Value-Added Postdoctoral Research on the Scientific Workforce

National Institute Of Statistical Sciences, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

This postdoctoral research program at the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) comprises performing innovative research and creating usable products that not only support the mission of the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) but also address the needs of the nation. From a technical perspective, the research is framed by two statistical themes and two key societal issues. The first statistical theme is characterization of uncertainties arising from novel methods of integrating and analyzing data, addressing a critical need in an era of declining data collection budgets and decreasing participation in government surveys. The second theme centers on conducting experiments with real data, simulating phenomena of interest in order to evaluate, and in some cases enable, methodological advances. Key issues regarding surveys, such as how many times and by what means to contact nonrespondents, are too complex to be treated analytically, and infeasible to address with real world experiments; therefore simulation is effectively the only laboratory available. Specific research topics include data integration, prediction, model to design feedback, data-quality-aware statistical disclosure limitation and cost data quality tradeoffs. All Federal statistical agencies stand to benefit from the research, which will produce innovative theory, novel, methodology and algorithmic implementations, together with datasets, analyses, software and insights that inform future data collections. Broader Impacts: The societal issues are labor economics as it relates to the science, engineering and health workforce (SEHW). Understanding phenomena such as salaries, fringe benefits, mobility and training/job relationships is crucial to maintaining the United States' competitiveness in a global economy, as well as to facing the challenges of difficult economic times. The second issue is aging, because other than the role of students born outside of the US, aging is the most important phenomenon taking place in the SEHW (and, arguably, in society as a whole). For both issues, understanding the dramatically increasing richness of observed behaviors within the SEHW is a profound opportunity. New kinds of family structures, shared positions, and an array of forms of post-first-retirement employment are among the central social trends of our times. This project will generate new insights that inform both future research and sound policy.