Postdocs in Science: A Comparison between China and the United States

Abstract

Postdoctoral fellows (postdocs) play a crucial role in the research productivity of any country. The United States and China are the world's two largest economies and are ranked first and second in scientific research, as quantified by the number of annual publications. However, these two countries have contrasting postdoc standards and different amounts of funds allocated for research and development (R&D). We compare the number of postdocs, R&D fund allocation, and the number of annual publications of these two countries. We conclude that the United States has comparably higher postdoc standards, but limited growth in R&D funds during the last decade is making it increasingly hard for postdocs to find permanent jobs. Conversely, R&D funds have increased nearly tenfold in China, but postdoc standards remain low. We discuss the need to increase R&D funds in the United States and improve postdoc standards in China to maintain a thriving global postdoc community.