Postdocs and doctoral candidates give University of Freiburg positive evaluation

Positive signals for supervision, work climate, and motivation

The majority (66.3%) of the doctoral candidates indicate that they are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the quality of their supervision on a five-point scale. Relationships with superiors receive a positive rating from 75.8% of postdocs. Postdocs who regularly participate in annual performance reviews are significantly more satisfied with their superior. On the question of whether they enjoy their scientific work, 79.5% of the doctoral candidates and 94.1% of the postdocs respond with “yes” or “rather yes” on a five-point scale.

With regard to the decision in favour of the University of Freiburg, the most relevant aspects for postdocs are ‘Opportunity to implement my research idea’ (73.3% rate this as ‘very important’ or ‘important’), ‘Job offer’ (70.5%, ‘very important’ or ‘important’), and ‘Area of specialization’ (71.9%, ‘very important’ or ‘important’).

Academia is the goal – but doubts remain

35.6% of the postdocs aim to attain a professorship. At the same time, 70.4% of the postdocs are considering alternatives to academia. Both results correspond to the national average, as shown by comparative studies (such as the 2024 Barometer for Science). 14.9% of the doctoral candidates think ‘constantly’ or ‘often’ about discontinuing their doctorate – as compared to 10% in the nationwide National Academics Panel Study. In contrast, 64.2% of the doctoral candidates at the University of Freiburg state that they ‘rarely or ‘never’ have this thought. Reasons doctoral candidates cite for thinking about dropping out include ‘high workload’ and ‘Compatibility of doctorate and private life; reasons for postdocs are ‘lack of career perspectives’ and ‘Compatibility of academia and private life. ‘The survey indicated that doctoral candidates in particular would like to see more coaching and career advising offers – we initiated appropriate measures directly’, says Prof. Dr. Stefan Rensing, Vice Rector for Research and Innovation.

Evaluation of conditions for research mostly positive – focus on mental health

With regard to the general conditions for research, the doctoral candidates and postdocs gave particularly positive evaluations for laboratory equipment, access to laboratories, and the services of the University Library. By contrast, they see room for improvement in in the university’s IT services and personnel resources (e.g., support from student assistants).

As with comparable surveys of academics, around twice as many individuals as in the general population exhibit depressive symptoms: A total of around 22.5% of the doctoral candidates and 21.2% of the postdocs.  

Impetus for change

In their responses to an open question, the respondents expressed their appreciation for the initiative. They stated that the University is listening, taking their needs seriously, and creating transparency. Their requests include improvements to contractual terms, better plannability, qualified supervision, and a more open leadership culture. The results of the survey will now be incorporated into the further strategic development of academic personnel development and the University’s diversity audit. The next survey is planned for 2027.