Background

With more than one-third of academic researchers being in personal relationships with other academics, universities’ recruitment and retention of top talent depends upon meeting dual-career needs. This challenge is especially important for diversifying the scientific workforce, as prior studies have pinpointed problems with academic appointments as a major contributor to the so-called leaky pipeline causing attrition of women and minorities in biomedical and STEM fields. This project’s objective is to develop evidence-based guidance for university administrators and critical resources for dual-career researchers in order to support greater inclusion of women and minorities in scientific careers. This objective will be met through the execution of a rigorous research project designed to generate new empirical knowledge about dual-career policies, their application, and perceptions of them.