The Postdoc Accord in Theoretical High Energy Physics

TL;DR

This paper surveys the high-energy physics theory community to assess opinions on shifting the postdoc acceptance deadline to later in January or February, analyzing current hiring trends and community preferences.

Contribution

It provides community feedback on the postdoc acceptance deadline timing and analyzes hiring landscape data in theoretical high energy physics.

Findings

Broad support for shifting the deadline to later in January or February

Community favors a universal, later acceptance deadline

Analysis of current hiring trends in the field

Abstract

We present the results of a survey meant to assess the opinion of the high-energy physics theory (HET) community on the January 7th postdoc acceptance deadline - specifically, whether there is a preference to shift the deadline to later in January or February. This survey, which served for information-gathering purpose only, is part of a community conversation on the optimal timing of an acceptance deadline and whether the community would be better served by a later date. In addition, we present an analysis of data from the postdoc Rumor Mill, which gives a picture of the current hiring landscape in the field. We emphasize the importance of preserving a universal deadline, and the current results of our survey show broad support for a shift to a later date. A link to the survey, frequently asked questions, a running list of supporters, and next steps can be found on our companion web page.