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Psychiatry & Behavioral Science

Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit

Outcomes for BPRU Postdoctoral Fellows

The BPRU’s Postdoctoral Training Program has graduated over 140 fellows since its inception in 1981. Re-appointments are made annually and depend upon performance in the program. The time a postdoc stays in the program varies from one to three years (three years is the maximum time a person can be funded by a T32). Most postdocs stay for at least two years. Some metrics that can be helpful in understanding our program are provided here.

Retention

  • In recent years, we have generally had eight slots available with a mix of first, second and third year postdocs in any given year.
  • Over the last ten years:
    •  84% of first year postdocs stay and are appointed for a second year. This percentage has increased in recent years – it was 90% in the last 4 years.
    • For those who stayed a second year, 50% go on to stay for a third year. (Most of those leave sometime in the middle of the third year, as they obtain positions.)
    • In the relatively rare case when one of our postdocs leave in the first year, it is usually to accept a position that is very attractive to them.

Positions After the Postdoc

  • Most of our postdocs go into academic positions. In recent years, 80% have taken academic (research) positions, and 20% went to industry positions that were research related. In the past we have generally had about 10% of graduates go into federal positions such as the FDA and NIH, although none have done so recently.

Productivity

  • Our trainees have historically been highly productive with respect to publications. The number of publications can vary based on the trainee, their work, and the availability of projects. A recent analysis showed that trainees had an average of 10.2 papers (some papers related to their BPRU time come after they leave), with 4.7 of those being first authored. It is important to stress that this is not a guarantee, and that there is a wide range in productivity with some postdocs having lower outputs and some much higher. Our goal is to provide opportunities for publishing, but this is also dependent upon the trainee.