ASCB Membership Survey
Click on the Questions to See the Answers

Q1. Please circle the number (1 through 11) of all the following which are (or were) your personal career goals:

a) Tenured professor	1
b) Principal investigator or group leader in an academic or other non-profit lab	2
c) Principal investigator or group leader in an industry lab	3
d) A non-research position in business or industry	4
e) A non-research position in public policy or law	5
f) Adequate funding sources for research	6
g) University level research and teaching, with teaching being at least 50% of the job	7
h) Undergraduate teaching, with little or no research	8
i) Elementary or secondary level (K to 12) teacher	9
j) Become a medical doctor	10
k) Earn a good income	11
Others? (Please specify)

Q1b. Please indicate the letter (a to k) of the goal which is currently your primary career goal

Q2. How optimistic are you that you will achieve your primary career goal?

Very optimistic	1
Somewhat optimistic	2
Not very optimistic	3
Not at all optimistic	4
Already achieved my primary career goals	5
Don't know, can't say	6

Q3. Are you currently a graduate student?

Yes (Skip to Q20)	1
No	2

Q4. Do you currently advise or oversee the work of graduate students and/or post doctoral fellows?

Yes	1
No (Skip to Q6)	2

Q5. Compared to the way things were when you were starting out, do you think each of the following has become more difficult, easier, or the same for your trainees?

	Much more difficult	Somewhat more diff	Same as it was	Somewhat easier	Much easier	Don't know
a) Obtaining grant funding	1	2	3	4	5	6
b) Finding a desirable post doctoral position	1	2	3	4	5	6
c) Obtaining a desirable full-time, independent position in biology after completing training	1	2	3	4	5	6

Q6. Please indicate for each of the following if it describes you currently, or if it ever described you since you completed your Ph.D.

	Currently describes	At some time described	Never
a) Postdoctoral fellow at an academic or other non-profit institution	1	2	3
b) Postdoctoral fellow in private industry	1	2	3
c) Junior industrial research scientist	1	2	3
d) Faculty member where teaching is (was) at least 50% of the job	1	2	3
e) Faculty member where teaching is (was) less than 50% of the job	1	2	3
f) Principal investigator or group leader in an academic or other non-profit lab	1	2	3
g) Principal investigator or group leader in an industry lab	1	2	3
h) Tenured professor	1	2	3
i) Faculty member at the undergraduate level	1	2	3
j) Teacher at the elementary or secondary level (K to 12)	1	2	3
k) Hold (held) non-research position in business, law, public policy, or another field	1	2	3
l) Gained (pursuing) degree in law, medicine or a Ph.D. in another field	1	2	3
m) Ever been denied tenure	1	2	3

Q7. How many post doc positions have you held? If now a post doc, include current position.

Number ________ None (Skip to Q13)..0

Q8. How many years of post doc training do you have? If now a post doc, include this year.

Years __________

Q9. Thinking back to your first post doc position: Who provided the primary support for your first post doc:

Fellowship from federal agency	1
Fellowship from private foundation	2
Industrial funds	3
Institutional training grant	4
Institutional funds	5
Advisor's funds	6
Other (Please specify)	__________

Q10. When looking for your first post doc, approximately how many positions did you apply for? Number

Q11. Was the first post doc you held your first choice, second, or third choice at the time?

First	1
Second	2
Third	3
Fourth or more	4

Q12. If you have held more than one post doctoral position, what were some of the reasons you decided to do more than one post doc (Circle all that apply):

Changed fields	1
Family or personal considerations	2
Unable to find indep. position you wanted	3
Other (Specify)	__________

This box is for those who hold or have ever held a full-time, independent position in industry, academia, or non-profit organization. All others please skip to Q17.

Q13. Thinking back to your first, full-time, independent position: How much time elapsed from when you started applying for that position to when you obtained it? Months Years

Q14. When looking for your first position, approximately how many positions did you apply for? Number

Q15. And, approximately how many places did you interview before you obtained this position? Number

Q16. Was this first position you held your first choice, second, or third choice for a position at the time?

First	1
Second	2
Third	3
Fourth or more	4

Q17. Have you ever applied for grant funding from the NIH, NSF, or ACS? (Circle all that apply)

No, have not applied (Skip to Q19)	1
Yes, received first time applied	2
Yes, received but not the first time applied	3
Applied, have not yet received funding	4
Applied and turned down (once or more)	5

Q18. Has obtaining grant funding become more difficult, stayed about the same, or has it become easier for you personally over the past 10 years?

Much more difficult	1
Somewhat more difficult	2
Stayed about the same	3
Somewhat easier	4
Much easier	5
Does not apply	6

Q19. From the time you started your Ph.D., did you, at any point, change your career objectives because you were not able to obtain a position that was acceptable to you?

Yes	1
No	2

Q20. If you had to do it all over again today, would you pursue a Ph.D. in this field?

Yes, definitely	1
Yes, probably	2
Probably not	3
Definitely not	4
Don't know	5

Q21. Why?

Q22. From the time you started your graduate work in biology, which of the following have you done? (Circle all which apply)

Reduced hours or worked part-time (currently or ever) in order to earn money, have a baby, take care of children, or for any other reason	1
Currently taking time off (full-time) from your career for any reason	2	How many years:____ months ____in all?
Took time off (full-time) from your career for any reason	3	How many years:____ months ____in all?
Have never taken time off from your career for any reason	4

Q23. Please rate how satisfying each of the following has been for you, on a scale where 1 means completely unsatisfying and 7 means completely satisfying.

	Completely unsatisfying						Completely satisfying	Doesn't apply
a) Your career overall to date	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
b) Your current job or studies	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
c) Having enough time at the bench currently	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
d) The amount of time you spend writing grant proposals	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
e) The level of funding you have been able to obtain	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
f) The level of competition among colleagues which you have experienced	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
g) Your current financial compensation	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
h) The level of job security you feel currently	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
i) Being a professor or teacher	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
j) Being able to make valuable contributions in your field in your current work	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
k) The amount of time it has taken for you to achieve your career goals, or which you expect it will take to achieve your career goals	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8

Q24. For the following please indicate the year you began and the year you completed (or expect to complete) each

	Began	Completed
a) Ph.D.	______	______
b) Post doctoral training	______	______
c) First, full-time, independent position in industry, a non-profit or academia after finishing your Ph.D. and training	______	______

Q25. If applicable, please indicate:

a) From what university did (will) you get your Ph.D.:
(Specify name) _______________________________

b) At what institution was (is) your first post doc position
(Specify name of university, college, company, or other institution): ______________________________________________

c) At what institution was (is) your first full-time, independent position
(Specify name of university, college, company, or other institution): ________________________________

Q26. Please indicate if you agree or disagree with the following statements made about the cell biology profession today. There is/are:

	Strongly agree	Somewhat agree	Somewhat disagree	Strongly disagree	Don't know
a) Too many Ph.Ds being trained for too few independent positions	1	2	3	4	5
b) Insufficient funding for beginning investigators	1	2	3	4	5
c) Lack of excitement and enthusiasm among scientists in the field.	1	2	3	4	5
d) Too many older, tenured scientists not retiring to make room for younger scientists.	1	2	3	4	5
e) Too much of the bench work being done by those in training rather than by senior scientists.	1	2	3	4	5
f) Too much time spent writing grant proposals.	1	2	3	4	5
g) Too much pressure to publish	1	2	3	4	5
h) Too much competitiveness among scientists	1	2	3	4	5

Q27. Please indicate if you agree or disagree with the following proposals for the future of the profession:

	Strongly agree	Somewhat agree	Somewhat disagree	Strongly disagree	Don't know	The Best	The Worst
a) Offer mixed curricula so Ph.Ds would be prepared for alternative, non-research careers in education, business, public policy, and other areas.	1	2	3	4	5	_____	_____
b) Speed up the time to Ph.D.	1	2	3	4	5	_____	_____
c) Restrict the number of Ph.Ds being trained.	1	2	3	4	5	_____	_____
d) Cap the total funding given to any one lab, to distribute funding among more scientists. .	1	2	3	4	5	_____	_____
e) Create more permanent post doctoral or technician positions to carry out bench work.	1	2	3	4	5	_____	_____
f) Replace tenure with a system of five-year evaluation and appointments.	1	2	3	4	5	_____	_____
g) Set aside a portion of total federal funding to support beginning investigators	1	2	3	4	5	_____	_____
h) Continue to train the same number of Ph.Ds as is being trained currently for careers as independent researchers	1	2	3	4	5	_____	_____

Q28. Please put a check on the line next to the one or two you think are the best proposals.................

Q29. Please put a check on the line next to the one or two you think are the worst proposals............................

Q30. What is your age? _______

Q31. In which state do you live? _______

Q32. Are you: male...........1 female...........2

Q33. Do you consider yourself (Circle all which apply):

White	1
African-American or Black	2
Asian-American or Asian	3
Hispanic	4
Something else____________________	5

Please use the enclosed envelope to return this questionnaire to us prior to September 8, 1997. Thank you very much.

Belden & Russonello I 1250 I Street, NW I Suite 460 I Washington, D.C. 20005 I 202-789-2400