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Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering

Early career doctorate holders

Early career doctorate holders—those who received their first doctoral degree within the past 10 years—are a critical component of the U.S. workforce. Trained in the latest research practices, they bring new knowledge and techniques into the workplace. Nearly 230,000 early career doctorate holders are employed in academic institutions, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), and the National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Program (NIH IRP). About 70% of these early career doctorate holders earned their doctorate in the sciences (biological, physical, social, and other sciences, as well as psychology and health), 10% in engineering, and 20% in non-science and engineering (non-S&E) fields, such as the humanities.