Postdoctoral Scholars’ Emancipatory Strategies to Socialization through Agency

While prior research often depicts a dire scenario for postdoctoral scholar employment and career trajectory, we offer evidence of postdocs’ agency despite challenging circumstances. Through interviews with 30 postdocs employed full-time in the United States, thematic analysis illustrated postdocs’ demonstration of agency as an asset they bring into their employment. We review prior literature about individuals’ sense of agency and argue for the extension of considering agency to postdocs. Our findings emphasize the importance of recognizing postdocs’ sense of agency amidst efforts to improve systemic issues within the research enterprise.