York ranked fifth worldwide for post-doctoral research
The University of York has been ranked fifth on a list of the ‘Top International Institutions for Post-doctorate scientific research’ by American magazine The Scientist.
The list, which was topped by the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology in Dresden, ranks institutions outside of the U.S. on how well they support those who choose to stay on for extra research after the completion of their doctorate. York was one of only three UK institutions in the top ten, the others being the University of Dundee and the John Innes Centre in Norwich, ranked 4th and 6th respectively.
The recent economic climate has meant that post-doctoral positions have changed with researchers staying in their positions for longer and finding it increasingly difficult to find academic jobs when they leave. York was praised by the survey for supporting post-docs in their positions and for equipping them with valuable skills that will give them a vital edge in the job market.
Professor Alastair Fitter, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, said “This survey offers welcome recognition that the University of York is one of the best globally in supporting the work of its post-doctoral researchers.” He said that the survey recognises that York is a “centre for world class scientific research.”
The University has over 400 Post-doctorate researchers, the second highest in the top ten, with an average salary of 29,000 to 35,000 a year. The Scientist praised the “certified career counsellor who teaches seminars in financial and people management, negotiation and marketing”. This, they said, was a fantastic way of teaching post-docs “marketable skills outside of academia”.
This was the 7th annual survey conducted by The Scientist and is the latest to recognise the strength of York’s research. Last year York was ranked in the top ten UK institutions in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
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Dundee’s 4th in the world?
Congratulations to York – it’s great news and will hopefully trickle down to improving postgraduate research and teaching quality over the coming years as well