Happy New Year! As we noted in last month’s column, almost half of new physics PhDs accept postdocs upon graduation. For the combined classes of 2015 and 2016, 53% of physics PhD recipients were U.S. citizens. Our survey responses indicate that 9% of U.S. citizens and 19% of non-U.S. citizens left the United States after receiving their doctorates. The most common type of initial employment for both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens who left the U.S. was a postdoc. For those who remained in the United States, U.S. citizens were more likely to accept a potentially permanent position, and non-U.S. citizens were more likely to accept a postdoc.

Of the non-U.S. citizens remaining in the United States who accepted a postdoc, 44% indicated that visa restrictions limited their options. Our full report includes additional data on reasons for accepting a postdoc.

In February, we will look at the employment sector...

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