🚀 go-pugleaf

myrna.watanabe@execnet.com (MYRNA WATANABE) wrote:
>I am writing an article for The Scientist on the effects of
>the tight grant and job market on researchers.  I would like to hear
>from scientists who have left research, who have witnessed
>shoddy or unethical work in the race to publish, or new Ph.D.s
>or post-docs who have had trouble finding jobs.  I would also
>be interested in hearing from anyone who believes there is no
>real problem or anyone who has any statistics on science drop-
>out rates.
>Myrna E. Watanabe, Ph.D.
>email: myrna.watanabe@execnet.com
>fax: 914-376-7487 ph. 914-968-7021


Just feeling a strong urge to write some lines about my current situation.
I'm a chemist and currently working on my PhD in biochemistry / protein purification and 
characteization. I had financial support from the Deutsche ForschungsGemeinschaft (DFG) for the first 
two years of my project, until may 95 (salary and reserach foundation). Because of the tight grant 
situation here in Germany, the DFG did not renew the grant, but suggesting to do further research 
because the results were encouraging but not sufficient for a prolongation of the grant. The DFG granted 
50% of appliances this year according to a recent article in the "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" from July 
13,1995. 
On the other hand, a biochemical PhD in Germany everywhere seems to last at least 3 years. Thus  I`m 
currently forced to live on unemployment benefits and on welfare, as probably many other PhD candidates 
do, until there will open a new source of research money. Getting work as a chemist without a PhD is 
absolutely impossible as it seems.
 
Is anybody around with similar experiences?
What is yor situtation in other countries?
Any comments will be appreciated!


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Wolfgang Schechinger
Instiute for Diabetes Research
80804 Munich
Phone +49 (89) 30 79 31 24
Fax   +49 (89) 30 81 733
email u7k0201@sunmail.lrz-muenchen.de
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