Panel onCareer Paths Contrasted

Ellen M. Voorhees

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Government Labs

• Scads of federal labs; see www.federallabs.org• Dept. of Defense

• each branch of military has lab• some intelligence agencies have labs

• Dept. of Energy• Oak Ridge, Sandia, Los Alamos…

• NASA• Health & Human Services: NIH• Dept. of Commerce: NIST, NOAA

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National Institute of Standards and Technology

• NIST is an atypical government lab• one of only two federal labs to have its own

authorization, annual appropriation, and be headed by Presidential appointee

• non-regulatory, non-defense

• Significant differences exist even within NIST

• laboratory and division chiefs have considerable leeway within general NIST policies

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NIST Fast Facts• Mission:

• To develop and promote measurement, standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life.

• Statistics• 2 main locations: Gaithersburg, MD & Boulder, CO• ~ 3000 employees + ~ 1,800 visiting researchers• 7 laboratories + Baldridge National Quality Program

+ Advanced Technology Program + Manufacturing Extension Partnership

• NIST’s FY2004 budget ~ $771 million (all sources)

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NIST Career Paths and Bands

CAREER PATHS

Scientific and

S&E Technician(ZT)

Administrative(ZA)

Support (ZS)

CorrespondingGS Grades

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

BANDS

I II III IV V

I II III IV V

I II III IV V

I IIIII IV V

Engineering(ZP)

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Managerial Paths• NIST has intentionally flat structure

• NIST director (appointed), laboratory director, division head, group leader

• thus, not many managerial positions

• Senior Executive Service (SES)• managerial, supervisory, and policy positions

classified above GS15 in the executive branch• positions established by OPM• at NIST, laboratory directorships are SES

positions; many division heads are also SES members

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Advanced Scientific Positions

• ST positions• high-level research and development positions

above GS15 that do not have the required managerial aspects of SES positions

• positions allocated by OPM• no specific qualifications mandated, but

incumbent is expected to be internationally recognized expert in significant field of endeavor

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Pure Research Positions Rare• Team projects

• junior researchers generally member of team• team will most likely have some

goals/deliverables that are not research• the research will frequently be a team effort,

too

• Setting research agenda• usually requires management position• has similarities with running academic research

group, but also significant differences– non-research goals frequently must take precedence– more significant personnel issues

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Non-academic Research• Pros

• less emphasis on fund raising, especially early on

• potential for access to equipment/positions not possible elsewhere

• better match with some personality types

• Cons• less control over research agenda and schedule• non-academic researcher generally a minority

in research community