AN AIBS SURVEY REPORTJULY 2012

B I O LO GY I N T H E 21 S T CENTURY

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)

n=4302

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Passion for asking questions about biological organisms/understanding phenomena

Enthusiasm about career options/possibilities

Inspired by a role model scientist

Desire to make a difference in society or contribution to im-prove our world

Concern about the environment and sustainability of Earth

Interest in problem solving and experimentation

Field work/lab work

Desire to answer a question no one else has

OtherCareer stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 1. Motivating factors for pursuing a career in the biological sciences, as a function of career stage.

Very active (several times/week or daily)

Have an account but don't use it

I will never do this

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Blogging

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Science-specific social media

E-mail listservs

Social bookmarking Web sites

Frequency of use

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 2. Social media activity as a function of frequency.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Occasionally (several times/month)

Very active (several times/week or daily)

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 3. Facebook activity as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Blogging

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Science-specific social media

E-mail Lists

Social bookmarking

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f ver

y ac

tive

user

s

Figure 4. Very active social networking activity as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=7

5)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=3

42)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=164)

Early

Career

(n=595)

Midcaree

r (n=1

253)

Late C

areer

(n=894)

Retired

(n=2

12)0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140None or n/aOtherLarger issues re: science

Larger issues re: educationPublic knowledge of scienceWorking with others or networking

Staying current with infoFunding/BudgetAdministration

Personal issuesCareer advancement/PDJob responsibilitiesFinding a job

RetirementTime/Time managementTeachingStudents

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 5. Greatest professional challenge as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Learning or developing skillsParticipating in professional communityBeing a leader in professional com-munityParticipating in outreach/informal ed-ucationNetworking and meeting othersCommunicating my research in new contextsImproving work–life balanceOther

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 6. Short-term priorities as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Writing grants

Conducting research

Use of scientific data

Publishing research papers

Peer reviewing others' research

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 7. Research process skills as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Giving presentationsWriting research papers

Career stage

Perc

anta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 8. Technical communication skills as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Participating in science outreach event

Speaking to the media about my research

Speaking to policymakers about my research

Writing a letter to the editor of a local paper

Writing blogs

Writing popular articles about my research

Talking about my research to non-scientists

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 9. (Nontechnical) science communication skills.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early C

areer

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Teaching biology

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 10. Teaching skills (teaching biology)

Undergrad

(n=4

2)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=3

80)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=183)

Early C

areer

(n=633)

Midcaree

r (n=1

399)

Late C

areer

(n=918)

Retired

(n=1

73)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

20

60

77

3629 24

30

8

16

7

30

2830 17

0

3

3

815 19

8

2

4

6

5 5 6

10

3

3

2

43 3

7

3

4

3

10 12 11

14

3

3

25 5 5

3

3 2

Other

Institutional service

Professional service

Informal outreach

Science communication

Administrative

Teaching

Research

Career stage

Aver

age

perc

enta

ge o

f tim

e

Figure 11. Average time spent on professional activities as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Zero1–34–89–1212+

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 12. Professional organization memberships as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Institute of Biolog-ical Sciences

National Academies of Science

Federation of Allied Scientists in Experimental Biology

Sigma Xi

National Association of Bi-ology Teachers

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 13. Brand recognition as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Institute of Biological Sciences

National Academies of Science

Federation of Allied Scientists in Experimental Biology

Sigma Xi

National Association of Biology Teachers

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 14. Membership or active involvement in other societies as a function of career stage.

Figure 15. What the respondents liked best about their professional societies as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Nothing

Specific traits of individual societies

Benefits (travel, reduced fees, etc.)

Support for students and young scientists

Public education and outreach

Career advancement opportunities

Societies' work in public policy

Funding opportunities

Networking/Collaborations

Professional development opportunities

Resources/information

Career stage

Perc

anta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early C

areer

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140 Change things society has no control over

Funding opportunities

Support for students/early career members

Increase/improve EPO/Media outreach

Increase advocacy or policy-related outreach

Improve communication with members

Improve networking for/among members

Work with other societies/fields/organi-zations

Increase/improve society activities

Increase professionalism/relevance of society

Change society structure/characteristics

Improve meetings/conferences

Improve member services/benefits

Improve society membership

Changes to journal/publications

Career assistance/Professional development

Add or improve Web site/Web presence

Change focus

Improve or increase resources/information

Less contact/communication

Less/no politics (national level)

Unknown or n/a

Nothing

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 16. Ways to improve society efforts as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0.00.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

To strengthen my resume/CV

To receive discounted prices on products and services

To learn of job oppor-tunities/to post my resume

To receive career development sup-port/training

Career stage

Ratio

Figure 17. Personal benefits as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0.00.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.05.56.0

To be a part of my pro-fessional community

To support the policy agendas of my pro-fession

To serve a leadership role in my profession

Career stage

Ratio

Figure 18. Professional responsibility as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

To attend the scientific meetings/annual meetings

To meet others with common interests (face to face).

To participate in online networks

Career stage

Ratio

Figure 19. The desire to “meet people” as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=113)

Graduate Students (

n=445)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career (

n=745)

Mid Career (n=1478)

Late Care

er (n=1016)

Retired (n

=260)0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Management Skills

Understanding/Implement -ing Animal Wel Regs

Managing a Lab

Understanding Legal Situ-ations Assc w/Fieldwork

Understanding/Implement -ing Safety Regs

Career Stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f Res

pond

ents

Figure 20. Training as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

To receive a paper copy of a society’s scientific journal

To gain access to a society’s scientific journals online

To learn about the latest findings in the broad scien-tific advances that are affect -ing my research

To communicate my research findings

Career stage

Ratio

Figure 21. Knowledge transfer as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

Personal benefits

Knowledge transfer

Professional responsibility

Training

To meet people

Career stage

Ratio

Figure 22. Why the respondents join professional societies as a function of career stage.

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Midcaree

r (n=1

478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70Lack of funding for researchFailure to educate nonmajorsBiology majors not prepared for careersLack of public's appreciation for biologyQuantity/Quality of jobs for biol-ogistsFragmentation of biological dis-ciplinesLack of people entering biological fieldsDecreasing science coverage in mediaLack of advocacy for science fund-ingDecisionmakers not informed about issuesRejection of evolution as central tenet Lack of support for teaching/outreachIssues with scientific dataOther

Career stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 23. The greatest challenges facing biology as a function of career stage.

Not employe

d (n=1

11)

Universi

ty (n=1

867)

4-Year

colleg

e (n=2

76)

2-Year

colleg

e (n=1

60)

Institute

(n=49)

K–12 Sc

hool (n=2

97)

Consulta

nt (n=2

03)

Federa

l gove

rnment (n

=414)

State

gove

rnment (n

=221)

Industry (

n=94)

Private

resea

rch (n

=44)

National

lab (n

=20)

Nonprofit (n

=169)

Field st

ation (n

=20)

Museum (n

=24)

Other (n=2

73)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Lack of funding for research

Failure to educate nonmajors

Biology majors not prepared for careers

Lack of public's appreciation for bi-ology

Quantity/Quality of jobs for biol-ogists

Fragmentation of biological dis-ciplines

Lack of people entering biological fields

Decreasing science coverage in media

Lack of advocacy for science funding

Decisionmakers not informed about issues

Rejection of evolution as central tenet

Lack of support for teaching/outreach

Issues with scientific data

Other

Work setting

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 24. The greatest challenges facing biology as a function of work setting.

Agricultu

re (n=6

14)

Botany (

n=985)

Ecology

(n=2473)

Envir

onmental

biology (n=1

195)

Evolutionary

biology (n=1

098)

Geneti

cs (n=8

19)

Biomedica

l resea

rch (n

=231)

Cell biology

(n=608)

Molecular

biology (n=6

89)

Scien

ce ed

ucation (n

=1038)

Universi

ty: biomed

ical re

search

(n=1

35)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80Lack of funding for research

Failure to educate nonmajors

Biology majors not prepared for careers

Lack of public's appreciation for bi-ology

Quantity/Quality of jobs for biologists

Fragmentation of biological disciplines

Lack of people entering biological fields

Decreasing science coverage in media

Lack of advocacy for science funding

Decisionmakers not informed about issues

Rejection of evolution as central tenet

Lack of support for teaching/outreach

Issues with scientific data

Other

Primary academic discipline

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Figure 25. The greatest challenges facing biology as a function of discipline.

38%

29%

8%

1%

12%11%

How Respondents Entered the Survey

American Institute of Biological Sciences

General link

American Society of Plant Biol-ogists

Botanical Society of America

Ecological Society of America

National Association of Biology Teachers

Male52%

Female42%

No answer6%

Gender

60+17%

50-5925%40-49

21%

30-3920%

20-2913%

under 200.2%

Age

82%

0.4%3%

1% 3%3%

0.2%

2%0.2%

Ethnic Background1: White, Euro, Caucasian

2: Middle Eastern

3: Latino, Hispanic, Central/S American

4: Black, African, African American

5: Chinese, Japenese, Korean

6: Asian Sub-continent

7: Pacific Islander

8: Native American

9: Multi-racial

10: Other or Unknown

0.4%

High school2%

BA3%

MA5%

PhD56%

DVM0.2%

BS10%

MS21%

MD2%

Highest Level of Education

2-Year College4%

4-Year College6%

Consultant5%

Federal Government

10%Field Station

0.4%Industry

2%K-12 School

7%

Museum or Science Center

1%

National Lab0.4%

Nonprofit Association

4%Not employed3%

Private Re-search Orga-

nization1%

State Government5%

University42%

No answer2%

Non completed0.1%

Other7%

Employment Location

Institute 1%

Graduate student

10%Post-

doctoral scholar

5%

Early career17%Mid-career

33%

Late career23%

Retired/emeritus

6%

Career StageUndergraduate

student 3%

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Mid Career

(n=1478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Career Stage by Age

under 20

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60+

Career Stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f res

pond

ents

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Mid Career

(n=1478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Gender by Career Stage

MaleFemale

Career Stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f Res

pond

ents

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Mid Career

(n=1478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Ethnicity by Career Stage

BlankOtherPrefer not to sayOther or UnknownMulti-racialNative AmericanPacific IslanderAsian Sub-continentChinese, Japenese, KoreanBlack, African, African Amer-icanLatino, Hispanic, Central/S AmericanMiddle EasternWhite, Euro, Caucasian

Career Stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f Res

pond

ents

Undergrad

(n=1

13)

Graduate

Studen

ts (n=4

45)

Postdocto

ral Sc

holars (

n=207)

Early

Career

(n=745)

Mid Career

(n=1478)

Late C

areer

(n=1016)

Retired

(n=2

60)0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Work Setting by Career Stage

BlankOtherMuseum or Science CenterField StationNonprofit AssociationNational LabPrivate Research OrganizationIndustryState GovernmentFederal GovernmentConsultantK-12 SchoolInstitute2-Year College4-Year CollegeUniversityNot employed

Career Stage

Perc

enta

ge o

f Res

pond

ents