Current Science

Deepa Agashe ¹, Sugandha Maheshwary ², Jitendra Kumar Pattanaik ³, Jai Prakash ⁴, Pragya Bhatt ⁵, S. S. Arya ⁶, Sriparna Chatterjee ⁷, Pankaj Kumar ⁵, Paramdeep Singh ⁸, Nazia Abbas ⁹, Chandra Shekhar Sharma ¹⁰, Chirasree Roy Chaudhuri ¹¹, Pooja Devi ¹²

Affiliations
1 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bengaluru 560 065, IN
2 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Mohali 140 306, IN
3 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; Central University of Punjab, Bathinda 151 401, IN
4 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202 002, IN
5 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; Inter University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi 110 067, IN
6 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; Institute of Chemical Technology, NM Parikh Marg, Matunga, Mumbai 400 019, IN
7 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar 751 013, IN
8 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda 151 001, IN
9 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Kashmir 190 015, IN
10 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad 502 284, IN
11 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur 711 103, IN
12 Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi 110 002; CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh 160 030, IN

Abstract

The scientific enterprise in India has grown dramatically in the past few decades, with research emerging as a viable and important career option for students of science. The country thus has a large population of young scientists in the early stages of establishing their independent research careers. While this demographic is arguably the most important group that will determine the future of scientific research in India, their status and concerns are poorly understood. The Indian National Young Academy of Sciences conducted a national survey to better understand and present the challenges faced by them. Through a structured questionnaire, we sought the views of researchers below 45 years of age. Here, we summarize the responses from 854 participants across multiple early career stages. We highlight key challenges faced by these scientists in establishing an independent research career, and suggest steps to address them.

Keywords

Academia, Career Opportunities, Challenges, Scientific Enterprise, STEM, Young Researchers.

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