Minding your $ and ?

By Bob Grant When Gregory Ippolito started his postdoc studying immunology and proto-oncogenes at the University of Texas at Austin, his financial outlook seemed relatively rosy. His salary came out of his advisor's NIH grant, meaning he was classified as a UT employee and able to participate in the school's retirement plan - including a match from the university -

Written byBob Grant

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When Gregory Ippolito started his postdoc studying immunology and proto-oncogenes at the University of Texas at Austin, his financial outlook seemed relatively rosy. His salary came out of his advisor's NIH grant, meaning he was classified as a UT employee and able to participate in the school's retirement plan - including a match from the university - and discounted health coverage. His retirement savings grew, his health insurance covered his wife and their young daughter, and he was on track to meet his long term financial goals.

Scientist Financial Profiles

1. FIRST-YEAR POSTDOC AT A LARGE UNIVERSITY

2. MID-LEVEL RESEARCHER AT A SMALL BIOTECH

3. DIRECTOR OF TOXICOLOGY AT A LARGE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY

4. RESEARCHER AT THE US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

But after his second year in Austin, his financial outlook suddenly changed. Ippolito landed an individual postdoctoral fellowship from the National Cancer Institute. While his base salary increased, ...

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Meet the Author

Bob Grant
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From 2017 to 2022, Bob Grant was Editor in Chief of The Scientist, where he started in 2007 as a Staff Writer. Before joining the team, he worked as a reporter at Audubon and earned a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. In his previous life, he pursued a career in science, getting a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Montana State University and a master’s degree in marine biology from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Bob edited Reading Frames and other sections of the magazine.
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