More graduate students at UT and across the country are choosing careers outside of academia. Typically, a postdoctoral position is a necessary step to secure an academic career. However, according to the National Science Foundation’s 2024 report on PhD employment, the number of PhDs entering postdoctoral positions dropped for the first time in a decade, even as more people are earning them than ever before.
Ashvini Melkote, a fourth-year PhD student in pharmacology and toxicology, knew early on that she wanted to work outside of academia.
“In (undergraduate), I did an internship at a biotech company, and I absolutely loved it,” Melkote said. “I just loved the culture and everything about it. After that, I was pretty dead set on doing industry or biotech. I never really considered academia.”
Melkote further reflected on why academia was never an option for her.
“I think (academia) is great for people who are very passionate about the discovery aspect of research … but it’s a lot of instability, like chasing funding and tenure and pressure to publish,” said Melkote. “I also feel like, most of the time, the research that you publish in academia only reaches a very niche audience. I wanted a career where I could have a more direct impact on people.”
Melkote’s view of academia reflects a broader cultural shift among today’s STEM graduate students, who are moving away from the previous generation of scientists. However, current research mentors are still encouraging their students to pursue academia. Dr. John Wallingford is a tenured developmental biology professor who believes strongly in the academic career.
“It’s the best job in the world … I make my own schedule. I get to travel. I get to spend all my time doing the things that I’m most passionate about. I get to read papers and look down microscopes occasionally, and if I wanted to, … every day,” Wallingford said. “But for me, it’s the intellectual freedom. It’s the idea that I can make a really good living doing exactly what I want to do and go whichever direction the wind takes me.”
But Wallingford is not oblivious to the complaints against academia.
“Academia is harder than it used to be for sure,” Wallingford said. “(But) there’s no job where you work 40 hours a week with relatively little stress and set yourself up for success over the next 30 years … Is academia stressful? Sure. Is it a lot of work? Sure, but I don’t think that’s really different than other fields.”
As graduate students continue to weigh their career options, it’s clear that academia isn’t the default path it once was. While personal and practical factors like salary and work-life balance are clear drivers of this shift, structural forces also play a decisive role. With federal cuts to NIH and NSF research funding under the Trump administration, academic careers are becoming less viable for researchers seeking sustainable career paths.
For those who thrive on curiosity, creativity and autonomy, academia can still be “the best job in the world,” but only if the research is backed by consistent public investment and confidence.
Kate Windsor is a PhD student in molecular biology from Austin, Texas.
