What Is a Postdoc, and Should You Do One?

What is a postdoc?

A postdoc is a temporary, defined period of mentored advanced training after a doctorate, meant to build the professional skills and research independence you need for your chosen career. It is a training position, not a permanent job, and it is not the automatic next step after a PhD.

The National Science Foundation defines a postdoctoral researcher as a person with a doctorate or equivalent in a temporary, defined period of mentored advanced training. The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics reports that the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health adopted a common formal definition in 2001, and it has four parts: a training position, doctoral-level researchers, a term limit, and preparation for an independent research career. That definition is more useful than the job title alone because it separates a postdoc from a regular research post. The term limit is part of the point. At the NIH intramural program, postdoc positions are for recent doctorate recipients, and the doctorate must have been received within five years of starting.

If you are applying in the UK, check the employer's terms and the funder's rules rather than assuming the US wording carries over exactly.

Why do people do one?

People do a postdoc to get mentored research training and to build the independence expected in many research careers. The NSF definition ties the position to a chosen career path, not to academia alone. A postdoc can add technical skills, a research track record, and experience running a project. It can also give you access to a mentor, a lab, or a research community you would not get in an entry-level staff job.

But a postdoc is not a generic waiting room between a PhD and a job. If you already have the experience the roles you want ask for, another training position may add little. Ask what this postdoc gives you that the jobs you would otherwise take do not.

How common is a postdoc by field?

The Survey of Earned Doctorates for 2025 gives a clear snapshot. Among new research doctorate recipients in all fields who had a definite postgraduation commitment, 36.5% went to a US postdoc. In science and engineering, the share was 42.5%. These shares are of people with a definite commitment, not of all doctorate recipients.

Field differences are large. Among those with a definite commitment, 65.7% in biological and biomedical sciences went to a US postdoc, along with 55.9% in geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences, 50.3% in physical sciences, 31.2% in health sciences, and 19.0% in computer and information sciences. The figures describe the first step people reported, not the value of a postdoc in each field. Still, they show that a postdoc is a majority path in some fields and a minority path in others. If your field's norm is a postdoc, that is useful context. It is not a verdict on your case.

What does a postdoc pay?

For fiscal 2026, National Institutes of Health Kirschstein-NRSA postdoctoral stipends run from $63,480 for zero years of relevant experience to $77,076 for seven or more years. That scale applies to those awards. If your position is funded another way, ask what the pay is and what benefits come with it.

The Survey of Earned Doctorates also found a median expected basic annual salary of $65,000 for postdoctoral study among science and engineering doctorate recipients with a US postgraduation plan and a reported salary. The same group reported $109,000 for employment. These are expected salaries, not promises, and they are medians for a specific group. They do show the tradeoff you are being asked to weigh: lower pay now for training and experience that may help later. That tradeoff is easier to justify when the postdoc adds specific skills or access you cannot get in a regular job.

In the UK, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association advised higher education employers to implement a 2% pay uplift for all employees in the 2026-27 New JNCHES pay round. That applies to employees covered by the round, not to postdocs as a separate group, and it does not set a postdoc salary. Use it as background on the pay round, not as an offer figure.

When is a postdoc the wrong step?

A postdoc is the wrong step when you are using it mainly to delay a decision, or when the roles you want do not value the training it provides. If you want an industry job that hires PhDs for applied work, a postdoc may not be necessary; a staff job may give you more relevant experience. If you want to leave academia, a postdoc can still help, but only if it fills a gap the jobs you want actually care about.

Read job postings and talk to people doing the work. If the postdoc does not add a skill, a credential, or a body of work those roles require, it is an expensive way to wait. Also ask what happens at the end. A postdoc is temporary by definition, so the training plan, the mentor, and the next step matter. If the answers are vague, treat that as a warning sign rather than a detail to sort out later.

Do not treat a postdoc as a required badge. It is one route, and the data show it is more common in some fields than others. Your field's norm is information, not a verdict on your case.

What to do next

Write down the roles you want in five years and the skills they require. If a postdoc would fill a clear gap, say which one. If it would not, do not use it as a default.
Compare any postdoc offer with the NRSA stipend scale and the median expected salary for your field. Ask about the term, benefits, mentoring plan, and what happens when the appointment ends. The salary pages can help you frame the comparison.
If you are choosing between a postdoc and a job, talk to people in both roles. Ask what they actually do and what they look for when hiring. The academia vs industry guide and leaving academia guide can help you sort the options.