Empowering Early Career Researchers
Future of Research champions, engages, and empowers early career researchers (ECRs) with evidence-based resources to make informed career choices and improve scientific research.
Our Mission
We share resources, community, and expertise with those dedicated to advocacy work and the improvement of academic training environments.
Our projects
We promote grassroots advocacy, currently focusing on three specific projects. Click on each below to see how you can get involved.
Mentoring future scientists
Departmental or training program policies have a huge impact on the success of graduate students, postdocs, and scientific endeavors.
We convened experts and early career researchers to define major policy guidelines and excellence tiers for STEM departments.
Labor and policy
Graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and research associates are among groups of academics searchers across the U.S. organizing, or participating in, unionization efforts and votes. Read our statement and review resources for unionization
international scholars
We raise awareness about the challenges faced by foreign-born researchers currently employed in US academic institutions and advocate for their needs by collecting data, disseminating findings to broad audiences.
Our leadership in action
Learn more about the importance of mentorship and resources in early career research from a Future of Research President, Fatima Sanchenznieto at TedX Chicago.
Latest News
Our blog posts keep you informed of overall organization news as well as with statements that that Future of Research develops as part of our advocacy to better empower ECRs.
Police Brutality, Racism, and the killing of Black civilians
Dear Future of Research Community, At a time when there is a continued need for as much collective grieving as there is for concrete actions, writing a statement can feel hollow. When so many in the Black community, on a regular basis, decry the systemic,...
U.S. Senate Finance Committee meeting on foreign influences highlights federal agency urgency without clarity
On Wednesday, the United States Senate Finance Committee met to discuss Foreign Threats to Taxpayer – Funded Research: Oversight Opportunities and Policy Solutions. The webpage includes a video of the session (which begins approximately 30 mins in) and written...
Postdoc Salaries: New salary threshold for overtime proposed for Fair Labor Standards Act
The data above is from our paper "Monitoring the compliance of the academic enterprise with the Fair Labor Standards Act" showing how institutions were expecting to change salaries after the last FLSA update was blocked. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)...