[johnminter]

First, I have a STEM Ph.D. and am in my 35th year at a U.S. corporation. Now my question: Just where do you expect all these newly minted Ph. D. grads to do that research?

At least in the US, the last two decades have not been kind to the once iconic corporate research labs. As global competition increased and the push for constant high quarterly returns by investors, more and more has been off-shored. The most recent casualty was DuPont CR&D but there has been constant erosion. My colleagues and I have actually lost count of the number of downsizings we have been through.

Here is a test for you: Next conference you go to, look at the talks and posters. How many corporate people are there who are not instrument vendors or contract labs?

[denzil_correa]

I'm not sure I get your point though. I said the pursuit of Ph.D makes sense if you'd want to do research. I never said it's a good return on investment or you'd have a job or you'd end up doing research in the industry.

FWIW, I have a STEM Ph.D too.

[mac01021]

Is the rise of more efficient competitors overseas the main thing that's made these labs disappear, or has something else more internal to these companies or to the domestic economy changed over the last 30 years?