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The article focuses on immigration policies of the U.S. for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) doctorates, as of January 2021. It highlights the problems associated with the H1B visas for STEM doctorates. It discusses a survey complemented with data from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on visa progression of STEM doctorates, employment qualifications, starting salary and work benefits and employer characteristics.

The article discusses research that examined why Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students in the U.S. pursue postdoctoral positions and how their plans depend on individual-level factors such as career goals or labor market perceptions. Topics covered include the need for increased attention to career planning among students and their mentors, the career plans of biological and life sciences students, and the preference of many postdoctoral students to establish a career outside of academia.

The authors focus on research into the entrepreneurial interests of nearly 4,200 doctoral science and engineering candidates at tier 1 research universities in the United States to determine the prevalence of interest in founding a new business compared to joining one as an employee. They state the survey found students interested in founding businesses were more risk tolerant and had greater interest in management. They recommend entrepreneur programs focus on various job roles for scientists.