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International Students are critical to US R&D
In the past three decades foreign graduate students have played an increasingly important role in theoretical and applied research in the United States. In 1966, 78% of PhD recipients in science and engineering (S&E) were American citizens. By 2003, that percentage had dropped to 62% for science disciplines and to 41% for engineering (Freeman et al., 2004). Despite this trend, US-based research and development (R&D) institutions have not suffered in their competitiveness or quality relative to their global counterparts thanks to the tendency of foreign born graduates to stay in the US after completion of their studies. This effective ‘brain gain’ from other nations’ intellectual capital has been widely recognized as one of America’s chief strategic and economic advantages (National Research Council, 2005).
Modeling the Decision to Return or Stay
Our project uses conjoint analysis, a survey tool first employed in marketing, to present foreign-born PhD students and postdocs with a series of job offers that vary according to different factors that comprise career opportunity and quality of life.We use these responses to determine how important each factor listed below is in shaping an individual's decision to stay in the US or return home.
Annual Income: Base Salary + Guaranteed bonus and allowances
Location: Nation,region, and city size of where the job is located
Private/Public+ Job title and responsibility
Revised draft of The Hesitant Hai Gui: Return-migration preferences of U.S.-educated Chinese scientists and engineers (Includes data from UIUC survey)
Completed survey of 150 PhD students at University of Illinois-Champaigne
President Barack Obama
“Whether it’s improving our health or harnessing clean energy, protecting our security or succeeding in the global economy, our future depends on reaffirming America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation.”