Firing one person, you’re firing an entire research group ? Senior Professorship is the answer for mandatory retirement.
In the latest issue of the scientist (Mar 1, 2019), Katarina Zimmer, a freelance science writer living in New York City is discussing the issue, if mandatory retirement is the answer-to an-aging workforce. This question is specific to the US, because across Europe there are already mandatory retirements in place and many young junior professorships programs. In fact already discussion should rather go in the opposite direction. Katarina Zimmer is citing Professor Hagan Bayley from the UK Oxford University, who has pointed that mandatory retirement is “dismissing experienced researchers at the height of their careers isn’t just unfair—it would do more harm than good for science. “ and “it’s also not good for young people,” as lab members will have to find alternative posts after their PI leaves. “You’re not firing one person, you’re firing an entire research group.” I agree with his point. However there are also other solution. In some countries like Germany, already programs are developed to keep qualified senior faculty in the workforce and allow younger colleagues to get this positions. THE SOLUTION is SENIOR PROFESSORSHIP. He/she is retired and within the Senior Professorship is allowed to continue research projects and/or teaching (you can chose for both or one option). The payment is only the difference between the pension (which is much lower) and the “normal salary”. It also allows the Universities to save money for additional (mostly missing) money for additional faculty. On the other hand it may allow experienced scientists like Professor Barley to continue his projects.
https://www.the-scientist.com/careers/is-mandatory-retirement-the-answer-to-an-aging-workforce-65520
Mandatory retirement can be looked at from at least two aspects:
1. It is a necessary right to people to relax a while after long service
2. But it might deprive institutions from a big expertise. Usually expertise develops with time and might become very effective late in services practice. Thus a person who is about to retire is probably the most experienced in a group or an institution in his/her field.. It might be useful to keep some sort of respectable link with retired people " at least some of them for some additional time".
Dear Omran, if someone likes to relax for the rest of his/her life is fine (with 65!). But firing a person, you cannot force some to relax. Also not for research groups/projects: firing one person, you’re firing an entire research group and the expertise is lost. Therefore, I suggest the Senior Professorship (of course self-initiated, not mandatory) as the answer for usual mandatory retirement.
Agree, On the other hand young science professors need urgently support; they teach sometimes 40 hours a week (also with massive with massive gender bias i)n the payment system. I think that there could be a support from both groups.
Read in the scientist, Mar 15, 2019, by David Adam: “Young science professors, both men and women, say their institutions don’t support them with enough mentoring and resources yet ask them to teach sometimes up to 40 hours a week”. “Organizers of a survey of early-career scientists in the UK say they are shocked by the picture it paints of gender bias in British science. Women principal investigators (PIs) who have started their own lab in recent years are paid thousands of pounds a year less than men at the same stage of their career, the results show. ……….UK universities pay salaries according to a common scale that is supposed to give people on the same grades similar money. But Acton says the results show women are still losing out when they are appointed. “It’s down to how people negotiate their position. It needs to be standardized. We all thought it was……More than 10 percent of research fellows said they taught for more than 40 hours a week………….. Acton says she was amazed to see from the survey how many PIs employed by external funders as full-time researchers were still expected to teach, despite them not being contracted to do so. Nearly 40 percent of research fellows spent at least 10 hours a week with undergraduates. More than 10 percent said they taught for more than 40 hours a week—the equivalent of a full-time job. Writing up their results in a preprint posted to bioRxiv March 10, the survey organisers note that “funders might need to consider specifying a limit on the number of hours to protect their investment in the research program.” https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/survey-highlights-shocking-gender-bias-among-pi-pay-in-uk-65605
please see this suggestion at ResGate: https://www.researchgate.net/post/International_Foundation_for_the_Support_of_Scientific_Research_and_Teaching_for_Scientists_who_have_reached_retirement_age
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Higher Education
- Universities