Comments for The Black Hole: Science in Canada, Issues affecting trainees http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog Science in Canada: Issues affecting trainees Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:01:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on The Problem: A lack of faculty positions at top-tier Canadian Universities and Research Institutes by The Problem… « Dr. Thon http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/2012/02/02/the-problem-a-lack-of-faculty-positions-at-top-tier-canadian-universities-and-research-institutes/comment-page-1/#comment-6511 The Problem… « Dr. Thon Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:01:35 +0000 http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/?p=1489#comment-6511 [...] The Problem: A lack of faculty positions at top-tier Canadian Universities and Research Institutes [...] [...] The Problem: A lack of faculty positions at top-tier Canadian Universities and Research Institutes [...]

]]> Comment on Making the Case for Increased Federal Support of Biomedical Research by Making the Case… « Dr Thon http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/2012/01/28/making-the-case-for-increased-federal-support-of-biomedical-research/comment-page-1/#comment-6498 Making the Case… « Dr Thon Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:54:48 +0000 http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/?p=1469#comment-6498 [...] Making the Case for Increased Federal Support of Biomedical Research Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 at 7:53 pm Blog Feed Comments [...] [...] Making the Case for Increased Federal Support of Biomedical Research Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 at 7:53 pm Blog Feed Comments [...]

]]> Comment on Making the Case for Increased Federal Support of Biomedical Research by tratamento para calvice http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/2012/01/28/making-the-case-for-increased-federal-support-of-biomedical-research/comment-page-1/#comment-6495 tratamento para calvice Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:01:49 +0000 http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/?p=1469#comment-6495 Thanks very much, we are a medical consultory in Brazil and you provided a very useful information here! Thanks very much, we are a medical consultory in Brazil and you provided a very useful information here!

]]> Comment on 2011 Taxes for Post Docs: At least we know the rules this year by Dave http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/2011/02/21/2011-taxes-for-post-docs-at-least-we-know-the-rules-this-year/comment-page-1/#comment-6453 Dave Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:27:59 +0000 http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/?p=1055#comment-6453 Hi Pascal, Congrats on your fellowship and decision to do a postdoc in Japan - sounds exciting. As usual, I can't give out any official tax advice and would advise speaking with an accountant who handles these types of cases, but my suspicion is that because it's a fellowship, Canada would treat it as income. What I would suggest looking up is whether or not Canada and Japan have any tax agreements that would allow you to not file in Canada if you are filing taxes in Japan. Hope that helps! Dave Hi Pascal,

Congrats on your fellowship and decision to do a postdoc in Japan – sounds exciting.

As usual, I can’t give out any official tax advice and would advise speaking with an accountant who handles these types of cases, but my suspicion is that because it’s a fellowship, Canada would treat it as income.

What I would suggest looking up is whether or not Canada and Japan have any tax agreements that would allow you to not file in Canada if you are filing taxes in Japan.

Hope that helps!
Dave

]]> Comment on 2011 Taxes for Post Docs: At least we know the rules this year by Pascal http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/2011/02/21/2011-taxes-for-post-docs-at-least-we-know-the-rules-this-year/comment-page-1/#comment-6440 Pascal Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:52:03 +0000 http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/?p=1055#comment-6440 Hi Dave, Thank you for your great job and information you provided to us I'm Canadian from Quebec. and I got a JSPS postdoc fellowship to work in japan 2011 and 2012 I think I've to fill my tax declaration in Canada as I'm considered Factual Resident of Canada even I'm abroad. ( I'm trapped) my JSPS fellowship is tax free in Japan and it's considered as travel expenses (not considered as salary) do you have idea on how i should make declaration for such case ? I hope it's not taxable Hi Dave,
Thank you for your great job and information you provided to us
I’m Canadian from Quebec.
and I got a JSPS postdoc fellowship to work in japan 2011 and 2012
I think I’ve to fill my tax declaration in Canada as I’m considered Factual Resident of Canada even I’m abroad. ( I’m trapped)
my JSPS fellowship is tax free in Japan and it’s considered as travel expenses (not considered as salary)
do you have idea on how i should make declaration for such case ? I hope it’s not taxable

]]> Comment on It can be done: Moving labs with your CIHR fellowship by Kathy Lam http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/2012/01/17/it-can-be-done-moving-labs-with-your-cihr-fellowship/comment-page-1/#comment-6381 Kathy Lam Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:46:37 +0000 http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/?p=1455#comment-6381 I just wanted to share my own similar experience with a CIHR doctoral award. I was in a M.Sc. program at the University of Toronto, intending to reclass to the Ph.D. program. I applied for a CIHR doctoral scholarship, but after I was awarded the scholarship, I decided that I wanted to complete my Ph.D. at the University of Waterloo. I notified CIHR, completed the paperwork (listed above), and it was a pretty smooth transfer. I don't think that many people know such transfers are possible! I just wanted to share my own similar experience with a CIHR doctoral award. I was in a M.Sc. program at the University of Toronto, intending to reclass to the Ph.D. program. I applied for a CIHR doctoral scholarship, but after I was awarded the scholarship, I decided that I wanted to complete my Ph.D. at the University of Waterloo. I notified CIHR, completed the paperwork (listed above), and it was a pretty smooth transfer. I don’t think that many people know such transfers are possible!

]]> Comment on 2011 Taxes for Post Docs: At least we know the rules this year by Dave http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/2011/02/21/2011-taxes-for-post-docs-at-least-we-know-the-rules-this-year/comment-page-1/#comment-6244 Dave Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000 http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/?p=1055#comment-6244 Hi Chandra, I can't offer tax advice per se, but I can bring to your attention the tax rates in Canada, which as a postdoc you will be required to pay irrespective of trainee or employee status. They are listed on this page <a href="http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html</a> Hope this helps and good luck in your Postdoc decision and eventual position! Dave Hi Chandra,
I can’t offer tax advice per se, but I can bring to your attention the tax rates in Canada, which as a postdoc you will be required to pay irrespective of trainee or employee status. They are listed on this page http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html
Hope this helps and good luck in your Postdoc decision and eventual position!
Dave

]]> Comment on 2011 Taxes for Post Docs: At least we know the rules this year by Chandra http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/2011/02/21/2011-taxes-for-post-docs-at-least-we-know-the-rules-this-year/comment-page-1/#comment-6241 Chandra Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:31:39 +0000 http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/?p=1055#comment-6241 Hi Dave, Thanks for your interest and explanation. I am planning to join UofS, Saskatoon as a postdoc, in about 3 months. I am new to the taxation policies of Canada, as I am from India. My salary is in mid40s and I will be a trainee . Could please let me know, what amount or percentage goes away in taxes for both the fed and province? Also, is it a happy amount to survive after the taxes are done? I would appreciate if you can throw some light on this or inform me of any other blogs or sites, as I may consider other offers as well. Hi Dave,
Thanks for your interest and explanation. I am planning to join UofS, Saskatoon as a postdoc, in about 3 months. I am new to the taxation policies of Canada, as I am from India. My salary is in mid40s and I will be a trainee . Could please let me know, what amount or percentage goes away in taxes for both the fed and province? Also, is it a happy amount to survive after the taxes are done? I would appreciate if you can throw some light on this or inform me of any other blogs or sites, as I may consider other offers as well.

]]> Comment on A deeper look into the “80% of PhDs who do not become professors” by Dave http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/2011/12/10/a-deeper-look-into-the-80-of-phds-who-do-not-become-professors/comment-page-1/#comment-6028 Dave Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:20:54 +0000 http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/?p=1411#comment-6028 Hi SubC - no problem at all - thanks for suggesting a little more homework on our end. For accurate Canadian numbers on career expectations, I suspect we'll be waiting a while - the American numbers are from a single university as well, which comes with its own set of troubles. As for professors finding it difficult to attract Canadian-trained talent, I think the reasons are many-fold. Certainly some percentage are doing exactly as you suggest and moving into non-traditional career paths but I suspect that at least some of this unmet need is due to the relatively poor salary/benefit/career structure in place for postdocs in Canada. These are exactly the types of things CAPS is trying to get a hold on, but as with all volunteer groups, the ol' day job comes first.... This will surely not be the last time such issues and numbers come up though - stay tuned! Hi SubC – no problem at all – thanks for suggesting a little more homework on our end. For accurate Canadian numbers on career expectations, I suspect we’ll be waiting a while – the American numbers are from a single university as well, which comes with its own set of troubles.

As for professors finding it difficult to attract Canadian-trained talent, I think the reasons are many-fold. Certainly some percentage are doing exactly as you suggest and moving into non-traditional career paths but I suspect that at least some of this unmet need is due to the relatively poor salary/benefit/career structure in place for postdocs in Canada. These are exactly the types of things CAPS is trying to get a hold on, but as with all volunteer groups, the ol’ day job comes first….

This will surely not be the last time such issues and numbers come up though – stay tuned!

]]> Comment on A deeper look into the “80% of PhDs who do not become professors” by SubC http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/2011/12/10/a-deeper-look-into-the-80-of-phds-who-do-not-become-professors/comment-page-1/#comment-6016 SubC Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:04:42 +0000 http://scienceadvocacy.org/Blog/?p=1411#comment-6016 Thanks for great response Dave. It definitely answers many of my concerns, at least in the American context. 50% of aspiring professors getting into tenute track positions doesn't sound too harsh to me, I am sure quite a few will also be moving into predominantly teaching positions or becoming "research assistant professors'. In our own Canadian context, I doubt that 80% of biomedical PhDs would go into a postdoc. Outside the major research intensive universities in Toronto/Vancouver/Montreal, professors often have a hard time finding a Canadian trained postdoc (or at least one with a few published papers). This suggests a greater percentage move on to other pursuits, be it industry, Govt or medical/dental/vet school (seen it happen quite a bit at my alma mater- a major prairie university). Finally, there are many who work within academia in a non-PI position, namely as research associates/ research assistants/ lab managers/ staff scientists/ research scientists. Given that our research enterprise is so dependent on these highly skilled professionals, I personally feel that more emphasis needs to be given on these positions as viable career choices. I know of people who always wanted to be in research, but did not relish the cuthroat competition for grants or dealing with management issues and became one of these scientists. Hopefully, there will be a greater recognition of these 'unsung' researchers, more standradization of their work conditions and recognition of these career paths in future. Thanks again for bringing up these issues in your website. Thanks for great response Dave. It definitely answers many of my concerns, at least in the American context. 50% of aspiring professors getting into tenute track positions doesn’t sound too harsh to me, I am sure quite a few will also be moving into predominantly teaching positions or becoming “research assistant professors’.
In our own Canadian context, I doubt that 80% of biomedical PhDs would go into a postdoc. Outside the major research intensive universities in Toronto/Vancouver/Montreal, professors often have a hard time finding a Canadian trained postdoc (or at least one with a few published papers). This suggests a greater percentage move on to other pursuits, be it industry, Govt or medical/dental/vet school (seen it happen quite a bit at my alma mater- a major prairie university).
Finally, there are many who work within academia in a non-PI position, namely as research associates/ research assistants/ lab managers/ staff scientists/ research scientists. Given that our research enterprise is so dependent on these highly skilled professionals, I personally feel that more emphasis needs to be given on these positions as viable career choices. I know of people who always wanted to be in research, but did not relish the cuthroat competition for grants or dealing with management issues and became one of these scientists. Hopefully, there will be a greater recognition of these ‘unsung’ researchers, more standradization of their work conditions and recognition of these career paths in future.
Thanks again for bringing up these issues in your website.

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