Freezing Out Young Scientists
January 7, 2015
By
Kaitlin Mulhere
Ten years ago, a report from a National Academy of Sciences committee sounded an alarm about the barriers that young biomedical scientists face in launching their research careers. If improvements aren’t made, the report warned, there could be dire consequences to the future of biomedical research in the U.S.
Since then, the situation has only grown worse, as the share of research money going to young scientists has continued to decline, according to a paper by Johns Hopkins University President Ronald Daniels. The paper was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“The implications of these data for our young scientists are arresting,” Daniels writes. “Without their own funding, young researchers are prevented from starting their own laboratories, pursuing their own research, and advancing their own careers in academic science.”
As a result, many young scientists are leaving academic research in favor of industry jobs or jobs outside of science. That’s problematic for a variety of reasons, including fewer future mentors and discoveries. But it’s especially concerning, Daniels said, because there’s a proven link between youth and major scientific breakthroughs.
"Young investigators through history have been the font of some of our most trailblazing scientific discoveries, but our current funding system is leaning away from them," Daniels said in an email.
He found the average age at which a researcher with a medical degree receives his or her first major grant from the National Institutes of Health has increased from less than 38 years old in 1980 to more than 45 years old in 2013. Likewise, only 3 percent of the principal researchers for such grants were under 36 in 2010, compared with 18 percent who were under 36 in 1983.
While there’s no simple or single driver of the shift of funding away from young scientists, Daniels describes three possible causes.
Freezing Out Young ScientistsJanuary 7, 2015ByKaitlin MulhereTen years ago, a report from a National Academy of Sciences committee sounded an alarm about the barriers that young biomedical scientists face in launching their research careers. If improvements aren’t made, the report warned, there could be dire consequences to the future of biomedical research in the U.S.Since then, the situation has only grown worse, as the share of research money going to young scientists has continued to decline, according to a paper by Johns Hopkins University President Ronald Daniels. The paper was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.“The implications of these data for our young scientists are arresting,” Daniels writes. “Without their own funding, young researchers are prevented from starting their own laboratories, pursuing their own research, and advancing their own careers in academic science.”As a result, many young scientists are leaving academic research in favor of industry jobs or jobs outside of science. That’s problematic for a variety of reasons, including fewer future mentors and discoveries. But it’s especially concerning, Daniels said, because there’s a proven link between youth and major scientific breakthroughs."Young investigators through history have been the font of some of our most trailblazing scientific discoveries, but our current funding system is leaning away from them," Daniels said in an email.เขาพบอายุเฉลี่ยที่นักวิจัย มีปริญญาทางการแพทย์ได้รับของเขา หรือเธอให้หลักแรกจากสถาบันสุขภาพแห่งชาติได้เพิ่มขึ้นจากน้อยกว่า 38 ปีในปี 1980 กว่า 45 ปีในปี 2013 ทำนองเดียวกัน เพียง 3 เปอร์เซ็นต์ของนักวิจัยหลักสำหรับเงินช่วยเหลือดังกล่าวไม่ต่ำกว่า 36 ใน 2010 เปรียบเทียบกับร้อยละ 18 ที่อยู่ต่ำกว่า 36 ปี 1983ในขณะที่ไม่มีโปรแกรมควบคุมง่าย หรือเดี่ยวของกะเงินทุนสนับสนุนจากนักวิทยาศาสตร์หนุ่ม แดเนียลอธิบายสาเหตุสาม
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