Recent Physics Doctorates: Skills Used & Satisfaction with Employment
MAR 01, 2013
Data from the degree recipient follow-up survey for the classes of 2009 and 2010
Research Manager,
American Institute of Physics
An updated version of this report is now available:
This report begins with a discussion about the types of skills and knowledge that physics PhDs from the classes of 2009 and 2010 used regularly in the jobs they held one year after earning their doctorates. It concludes with an examination of qualitative measures such as job satisfaction, feelings of underemployment, and the helpfulness of career planning advice. Of particular interest are the comparisons of new physics PhDs who accepted postdocs to those who accepted potentially permanent positions. The findings in this report come from the annual AIP degree recipients follow-up survey.