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This instrumental case study examines the science identity and career goals of 16 Black and Latinx science and engineering postdoctoral scholars. Interviews were conducted and grounded by the model of science identity to understand the ways in which science identity develops over time and the influence of race/ethnicity and gender on career goals. Through deductive data analysis techniques, four themes emerged: (1) science competency is built at an early age and solidified in high school; (2) science performance is actualized but questioned in college; (3) science recognition is fostered through professional development and success; and (4) racism and sexism shape the desire to make an impact through a STEM career. Understanding how Black and Latinx postdoctoral scholars’ science identity and STEM career goals are nurtured and thwarted within educational systems can be illuminating to those training the next generation of advanced STEM professionals. If the individuals next in line to enter the professoriate are deterred, greater consideration must be given to their experiences. 

This instrumental case study (Stake, 1995) explores the external factors that influence international science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) postdoctoral scholars in the United States to pursue a career in STEM. Interviews with 20 international STEM postdoctoral scholars were analyzed deductively to shed light on their unique backgrounds and experiences. Three themes emerged: (a) parents were highly encouraging, (b) a love of science was nurtured in school, and (c) they were eager to engage in and promote scientific innovation. These findings illustrate the ways in which family, schools, and community influence the STEM career trajectories of international postdoctoral scholars 

This instrumental case study explores the messages STEM postdoctoral scholar women received and understood from faculty about having children and an academic career. Of concern, women with children are less likely than men with children or individuals without children to be offered tenure-track positions or to be promoted. This reality suggests academic motherhood is in opposition to professional legitimacy in higher education. Furthermore, postdoctoral scholars who are mothers are more likely than their peers to cite children as their primary reason for not entering the faculty job market. Through inductive and deductive methods, interview transcripts of 22 demographically diverse STEM postdoctoral scholar women were analyzed using the ideal worker conceptual framework. Two themes were identified: (1) messages interpreted as disparaging suggest to STEM postdoctoral women they must sacrifice the choice to have children for an academic career and (2) messages interpreted as supportive promote the belief that academic motherhood is achievable. These findings illustrate a systemic conflict for STEM postdoctoral scholar women who have children or are considering becoming mothers in the future. Due to disparaging messages from faculty, most interviewees felt the constraints of ideal worker norms; however, through supportive messages from faculty, particularly positive modeling, these women saw the feasibility of having children and a successful academic career without the necessity of conforming to these norms. Inclusive, family friendly higher education policies and practices must be instituted to ensure more women enter and thrive in the STEM professoriate, and women who have or desire to have children are not marginalized. 

This instrumental case study examines the science identity and career goals of 16 Black and Latinx science and engineering postdoctoral scholars. Interviews were conducted and grounded by the model of science identity to understand the ways in which science identity develops over time and the influence of race/ethnicity and gender on career goals. Through deductive data analysis techniques, four themes emerged: (1) science competency is built at an early age and solidified in high school; (2) science performance is actualized but questioned in college; (3) science recognition is fostered through professional development and success; and (4) racism and sexism shape the desire to make an impact through a STEM career. Understanding how Black and Latinx postdoctoral scholars’ science identity and STEM career goals are nurtured and thwarted within educational systems can be illuminating to those training the next generation of advanced STEM professionals. If the individuals next in line to enter the professoriate are deterred, greater consideration must be given to their experiences. 

An intrinsic case study explores the challenges shared by international engineering postdoctoral scholars working in the United States (US). Little research has been devoted to their experiences despite their stark increase in the postdoctoral labor force over the last decade. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight engineering postdoctoral scholars hailing from Canada, China, Colombia, Iran, Italy, and Thailand. Participant interviews were analyzed inductively and resulted in four themes: (1) Immigration concerns; (2) Strains to find a community; (3) Pressure to publish and secure funding; and (4) Inadequate career counseling. The identified themes could be particularly instructive to Ph.D. advisors outside the US whose students may pursue postdoctoral positions in the US, Ph.D. recipients, US postdoctoral advisors, and US college and university international offices. 

This phenomenological study explores the mentoring needs of 13 Black and Latinx engineering postdoctoral scholars who aspire to the professoriate. An adaptation of the ideal mentoring model (Zambrana et al., 2015) is employed as the conceptual framework. Moustakas’ (1994) four-stage process of phenomenological data analysis was utilized to examine the interview data: epoché, horizontalization, imaginative variation, and synthesis. The phenomenon’s essence is: Black and Latinx engineering postdoctoral scholars have primary and secondary mentoring needs pertaining to their immediate career acquisition of a tenure-track faculty position. Primary mentoring needs include expanding their professional network and receiving support in being a competitive faculty applicant, as well as coaching on work-life balance. Secondary needs consist of enhancing and promoting their technical skills and acquiring political guidance on racial/ethnic bias in academia. The findings of this study reveal the importance of higher education institutions and postdoctoral advisors assuming greater responsibility for ensuring postdoctoral scholars receive the mentorship and career support they desire, which may require a systematic change in the postdoctoral training environment. 

An instrumental case study (Stake, 1995) explored the messages STEM postdoctoral scholar women receive about balancing an academic career with a family. Concerningly, women with children are less likely than men with children, or women and men without children, to be offered tenure-track positions or to be promoted (Bird & Rhoton, 2021; Cech & Blair-Lory, 2019; Gregor et al., 2021; Williams & Ceci, 2012; Ysseldyk et al., 2019). This reality suggests that motherhood is in opposition to professional legitimacy in academia (Hill et al., 2014; Thébaud & Taylor, 2021). Furthermore, postdoctoral scholar mothers are more likely than their peers to cite children as their primary reason for not entering the faculty job market (NPA ADVANCE, 2011). Interviews were conducted with 22 demographically diverse STEM postdoctoral scholar women to explore how messages about balancing career and family are considered. Using inductive and deductive methods (Silverman, 1993; Stake, 1995), interview transcripts were analyzed using the ideal worker conceptual framework (Kossek et al., 2021). Two themes arose: (1) STEM postdoctoral women receive messages suggesting they must sacrifice family pursuits for an academic career, and (2) positive modeling and support for balancing career and family are vital for retaining STEM postdoctoral women in the professoriate pathway. These findings illustrate a systemic conflict for STEM postdoctoral scholar women. They describe a necessity to sacrifice family desires, yet positive modeling and support for balancing career and family send messages suggesting it is possible to plan for both. This research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP; award #1821008). 

Purpose This study aims to explore the perceptions of a diverse set of 16 engineering postdoctoral scholars regarding their fit for the professoriate. The professoriate speaks to the body of tenured/tenure-track faculty within higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach An intrinsic case study design was conducted to provide an in-depth understanding of the factors influencing engineering postdoctoral scholars’ perceived professorial fit using person–job fit theory. Findings As a result of inductive and deductive data analyses techniques, four themes emerged: the professoriate is perceived as a calling for those who desire to teach and mentor the upcoming generation of engineers; research autonomy in the professoriate is highly attractive; the work demands of the professoriate are contrary to the work–life balance sought; and the professoriate appears daunting due to the competitive nature of the job market and the academic environment. Originality/value This study is critical for those invested in possessing a deeper understanding of the postdoctoral career stage, its relationship to the professoriate as a career choice and broadening participation in engineering academia. 

A descriptive phenomenological research design using a socialization theoretical framework is employed to describe the lived experience of socialization and its influence in the career pathways of 16 engineering postdoctoral scholars. Descriptive phenomenological data analysis strategies resulted in four constituents regarding effective postdoctoral socialization: (1) academic identity is nurtured, (2) disciplinary belonging is reinforced, (3) scholarly performance is strengthened, and (4) career development is essential for pursuing the professoriate. The essential structure was conceptualized as follows: Effective socialization of engineering postdoctoral scholars includes the enhancement of their academic identity, disciplinary belonging, and scholarly performance, as well as attention to the career development needs of those aspiring to be a professor. These findings shed light on the importance of the supervisor-supervisee relationship in the socialization process and the role of supervisors in shaping postdoctoral scholars’ career trajectories. 

This study employs an instrumental case study design to explore the environmental context of Latinx postdoctoral scholars in relation to their STEM identity and intended STEM career pathway. Interviews were conducted using an interactionist approach to STEM identity development. Deductive data analysis techniques reveal the impact of supervisor relationships on the work environment, the importance of fostering a mentoring atmosphere for others, and the value of seeking and creating safe and supportive spaces.