down to a skeleton staff =?

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The problem is widely discussed, yet many PhD programmes remain firmly in the traditional mould — offering an apprenticeship for academic research, even as numbers of academic positions stagnate or decline. Yes, there are many worthwhile careers outside academia for science PhD holders (Nature would be down to a skeleton staff without them). And most people with science PhDs eventually find satisfying jobs. But they probably feel that spending years performing minipreps was not the most appropriate way to become a banker or a teacher. Widening concerns about dismal job prospects are dissuading some of the brightest candidates from taking the PhD route.

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http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v472/n7343/full/472259b.html

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Type: Question • Score: 0 • Views: 1,163 • Replies: 9

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A skeleton staff is a "bare bones" staff where everyone is over worked and there aren't enough people to adequately do the job without stressing everyone out.

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@JPB,

JPB wrote:

A skeleton staff is a "bare bones" staff where everyone is over worked and there aren't enough people to adequately do the job without stressing everyone out.

Thank you.

So Nature says that without PhD guys their staff would over work?

I am not clear what "down to" means there.

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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2160/2169302080_f162872ba7.jpg

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@dadpad,

dadpad wrote:

What I got from the pic is that without the people with PhD degree Nature journal would be dead. Smile

Am I on the right track?

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Example:

Quote:

Fourteen staff at exampleshop.com received redundancy pay-outs on Friday in a bid to cut costs at the fashion site. The outfit is now being run by a skeleton staff of just five people.

As you can see above, 19 people worked at exampleshop.com. Fourteen staff were retrenched. exampleshop is now down to a skeleton staff of five.
Only those people absolutly essential to the operation of the store have continuing employment.

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@oristarA,

Nature is talking about viable work for PhDs. They're specifically saying that if they didn't have PhDs on staff that the remaining staff would be a bare bones (skeleton) staff of overworked employees.

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Got it.
But not very clearly.

Because I think a skeleton staff in Nature would have to be a PhD holder (can a person with master degree be competent to hold a key position in the top science magazine?).

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@oristarA,

You might find that a skeleton staff at Nature might be 4 or 5 people. Those people may have skills in journalism, editing and layout, marketing, or reception and office skills. There may be only one or two people with a science background just to interpret the technical writing submitted. Those are the skills that would be required to print a magazine such as nature.

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@dadpad,

They have the skill and power to contact reviewers in any scientific fields.

It is clear now.

Thank you.

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down to a skeleton staff =?

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