“I Don’t Want to Spend the Rest of My Life Feeling Alone”: Postdoctoral Scholars’ Experiences of (Dis)Connection

Abstract

Previous research about postdocs has focused on the challenges they face in terms of pay and job security. This study expands upon this narrative to explore postdoctoral scholars’ experiences of connection and disconnection, or (dis)connection. The present study employed socialization theory in combination with a definition of professional socialization to frame how personal communities, institutions, and professional disciplines/associations facilitated postdocs’ sense of (dis)connection. Interviews with 30 postdocs demonstrated the ways in which postdocs described both connection and support alongside disconnection and isolation when asked about their experiences. The present study extends theory on socialization to consider postdocs and has implications for institutions employing postdocs.