Understanding SET Research Career Pathways – Literature Review

The Literature Review set out to identify and analyse research on the career paths chosen by SET researchers and related professionals, in early-mid career.  The main focus is on conditions and experiences in Australia, although some consideration is given to international trends.

The key findings were that:

• There is currently very little empirical, systematic research on the factors influencing postgraduate SET researchers;
• There is a contradiction between the perceptions of policy-makers and SET postgraduates, in that policy-makers are concerned about a potential shortage of SET research skills, while postgraduates can find it hard to gain employment due to apparent oversupply;
• Career paths in SET research are relatively ill-defined, and job prospects in Australia are poor;
• Remuneration is a central issue, especially as many PhD graduates are approaching middle-age at graduation.

Understanding SET Research Career Pathways — Literature Review PDF    (1.6 MB)