PIAS 2024

Proceedings

Here are the proceedings for PIAS 2024. For your convenience, we provide each paper as a separate document, which you can read by clicking on the title. You can also download the full proceedings from this link.

  • Message from the Organizing Committee
  • Publish and Perish: When the FPU Grant Does Not Meet the Cost of Living This paper explores the persistent economic precarity experienced by first year’s PhD students in Spain, despite government efforts to improve their working conditions. Using the FPU (Formación de Personal Universitario) grant as a case study, we analyze the evolution of PhD students salaries in relation to the cost of living, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and compare them to the Average salary and the Minimum Professional Wage (SMI). Our results reveal that, although PhD students are now legally classified as employees rather than grant holders, their financial situation remains precarious, with salaries more closely aligned to the minimum wage than the national average. We argue that without significant salary improvements, Spain risks losing talented students to other professions, undermining its academic and research potential.
    Cite in LaTeX@inproceedings{pias24-publish-and-perish,
      title = {{Publish and Perish: When the FPU Grant Does Not Meet the Cost of Living}},
      author = {Carlos Calderón and David Garrido},
      pages = {4--6},
      booktitle = {{Proceedings of the 1st Precarity and Instability in Academia Symposium}},
      volume = 1,
      series = 1,
      url = {},
      publisher = {PIAS},
      year = 2024,
      month = dec,
    }
  • Can You Afford to Research? The Financial Strain of Ph.D. students in Spain This study examines the financial challenges affecting the decline in Ph.D. candidates and completions in Spain, focusing on Ph.D. scholarships and rising living costs. Using government data, we analyse FPU and PIF scholarships compared to national salaries, inflation, and housing affordability in recent years. We find that scholarships are significantly below national salary averages, with housing costs often unaffordable. Financial strain, worsened by limited scholarship increases, contributes to low doctoral completion rates and reduced interest in academic careers. We conclude that current funding is insufficient, pushing Ph.D. candidates towards better-paying jobs outside academia. Policy reforms are needed to provide adequate support and sustain the academic workforce.
    Cite in LaTeX@inproceedings{pias24-afford-to-research,
      title = {{Can You Afford to Research? The Financial Strain of Ph.D. students in Spain}},
      author = {Caterina Fuster-Barceló and Alejandro Guerrero-López},
      pages = {7--10},
      booktitle = {{Proceedings of the 1st Precarity and Instability in Academia Symposium}},
      volume = 1,
      series = 1,
      url = {},
      publisher = {PIAS},
      year = 2024,
      month = dec,
    }
  • Living on a Diet: A Brief Study of the Daily Allowances of Public Workers in Spain Academic researchers in Spain are entitled to financial compensation to cover accommodation and meals when attending conferences. The amount of this compensation, known as per diem or daily allowance, varies with the destination country and is defined in an official table set by the government in 2002. This study examines the adequacy of these allowances by comparing them to current accommodation and meal costs, defining a score to find countries where researchers can attend conferences without incurring financial loss. Our results show that only 55 countries offer neutral or positive results, highlighting the need to update the official table to suit current cost of living conditions.
    Cite in LaTeX@inproceedings{pias24-living-on-a-diet,
      title = {{Living on a Diet: A Brief Study of the Daily Allowances of Public Workers in Spain}},
      author = {José Miguel Moreno},
      pages = {11--13},
      booktitle = {{Proceedings of the 1st Precarity and Instability in Academia Symposium}},
      volume = 1,
      series = 1,
      url = {},
      publisher = {PIAS},
      year = 2024,
      month = dec,
    }
  • Preliminary results of the survey on the predoctoral researchers of the Federación de Jóvenes Investigadores FJI-PRECARIOS Research careers in Spain have traditionally been characterized by precarious working conditions (low salaries, lack of stability, etc.). Numerous researcher associations and unions have denounced this situation and have promoted measures to reverse this situation. To document this setting, the Federation of Young Researchers (FJI-Precarios) has compiled information on the employment situation of people engaged in predoctoral research in public and private universities and public or private centers in Spain. This report discusses preliminary results of the data obtained in this survey.
    Cite in LaTeX@inproceedings{pias24-predoctoral-survey,
      title = {{Preliminary results of the survey on the predoctoral researchers of the Federación de Jóvenes Investigadores FJI-PRECARIOS}},
      author = {Cristina Rodríguez-Prada and Gomer Betancor Nuez and Josué Gutiérrez-Barroso and Alejandro Sandoval-Lentisco and Lorena Lobo Navas and Manuel Heras-Escribano and Daniel Barrientos Sánchez},
      pages = {14--18},
      booktitle = {{Proceedings of the 1st Precarity and Instability in Academia Symposium}},
      volume = 1,
      series = 1,
      url = {},
      publisher = {PIAS},
      year = 2024,
      month = dec,
    }
  • The Glass Ceiling Academy: Where Women Can Look, But Not Touch This review paper explores persistent gender inequality in academia, with a focus on STEM fields, where women encounter systematic barriers hindering their career advancement. By synthesizing findings from existing literature and data, we analyze key factors such as citation bias, peer review challenges, the leaky pipeline phenomenon, and the impact of motherhood on career trajectories. The reviewed studies highlight that, despite increased participation by women in the early stages of academia, they remain significantly underrepresented in senior roles, primarily due to biases in evaluation, funding allocation, and institutional support. These results underscore the urgent need for policy and cultural shifts to support women’s equal participation in academic and scientific careers.
    Cite in LaTeX@inproceedings{pias24-glass-ceiling,
      title = {{The Glass Ceiling Academy: Where Women Can Look, But Not Touch}},
      author = {Lucía Schmidt-Santiago and Lorena Gallego-Viñarás},
      pages = {19--22},
      booktitle = {{Proceedings of the 1st Precarity and Instability in Academia Symposium}},
      volume = 1,
      series = 1,
      url = {},
      publisher = {PIAS},
      year = 2024,
      month = dec,
    }
  • The Fading Path to Academia: A Data-Driven Analysis of Gender Disparities in Spanish Universities Gender parity in academia remains a pressing global challenge, with notable disparities as women advance through the academic ladder. This paper presents the first study on gender parity in Spanish public universities broken down by institution, analyzing the most recent official data to measure the representation of women at key career stages: graduates, doctorates, temporary workers and civil servants. Our findings show that women’s representation falls by an average of 22% in higher positions, with severe imbalances in engineering-focused institutions, highlighting the need for reforms and improved data transparency to promote gender equity.
    Cite in LaTeX@inproceedings{pias24-fading-path,
      title = {{The Fading Path to Academia: A Data-Driven Analysis of Gender Disparities in Spanish Universities}},
      author = {Pilar Moreno and José Miguel Moreno},
      pages = {23--25},
      booktitle = {{Proceedings of the 1st Precarity and Instability in Academia Symposium}},
      volume = 1,
      series = 1,
      url = {},
      publisher = {PIAS},
      year = 2024,
      month = dec,
    }
  • Beyond Graduation: The Struggle for Women in Academic Leadership Roles This paper investigates the persistent gender disparities in academic career development in Spain, drawing on data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) to highlight the challenges faced by women in higher education. Despite an increasing number of women completing their degrees, the threshold for achieving high academic positions, such as full professorships, continues to widen, indicating systemic barriers that hinder women’s professional growth. Through a probabilistic analysis, we demonstrate that even when considering caregiving responsibilities and academic success as independent events, women face a significantly lower likelihood of attaining prestigious roles in academia. However, these factors are not truly independent, as they are intertwined with various social and institutional biases. By exploring these complexities, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the structural inequalities present in academia and calls for a concerted effort to address and dismantle these barriers, ultimately fostering a more equitable academic environment for all.
    Cite in LaTeX@inproceedings{pias24-beyond-graduation,
      title = {{Beyond Graduation: The Struggle for Women in Academic Leadership Roles}},
      author = {Claudia Montero-Ramirez and Irati Oiza-Zapata},
      pages = {26--29},
      booktitle = {{Proceedings of the 1st Precarity and Instability in Academia Symposium}},
      volume = 1,
      series = 1,
      url = {},
      publisher = {PIAS},
      year = 2024,
      month = dec,
    }