Research careers structures

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Research careers structures

• Kieran Ryan
• UCC Research Forum
• November 7th 2007

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ARCS

• UCC Association of Research Contract Staff, Dec
  2006
• National Research Staff Association, Sept 2007

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Historical

• Mobility was a necessity
• Number of PhDs matched teaching posts

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Where do PhDs end up?
Source http//sestat.nsf.gov/
5
Percent of US Biomedical Science PhDs Holding
Tenure or Tenure-Track Positions
Source http//sestat.nsf.gov/
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Status of academic science and engineering PhDs
who earned their PhD 57 years earlier.
Science and engineering PhDs hired into faculty
and postdoc positions at research universities
and other academic institutions, 197399.
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Irish perspective
Total number of PhD graduates
Source www.hea.ie
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Currently

• We have more doctoral level researchers
• Permanent/tenure track
• Outside
• Vastly more experienced
• These changes are reflected in Ireland
• Industry!!

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Nature of the beast

• Encouragement to move
• Additive vs. subtractive
• Microsoft
• Invest
• Expertise
• Productive
• Go to Apple.

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Hourglass model
1980 20 k academics 3.5 k PhD
2007 20 k academics 7 k PhD
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Strategy for Science, Technology Innovation
(SSTI)

• People are at the heart of the knowledge
  society
• In addition, the development of career paths
  which will make science more attractive and has
  the potential to give Ireland a competitive
  advantage in the international market for top
  researchers will have to be examined.
• Emphasis placed on sustainable career
  development rather than only focusing at early
  stage careers

Reality economy and output are priority NOT
people
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SSTI (cont.)

• Double the number of PhD students
• Why???
• Who will mentor?
• Where will they go?
• Chicken or egg?
• Collateral damage
• (Cheap)

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Barriers to conventional path

• Unsocial (65 work weekends)
• Long hours (80 gt 40h)
• Family (65 problems w/l balance)
• Poor wages
• Guidelines
• Too expensive
• Funding agencies
• Inability to apply for funding (no clarity)
• No recognition
• No incentive (carrot)

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The future?

• Famine or feast?
• Too many PhDs
• Does it matter?
• PhDs are tools to drive the economy
• Too few PhDs
• Students dont want to study science e.g.
• Other jobs
• Shortage of tools

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What can we do?

• Transferable skills
• IP
• Communication
• Management
• Recognition
• Legal obligations FTW Act (pensions, etc)
• Career advice for undergrads/postgrads
• Honesty
• Old system cannot work anymore

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Answers 2

• Cannot build a sustainable career on short term
  contracts
• Cannot build a knowledge-based economy on short
  term contracts

No continuity
Creation of a new kind of professional
researcher?
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Future

• Challenging time for
• The researchers
• Universities
• Funding agencies
• Government
• Dialogue and action

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(No Transcript)
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• EU recommendations
• IUA recommendations
• UCC

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Elsewhere?

• UK/
• Ireland
• USA

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Distribution of Academically Employed Biomedical
PhDs by Tenure Status
Source http//sestat.nsf.gov/
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• Findings from survey