The National Institutes of Health (NIH) seeks input on the challenges faced by the postdoc community and promising solutions.

A new Advisory Committee to the NIH Director Working Group was recently established to address growing concerns about the postdoctoral training system and recruiting qualified postdoc candidates in the future. The Advisory Committee includes biochemistry professor Judith Kimble.

The goal of this working group is to explore the status of the postdoctoral training system, identify and understand critical factors and issues relating to this perceived decline in the number of postdocs in academia, and provide recommendations to address those factors.

Submit your comments here by April 14. Your comments may be submitted anonymously.

They are also hosting listening sessions to hear insights from the community on specific topics:

• Wednesday, Mar. 8: Role, duration, structure, and value of the academic postdoc, including impacts on underrepresented populations
• Friday, Mar. 10: International trainee concerns
• Friday, Mar. 17: Compensation and benefits, including child/dependent care
• Monday, Mar. 20: Job security, career prospects, and quality of life