Australia must foster a new generation of young science academics if it is to meet government targets for university participation, a paper in the peer-reviewed journal Higher Education argues.

The paper by Daniel Edwards of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and T. Fred Smith of Monash University’s Centre for Population and Urban Research investigates demographic change and other factors impacting on the desirability of a science or mathematics academic career within Australian universities.

It draws on findings of a research project undertaken in 2008 for the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) with analysis of national data and feedback collected from interviews carried out with 120 individuals, representing academics, science employers, early career researchers and postgraduate students in Australia. 

Academics employed in the natural and physical sciences (comprising mathematical sciences, physics and astronomy, chemical sciences, earth sciences, and biological sciences) make up approximately 20 per cent of Australia’s total academic workforce.

In general the research shows that the age structure of the science academic workforce is in better shape than the academic workforce as a whole, helped in part by a recent influx of young women. But the authors warn this seemingly positive situation is no cause for complacency when considering the future sustainability of the workforce.

The paper’s co-author Daniel Edwards said there are wider issues of sustainability in the science academic workforce beyond its demographics.

“The ageing workforce issue is not as bad in the sciences as it is for the academic sector as a whole and this is a good thing. The bad news is a lot of young scientists seem disinterested in pursuing an academic career and that is a problem.”

Research into the career intentions of people with PhDs in science reveals that their interest in the academic profession is low. Disincentives to pursuing or remaining in an academic career in Australian universities include the lure of academic and private sector research jobs overseas, a declining number of tenured appointments in Australian universities and a phenomenon described as the ‘post-doc treadmill.’

In the consultations and interviews carried out during this research, “academics of all levels of seniority expressed concern with the ‘post-doc treadmill’ issue,” the authors write.

“Researchers in the sciences indicated that they found themselves stuck in post-doctoral contract after post-doctoral contract, always chasing new grants and never getting time to properly establish their research profile, nor having the opportunity to gain teaching experience.”

Edwards said post-doctoral appointments provide a legitimate career path for some academics but it is a worry that for some scientists they are not leading to tenure or ways of expanding research and teaching: “Ultimately, if young and mid-career science academics cannot see long term career options available, we are likely to see them leaving the profession.”

The authors point to two major concerns relating to the future sustainability of the science academic workforce. Firstly if measures are not taken to make academic careers more desirable there is a risk that today’s young academics will leave universities before they reach an age and level of experience suitable for replacing the retiring baby boomers in coming years.

Secondly the government target to have 40 per cent of people aged between 25 and 34 qualified with a bachelor degree or above by 2025 will require a new large group of academics to provide the training to more students.

Edwards said Australian universities need to go beyond sustaining the current number of science academics; they will need to find more.

“If we are going to get anywhere near the government targets we need to encourage young scientists to pursue academic careers. We need to find and develop a new generation of science academics,” he said.

The paper concludes that there are key challenges to ensuring the sustainability of the science academic workforce in the future:

“While there is recent growth in the number of younger academics in these fields, retaining these academics in the middle and latter stages of their careers remains a big issue. Key challenges in this regard include providing security of tenure, realistic career pathways, and providing incentives for bright young scientists to remain in Australia or to be lured back from overseas positions.”

Dr Daniel Edwards is a Senior Research Fellow with ACER’s Transitions and Post-School Education and Training research program and an Adjunct Research Associate at the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University.

Emeritus Professor T. Fred Smith is an Honorary Professorial Fellow in the Monash University Centre for Population Research.

The paper, Supply issues for science academics in Australia: now and in the future, was published online by Higher Education on 30 October 2009 and will be published in a forthcoming print edition. The online article is available from SpringerLink at http://www.springerlink.com/content/l363081783601811/

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