Postdoctoral Scholar Experience Survey (PSES) 2026
The Postdoctoral Scholar Experience Survey (PSES) captures information on the postdoctoral scholar experience across many facets including workplace climate, mentorship, access to resources, professional development, and overall satisfaction. Participation in the survey provides KU with vital information about postdoc experiences. Your perspective is important and will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the postdoctoral experience. The feedback collected will be used to inform institutional planning, programming, and decision‑making related to postdoctoral support at KU.
In 2026, the survey will be administered March 23 - April 3.
An advisory team will be formed following the survey administration. This team will review the results and steer the process to create recommendations.
PSES is administered at KU every three years and is one of KU's Campus Constituent Surveys for the Lawrence campus. Created in 2026, the survey follows a consistent process of planning, administration, analysis, engagement, and the creation of actionable recommendations. A Campus Constituent Surveys Implementation Team is then tasked with reviewing, prioritizing, and communicating updates on recommendations three times a year.
As a KU Campus Constituent Survey, PSES is a key process for assessing the success of strategic plans developed and implemented by the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs.
FAQS
The Postdoctoral Experience Survey (PSES) is a survey administered internally at KU. This instrument was developed as a collaboration between the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs (GPA) and the Office of Analytics, Institutional Research, and Effectiveness (AIRE), drawing on practices used at peer institutions. The purpose of this voluntary survey is to gather information about postdoctoral scholars’ experiences at the University of Kansas, including workplace climate, mentorship, access to resources, professional development, and overall satisfaction. Participation in the survey provides KU with vital information about postdoctoral experiences in and out of their workplace. The feedback collected will be used to inform institutional planning, programming, and decision‑making related to postdoctoral support at KU.
The first administration of the survey will take place in Spring of 2026. Postdocs will be surveyed again in Spring 2028.
Future administrations of the survey will take place in the spring semester on even numbered years.
All postdoctoral researchers and fellows whose primary appointment is on the Lawrence campus will receive an invitation to complete the survey.
The data gathered in this survey will inform our responses to questions from our accreditors, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs has a large number of programmatic initiatives and policy work that it would like to undertake in the coming years, but only limited staffing and resources to accomplish these. We will use the survey data to evaluate and prioritize our efforts in institutional planning, programming, and decision-making related to postdoctoral support at KU.
If you have questions about the survey administration, please contact KU's Analytics, Institutional Research, and Effectiveness unit at aire-help@ku.edu.
Please contact Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs at graduate@ku.edu.
KU’s Office of Analytics, Institutional Research, and Effectiveness (AIRE) administers the survey and uses established protocols to anonymize data. All data is aggregated by the AIRE survey team prior to being shared with staff in the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs. Individual narrative feedback is carefully reviewed by the AIRE survey team and omitted from all reporting if confidentially cannot be assured.
Findings for particular demographic groups (based on institutional data sources and that reported in the survey) will primarily be used to inform campus-wide efforts.
Please note that if your response indicates an incident involving the University of Kansas’ Sexual Harassment Policy or the Nondiscrimination Policy, that information will be shared with the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX (OCRTIX). OCRTIX will then review that information and, if identifying information is included, may reach out to invite you to share more about your experience and to explore any resources and support that may be helpful. You are also encouraged to reach out to OCRTIX with questions for resources and support directly, if desired.