Chapter 5: Science & Engineering Indicators 93
Changing Age Structure of Academic Researchers
A nearly two decade long trend toward an aging academic research workforce is starting to level off. (See figure 5-10.) The average age of academic
researchers had increased steadily since 1973, the first year for which such a series can be constructed. This trend resulted from the hiring of many young scientists and engineers during the rapid
expansion of U.S. higher education during the 1960s, followed by a hiring slowdown. The median age of academic researchers rose from 38.9 years in 1973 to 44.4 years in 1989, but fell to 43.6 years in 1991. The median age of faculty
active in research was consistently higher but followed the same general pattern: 39.4 years in 1973, 45.4 in 1989, and 44.5 years in 1991.
Put another way, in 1973 only 25 percent of academic researchers had earned their Ph.D. degrees more than 15 years earlier; this fraction had risen to 43 percent by 1989, but thereafter rose only marginally to 44 percent by 1991. Conversely, "young"
researchers (those who had earned their Ph.D. degrees within 7 years of the survey date) comprised 49 percent of the total in 1973, but have been stable at 29 to 30 percent since 1987. (See figure
5-10.) Among the major fields, the life sciences and computer sciences have maintained relatively younger researcher pools, while mathematics has "aged" the most. (See text table 5-6 and appendix table 5-17.)
Contents
SearchContinue
