New mechanism for investing in young math PhDs brings their talent to new settings, supports career pipeline

May 11, 2009 - Washington, DC-The seven Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes, together with the NSF, announce a new partnership which has created 45 one- to two-year positions for young, highly trained mathematical scientists across the country. In addition to furthering research in all areas of the mathematical sciences, these newly hired scientists will teach at community colleges and other higher-education institutions or participate in projects tied to business and industry.

The impact of the economic downturn is being felt everywhere--including academia. This year has seen widespread hiring freezes and canceled job searches at universities across the country. For the mathematical science community, this has meant almost 400 lost positions for recent PhDs. The severity of the situation became apparent earlier this year when many graduates, even of top-tier programs, were facing unemployment. The NSF, through its Mathematics Institutes, responded by creating these new postdoctoral fellowships.

The training of these young scientists represents a long-term investment. The postdocs typically spent five years in graduate education, often with some level of support from state or federal funds.

"These new researchers are primed to make significant contributions to their fields," said Peter March, Director of NSF's Division of Mathematical Sciences. The newly created positions will place highly trained people as teachers at two- and four-year colleges and universities, as well as in business and industry.

"These positions not only refine the research skills of new PhDs, but provide them with opportunities to apply their training in other settings," said Russ Caflisch, Director of the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM). "The role of research along with teaching or industry mentors and professional development workshops reinforces the Institutes' commitment to ensuring the continued success of these young people in the work force."

SHORT TIMELINE

Exactly one month elapsed between the first meeting of the seven Mathematics Institute directors and the close of applications. More than 750 applications were received for the 45 positions. Typically, academic job searches begin in the fall and take several months to complete.

"The timing was perfect," said Eddie Herman, one of the newly hired mathematicians. "Most academic positions are decided by the middle of March, so the Institutes began advertising at exactly the time when many of us were losing hope of finding a research position and were ready to look for other jobs." Dr Herman received his PhD from UCLA this year.

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