Postdocs Face Hardship Across Mainland Europe Those Who Follow the Funding and Work Abroad May Not Find a Job When They Go Home

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correspondence Postdocs face hardship across mainland Europe Those who follow the funding and work abroad may not find a job when they go home.

Sir — As a French postdoc currently living Spain, Portugal or Italy) feel that they It is surely time to analyse the situation in England, I would like to comment made the right scientific choice by working at the European level (see Nature 413, on your News Feature on this topic, abroad. But they also feel that jobs are 768–770; 2001). What are the odds in “Young, gifted… and spurned” given too often to those who stayed, as favour of young scientists in different (Nature 414, 145; 2001), and the two discussed in your News Feature. European states building a scientific Correspondences arising from it The case of Claire Amadou described career in their home countries? (P.-L. Chau Nature 414, 582; 2001 and in this feature is unfortunately all too Lounès Chikhi M. Bailly, Nature 415, 13; 2002). common. But she could equally have been Department of Biology, Darwin Building, Comparing France with the United called Clara Rodriguez, Vieira or University College London, Kingdom in the way that Chau does is Romanelli. London WC1E 6BT, UK inappropriate; and contrary to the impression that may have been given by your News Feature, the situation of French postdocs is (unfortunately) all too T. L. Raoul Tan common across mainland Europe. PhD students also need to Former president, Eurodoc, and Department of Cell First, Chau’s statement “There are more make their voices heard Biology and Genetics, Erasmus University, postdocs for each tenured post in the PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, Holland British system than in the French system” Sir — Nature pays a lot of attention to the cannot be taken, as he intends, to mean plight of postdocs everywhere (see for that competition is fiercer in Britain, example Nature 407, 119 and 408, 637; because it ignores the fact that many 2000; and 410, 137; 2001) and North Cultural heritage shared postdocs currently living there are from American PhD students (see Nature 409, Sir — Your News report about the law other European countries and wish 442; 2001) but only occasionally to covering repatriation of Native American eventually to find a job in their home European PhD students (see Nature 410, items in California(Nature 414, 139; 2001) country. 299; 2001). European science needs a sense was even-handed and correct — it can be I agree that it is easier for a French of European identity before it can speak difficult to follow the NAGPRA statute. postdoc to find a permanent position in with one voice. As a retired director of the Harvard the United Kingdom than for a UK or For this reason, students and young Peabody Museum, I know the Tlingit other foreign postdoc to find one in France scientists from 15 countries have collab- totem pole shown in your photograph and (see the Correspondence by A. Munk orated to found Eurodoc, the Council for it has been returned to the Tlingits. It was Nature 413, 772; 2001), but this applies European doctoral and postdoctoral a gift from a Mr Harriman, who obtained mainly to teaching positions. students (www.precarios.org/eurodoc/ it from a professional ‘collector’ who took Because English is the standard index.htm). It includes the national PhD, four such poles in around 1900 from a scientific language, it seems unfair to or PhD and postdoctoral, students’ unions Tlingit village that was presumed to be compare France to the United Kingdom by of Finland, France, Germany, Italy, deserted. We now know the Tlingits had using the ratio of postdocs to tenured staff Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden moved away only temporarily, to protect in the two countries. There are more and the United Kingdom; and local unions themselves from a smallpox epidemic. opportunities for funding postdoctoral from Belgium (Leuven), Estonia (Tartu), We have had very good interactions positions in the United Kingdom than in Greece (Athens), Ireland, Latvia and with that tribe. In the mid-1970s (while France. Even the European TMR (training Slovakia. Eurodoc’s second general I was director), Rosita Worl, a Tlingit and mobility of researchers) grants, assembly will be in Girona, Spain, from 31 student in our department of anthro- designed to favour movement of scientists January to 3 February 2002. pology, helped me put together a major across Europe, are mostly allocated to The organization is not only revealing exhibition using the museum’s great early positions in the United Kingdom: approxi- similarities in the difficulties that students (1860s) collection of Tlingit artefacts. mately twice as many as for France and 10 face throughout Europe, but is also Through Ms Worl, I was able to get help times the number for Greece. highlighting the differences between from people in Alaska to curate the Nevertheless, the French system is education systems. One of Eurodoc’s exhibition; I brought Nathan Jackson, a improving as positions become available to functions is to identify these disparities Tlingit, to the museum for about five non-French scientists, and I would not call and bring them to the attention of the months to make a large wall carving. He, French postdocs “spurned”. European Union, European governments’ Ms Worl and about 10 more Tlingits did a Second, my Spanish, Portuguese and education ministries, scientific societies series of public dance performances. Italian postdoc friends all feel the same as I and the public. When the museum received the request do. Many PhD students face the choice of Senior scientists and politicians are for the repatriation of the pole, the current either leaving their home country to already aware of some problems faced director, Rubie Watson, asked Nathan to acquire new scientific experiences but risk by PhD students, but others are unknown make a new pole for the museum. On being forgotten, or staying at home to or their importance is not properly 19 November, Jackson and his family, build scientific relationships. The price for understood. Eurodoc will therefore Dr Worl (who got her PhD in anthro- the latter choice, as Bailly aptly puts it, is to explain national systems and report pology from Harvard recently) and other “spend … time begging for short-term problems, from the student perspective, Tlingits danced again in the museum funding which … barely supports a decent to the scientific community to under the shadow of the new pole. living”. encourage international discussion Stephen Williams Most postdocs I know (mostly from about these European issues. PO Box 22354, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502, USA