The Scientist in the Hourglass: Postdoctoral Researchers in Mexican Universities

Abstract

This is an exploratory qualitative study in which the job aspirations of a group of graduates from various doctoral programs from two public IESlocated in the state of Morelos who are currently serving as fellows of the “Estancias Posdoctorales por México” program were studied. The theoretical view is based on contributions from social anthropology and sociology, to explain the aspirations that the actors expressed in the expectations and strategies of labor insertion enunciated through their reports.The reports were systematized after the application of structured interviews in order to propose a typology of expectations and interviews after selecting the paradigmatic fragments that account for the different cases. Among the main findings, he highlighted that the relationship between institutional affiliation, membership of the SNII, teaching, high academic productivity and collaboration with networks, function as a fundamental mortar to aspire to an ideal job destination in an academic market environment hostile to the development of the scientific profession. The “Estancias Posdoctorales por México” program, although it is an alternative for the insertion of young researchers, has been insufficient for the retention of talents in whose highly specialized training investment has been allocated, both because of its temporary nature and because of the conditions in which it is developed.