Career tracking survey

As part of the Action Plan 2025-27, the Graduate Campus conducts a career tracking survey to gain a better understanding of postdoctoral careers.

Postdoctoral researchers are a cornerstone of the Swiss research system, yet little is known about their career trajectories, professional experiences, aspirations, and support needs. Many researchers move between institutions, regions, and countries during their careers, often on successive fixed-term contracts. As a result, it can be difficult for individual institutions to develop a comprehensive understanding of postdoctoral career paths and experiences.

To address this gap, the Universities of Bern, Fribourg, Lausanne, Zurich, Università della Svizzera italiana, and participating ETH institutes have joined forces to conduct a cross-institutional survey on postdoctoral career paths. The collaboration spans Switzerland's German-, French-, and Italian-speaking regions. 

By collecting data across institutions and regions, the project aims to provide a comprehensive picture of postdoctoral careers, working conditions, career aspirations, and future plans in Switzerland. The findings will help participating institutions better understand the experiences and needs of postdoctoral researchers and inform the development of evidence-based support measures for early-career researchers.

In autumn 2026, postdoctoral researchers at participating institutions will receive an invitation per email to take part in the first wave of the survey.

The survey is conducted by FORS, the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences, on behalf of the participating institutions.