Abstract:

Universities serve as pivotal platforms for cultivating postdoctoral talent, particularly in pharmaceutical sciences. This study provided an empirical assessment of the key determinants influencing research productivity among postdoctoral fellows in this field. We analyzed a cohort of postdoctoral researchers who entered the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Peking University between October 2016 and December 2024, gathering comprehensive data on their demographic characteristics and scholarly accomplishments throughout their fellowship. Indicators of postdoctoral success encompassed securing research funding, publishing scholarly articles, and filing patent applications. To identify the principal factors shaping these outcomes, we employed logistic regression analysis. The findings demonstrated that postdoctoral fellows enrolled in incentive programs exhibited markedly higher success rates in acquiring research grants, especially high-tier funding, as well as in publishing both general and high-impact research articles. Conversely, fellows engaged in interdisciplinary research showed significantly reduced success rates in obtaining both general and high-level grants. Additionally, extended fellowship durations were positively correlated with greater likelihoods of publishing high-impact papers and achieving patents. Notably, postdoctoral fellows specializing in Pharmaceutical Analysis had a significantly higher probability of securing prestigious research grants, while those focusing on Pharmaceutics demonstrated a superior capacity for research publication. Regarding intellectual property, fellows mentored by supervisors with overseas experience were substantially more likely to obtain patents, whereas those guided by tenure-track supervisors exhibited lower patent acquisition rates. In light of these insights, we proposed several recommendations for postdoctoral management bodies within pharmaceutical academic institutions. These included refining selection criteria for postdoctoral candidates, amplifying support through incentive mechanisms, enhancing interdisciplinary fellows’ integration into pharmaceutical research paradigms, and optimizing postdoctoral training frameworks to nurture academic excellence and research innovation.

Key words: Pharmaceutical Sciences schools and universities, Postdoctoral fellows, Academic growth factors