Av Forskerforum
Publisert 8. april 2021 kl. 12:14
‘They are cheap labour, highly educated, and under great pressure to perform, but can be replaced if they get worn out.’
This is how postdocs were characterized in a recent post in
Forskerforum (no. 3/21). One of the researchers behind
the post is Enrico Riccardi, currently in his third postdoc
period: ‘I see the university system as a parasite in my life’,
he says, stressing that he does not criticize his colleagues but the organizational model.
Ingrid Lossius Falkum (pictured), head of the Young Academy of Norway (AYF), agrees:
‘A postdoc should qualify for a top scientific position, but as practiced today, this is rarely realistic.’ Therefore, Falkum and Guro Elisabeth Lind, head of NAR, have proposed a new model for postdoc positions: With four-year contracts, three years can be set aside for R&D and one year to develop
teaching and guidance skills. Riccardi is pleased with the initiative, but believes postdocs need greater certainty of a permanent
position once their contract expires.
‘This responsibility should lie with the institution, not the individual’, he says
