CLIMBS UP 1 

Career outcomes and attitudes are affected by having a workplace that is well-matched to one’s needs, skills, and values (i.e., fit). For individuals in academic STEM who are from historically underrepresented groups, fit requires a positive academic climate (i.e., an environment that values differences and makes all feel welcome), which is related to positive career outcomes. 

We want to understand how climate is related to career outcomes, and the mediating effects of demographics on those relationships. To do so, we use the Person-Environment Fit Theory to examine the effects of climate at the levels of the research group, department, and profession (field, discipline) on career outcomes (Figure 1). 
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Our team shared the CLIMBS UP survey with over 10,000 early career scholars (doctoral students, postdocs, assistant professors) in 124 departments across the United States between April and May 2021. We received over 3,500 responses from these early-career scholars in the fields of biology, economics, physics, and psychology. The survey was designed to measure perceptions of climate within the research group, department, and academic field. Because of the timing of the project, we also assessed how participants’ research progress and well-being were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Takeaways:

Understanding the Experiences of Historically Underrepresented Scholars

• Participants with a greater number of historically underrepresented identities experienced a more negative climate within the research group, the academic department, and the professional field compared to those with no and fewer such identities, which was associated with greater turnover intentions, burnout disengagement, and burnout exhaustion​
• Asian American scholars have lower affective job commitment and role confidence but also lower work withdrawal than both white scholars and those other racial groups.

COVID Impacts

• Participants who reported a physical, mental, or learning disability experienced more work and life disruptions compared to those without a disability.
• Women and non-binary participants reported significantly increased workload and more disruptions due to physical and mental health problems than men.
• Generally, participants from historically underrepresented groups reported more negative outcomes than other groups, including a greater increase in workload, more work disruptions from COVID-related physical health symptoms, mental health symptoms, and additional caretaking responsibilities.

Positive Authorship Climate

• Authorship climate, the environment created by the policies,  practices, and norms related to the research and writing process, is experienced more negatively by women, especially women of color.
• The group differences matter, as a more positive authorship climate is related to greater professional role confidence among trainees, through more positive perceptions of the research group and professional field climates.​

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PIs

Kendra Cheruvelil (Michigan State U.)
Kevin Elliott (Michigan State U.)
​Georgina Montgomery (Michigan State U.)
Isis Settles (U. of Michigan)
Erin Cech (U. of Michigan)

Collaborators

Tangier Davis
Hannah Douglas
​Arika Hawkins
​Guizhen Ma
Lexi Nadolsky
Kathrina Robotham 

In the News

August 20, 2020
U-M Press Release
MSU Press Release 

CLIMBS UP PIs and collaborators:
Top Row (Left to Right): Isis Settles, Kendra Cheruvelil, Georgina Montgomery, Kevin Elliott
Middle Row (Left to Right): Erin Cech, Guizhen Ma, Hannah Douglas, Tangier Davis
Bottom Row (Left to Right): Lexi Nadolsky, Arika Hawkins

Acknowledgments

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Research supported by: NSF-HRD-ECR (1954767 and 200579). ​Affiliated with Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. ​​​

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