The Forgotten Scholar: Underrepresented Minority Postdoc Experiences in STEM Fields

The postdoctoral pathway to the professoriate is an important source of future faculty talent. This paper focuses on underrepresented minority (URM) postdocs and the challenges they face as they prepare for tenure track positions in the academy. To date, much of the research on URM success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has focused on student interest in STEM fields and STEM curricula, both at the K-12 and undergraduate levels. By comparison, very little attention has been given to studying the career issues of URM STEM postdocs seeking to enter the professoriate, especially from a critical race lens. The postdocs who participated in our study completed an interview, which probed self-efficacy, sense of belonging, social identity, and challenges in the field. After coding and the analysis, 26 sub-themes emerged including feelings about the culture of their work environment and perceptions of stereotypes and biases. The results of the study, which are broadly applicable, have improved our understanding of the factors affecting the progression of URM postdocs into the professoriate and have informed mentor training and career success strategies for URM postdocs.