Abstract
Australian universities are faced with the imminent retirement of a large proportion of their researchers. One way to avoid a decrement in research performance is to consider greater support for early career researchers (ECRs). To investigate how another university system that is ranked high in research performance supports its ECRs several universities in the Netherlands were visited. Seventeen senior academic staff in these universities were interviewed to examine their perceptions of the support that is provided for the development of ECRs, and the nature of the research environment in which they are employed. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using a thematic analysis procedure that was guided by the IPA framework to identify common themes amongst the views of the interviewees. Several features of the Dutch university system were identified as different to the Australian system and which the interviewees suggested were responsible for the high level research performance exhibited by their universities. These include the organization of universities by chair groups that are responsible for both research and teaching in a subject area, tenure track systems, and generous financial and material support for developmental activities. On the basis of these findings, I recommend Australian universities consider revising the support they provide to ECRs to be more aligned with what is provided in the Dutch system.
Highlights
After the major investment in growth in universities that occurred in Australia during the early 1970s (Hugo, 2005), these same universities are faced with the loss of the “baby boomer” academics hired during that period due to retirement (Hugo, 2005; Loomes & McCarthy, 2011)
I present each of the identified themes with some illustrative quotes from the interviewees, and comment on how each theme is connected to previous research, or contrasts with early career researchers (ECRs) support in Australian universities
The chair group delineated the research and teaching topics the ECR works on, and provides them with leadership, career development advice, skills training, peer support, and connections with external networks. These groups are clearly hierarchical in nature, mirroring the staffing structure within most Australian academic departments, but the main difference in the Dutch groups is that ECRs enter at the bottom and are actively assisted upwards through the structure by the other members of the group
Summary
After the major investment in growth in universities that occurred in Australia during the early 1970s (Hugo, 2005), these same universities are faced with the loss of the “baby boomer” academics hired during that period due to retirement (Hugo, 2005; Loomes & McCarthy, 2011). In my experience, having worked in four Australian universities, it seems that early career researchers (ECRs) are usually welcomed into their new departments, and encouraged to undertake whatever research they would like, but they are left to discover for themselves how best to achieve this. This impression is supported by the results of a study reported by Debowski (2006) which indicate that research active staff in Australian universities are often “left to learn on the job” It should come as no surprise that many early career researchers fail to flourish under such conditions, and that many become disenchanted with an academic career (Åkerlind, 2005; Crome et al, 2019; Laudel & Gläser, 2008; Petersen, 2011)
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