International mobility has long been framed as a hallmark of academic success. A postdoctoral stint in Europe, a fellowship in North America, or an exchange program in Asia is often seen as both a professional milestone and a rite of passage. The benefits are undeniable: exposure to cutting-edge facilities, immersion in new scientific cultures, and access to broader collaboration networks. For a postdoctoral researcher, these opportunities are career-defining.
Yet for many, especially those working abroad, the experience is far more complicated. Postdocs are often celebrated as the "engines of research"—but their lives reveal a different story, one shaped by financial precarity, systemic opacity, and overlooked well-being. Cultural and language barriers only add another layer of complexity. Recent surveys show alarming rates of depression and anxiety among postdocs, with international researchers particularly vulnerable. Despite years of surveys and reports highlighting these systemic issues, tangible reforms remain painfully slow. The question then arises: what is academia waiting for?
Caught in an Academic Limbo
Postdoctoral researchers inhabit an ambiguous academic space — not quite students, not quite faculty. This liminality creates gaps in benefits and rights. During my own postdoctoral tenure, I was denied both housing allowance and access to on-campus accommodation because my status did not fit into established categories. Such exclusions are not isolated: many institutions treat postdocs as temporary visitors, rather than integral contributors.
The Pay and Power Divide
While the academic ethos rests on fairness and merit, financial realities tell another story. Postdocs are typically employed on temporary contracts with modest salaries that barely keep pace with rising living costs. Salary increments, when available, are often opaque. Some institutions permit principal investigators (PIs) to decide discretionary salary top-ups after the first year. While in theory this rewards merit, in practice it can breed favoritism—sometimes influenced by race or nationality. Pay disparities, especially when they appear arbitrary, fuel resentment and fracture lab cultures. Imagine the frustration of a more experienced postdoc earning less than a peer simply because of PI's preference. In an era when institutions claim to champion diversity and inclusion, the persistence of such practices signals a disconnect between policy and lived experience.
Job Insecurity and the Cost of Belonging
Temporary contracts, often spanning only one or two years, leave postdocs in constant flux. The contract becomes a piece of paper that offers little security; renewal depends on funding cycles and PI discretion. With contracts often renewed annually, planning for the future — buying a home, starting a family, or even securing long-term visas — becomes nearly impossible. In fact, during interviews for positions abroad, postdocs are frequently asked about marital status or dependents, with institutions clarifying that their projects provide no family support. This exposes a brutal reality: academic mobility often demands personal sacrifices, from delaying parenthood to shelving other major life decisions.
Extra Hours, No Compensation
Research culture valorizes productivity, often equating worth with publication count. Postdocs are expected to function like machines—relentless, tireless, and endlessly adaptable. Some universities even require postdocs to sign waivers acknowledging that extra hours beyond the contract are unpaid. Everyone knows the norm: late nights in the lab, weekends consumed by experiments, and manuscripts revised under relentless pressure. Yet the system treats this dedication as invisible labor, unworthy of recognition or reward.
The Toll on Mental Health
The combination of job insecurity, financial strain, and social isolation has fueled what researchers have labeled “postdoc depression.” Surveys repeatedly show alarming levels of anxiety, burnout, and disillusionment among early-career researchers. And yet, because of their liminal status, postdocs are often excluded from counseling or mental-health resources available to either students or staff.
When Talent Leaves Unnoticed
For institutions and nations alike, international postdocs are vital assets. They bring expertise, diverse perspectives, and new collaborations. But anti-immigrant political rhetoric, visa hurdles, and systemic neglect have soured the experiences of many. Instead of being celebrated as contributors to national innovation, postdocs often feel treated as disposable labor. The result? A brain drain, where talented researchers either leave academia altogether or shift to countries and industries that offer better support.
Toward Structural Change: What Needs to Happen
Studies documenting these issues are not new. Surveys conducted across Europe, North America, and Asia have consistently revealed the same patterns: low pay, temporary contracts, weak career prospects, and mental-health concerns. Reports published in Nature, PNAS, and other outlets echo these findings year after year. Acknowledging the cracks in the system is not enough—concrete action is needed. It demands bold, structural interventions. The following are actionable steps that institutions and policymakers can begin implementing:
1. Transparent Employment Practices: Institutions must adopt standardized pay scales for postdocs, removing salary discretion from PIs. Salary adjustments should be linked to clear benchmarks such as years of experience, expertise, or project milestones. Publicly available salary bands would reduce favoritism and ensure equity. Postdocs who supervise students, maintain equipment, or contribute to grant writing should have these contributions formally recognized in evaluations and contracts. Workload limits should be clearly defined, and hours beyond should either be compensated or offset by time off. Housing, family-friendly policies, healthcare, and mental-health services should extend to postdocs, irrespective of their status as "temporary."
2. Permanent Pathways and Stable Careers: Temporary contracts perpetuate instability. Universities and research organizations should expand the number of permanent research-track positions, offering long-term alternatives to the elusive tenure-track. Even a small increase in such roles would signal institutional commitment to valuing research careers.
3. Accountability Mechanisms: Safe, anonymous reporting channels for bullying, discrimination, and unfair practices must be established and enforced. Independent ombuds offices, not tied to individual PIs or departments, must be established with the authority to investigate and enforce corrective measures. Also, dedicated counselors trained to understand academic pressures can make a decisive difference in preventing burnout and depression.
4. Cultural and Language Integration Programs: For international researchers, orientation sessions on cultural adaptation, language support, and community-building activities can ease the transition. Institutions could create systems pairing incoming postdocs with peers or faculty who can provide informal guidance.
5. A Global Postdoc Union or Network: While graduate students and faculty often have unions or associations, postdocs are left without collective bargaining power. Establishing national and international postdoctoral associations with real negotiating authority could shift the balance of power and hold institutions accountable.
6. Career Development and Exit Pathways: Institutions should guarantee structured career support — workshops, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities — not only for academic careers but also for industry, policy, and science communication. This widens opportunities and reduces the stigma of leaving academia.
7. National-Level Policy Reform: Governments must implement minimum salary standards for postdocs, linked to local cost-of-living indices. Visa policies should be restructured to allow flexibility for career transitions and family settlement, recognizing postdocs as skilled professionals rather than temporary migrants.
Conclusion: From Words to Action
Many postdocs move across continents for opportunities, navigating unfamiliar academic cultures, visa restrictions, and subtle or overt discrimination. Without strong international community support or dedicated unions, they often tackle these hurdles in isolation. Treating them as disposable labor undermines both human potential and scientific progress. It is time to shift the narrative: from seeing postdocs as transient workers to recognizing them as central architects of academia.
To move forward, more global surveys on postdoctoral working conditions, mental health, and career trajectories need to be conducted, analyzed rigorously, and published in ways that are openly accessible to all. This openness would extend the spirit of open science — where transparency and equity guide not only data but also the structures supporting those who produce it. Institutions, policymakers, and the academic community at large need to move beyond acknowledgment to action. Just as we call for open data and open methods, the academic community must also normalize openness around mental health: breaking stigma, making institutional resources visible, and encouraging honest dialogue about the pressures of postdoctoral life. Implementing reforms for postdocs — such as transparent employment conditions, standardized pay scales, and recognition of mental health needs — would not only improve individual well-being but also align with the broader goals of open science. By rethinking pay, security, benefits, and inclusivity, we can pave the way toward a system where postdocs abroad are empowered — not diminished — by their journeys. A fairer postdoc system would serve as a roadmap for how science itself can be made more open and sustainable.
References
- Gewin, V. (2025). Postdoc depression and anxiety rates are rising, finds survey of 872 researchers. Nature, d41586-025-02450–02459. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02450-9
- Woolston, C. (2020). Postdoc survey reveals disenchantment with working life. Nature, 587(7834), 505–508. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03191-7
- Youyou, W., & Feng, K. (2025). Rethinking postdoc careers through the science of science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(9), e2500344122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2500344122
- Woolston, C. (2020). Postdocs under pressure: ‘Can I even do this any more?’ Nature, 587(7835), 689–692. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03235-y
- Aksenfeld, R., & Ahart, J. (2025). Meet the early-career scientists planning to leave the United States. Nature, d41586-025-01900–01908. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01900-8
- Gilbert, N. (2025). Trump’s $100K visa fee for foreign talent: How will it affect researchers? Nature, d41586-025-03111–03117. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03111-7
Copyright © 2025 Riya Thomas. Distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
