Abstract
Despite the need to map research careers, the empirical evidence on career patterns of researchers is limited. We also do not know whether career patterns of researchers can be considered conventional in terms of steady progress or international mobility, nor do we know if career patterns differ between men and women in research as is commonly assumed. We use sequence analysis to identify career patterns of researchers across positions and institutions, based on full career histories of applicants to the European Research Council frontier research grant schemes. We distinguish five career patterns for early and established men and women researchers. With multinomial logit analyses, we estimate the relative likelihood of researchers with certain characteristics in each pattern. We find grantees among all patterns, and limited evidence of gender differences. Our findings on career patterns in research inform further studies and policy making on career development, research funding, and gender equality.
Highlights
The need to map research careers is tied to policy efforts to stimulate career mobility and enhance career development for researchers [2,3,4], with the ultimate goal to strengthen innovation and the knowledge economy
Using sequence analysis of self-reported career histories of European Research Council (ERC) applicants, we have identified multiple and distinct career patterns that represent combinations of positional and institutional sequences, different progression logics, and movements
Our contribution responds to the gap in the empirical literature, and the need expressed by policy makers and the broader scientific community [1], by mapping research careers and providing evidence-based insight into the variety in research careers and into the breadth of institutional environments in which research is undertaken–thereby challenging conventional wisdom on research careers in the European context
Summary
The need to map research careers is tied to policy efforts to stimulate career mobility and enhance career development for researchers [2,3,4], with the ultimate goal to strengthen innovation and the knowledge economy.
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