their chosen research field, in the end, if they fear there is not a job for them. That is the concern.” 37 Q 38 *° Q 93 [Professor Peacock, Professor Kennicutt and Professor Bode]; see also: Ev w25, para 17 [Professor Paul Crowther]; and Ev 99, para 4 [Professor John Peacock] 89 Ey 99, para 4 *° STFC, STFC Delivery Plan 2011/12-2014/15, December 2010, para 1.5 °! STFC, STFC Delivery Plan 2011/12-2014/15, December 2010, para 2.1.2 * STFC, STFC Delivery Plan 2011/12-2014/15, December 2010, p 2 3Q 144 AEA 93 *Q94](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b3222204x_0028.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
