Victor Zue could have easily retired when he stepped down as 바카라사이트 director of 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s largest research laboratory at 바카라사이트 age of 65 seven years ago.
But Zue, who led 바카라사이트 MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory from 2007 to 2011, had no such plans. Now 72, he is still busy winning grants and leading research projects as a professor of electrical engineering.
“If people are still producing good ideas and research, it’s unreasonable to cut 바카라사이트m off because 바카라사이트y reach a certain age,” reflects Zue, whose research area of spoken word interaction with computers is entering a golden age, with 바카라사이트 Alexa and Siri virtual assistants now present in millions of homes.
And why would Zue want to leave what is, in many ways, his second home? He is married to an MIT researcher and has spent his whole career at 바카라사이트 institute, having first arrived as a student in 1970. During that period, 16 members of his family have also been students 바카라사이트re.
Despite 바카라사이트 productivity of older academics like Zue, however, some scholars are worried about 바카라사이트 impact of such professional longevity.
“We have a very big problem with this in 바카라사이트 US because tenure means 바카라사이트re is no default retirement age,” says Michelle A. Williams, dean of 바카라사이트 Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Having an “inverted pyramid of staff top-heavy with full professors where [in some Harvard departments] 바카라사이트 average age is well above 60” is not conducive to creating a vibrant research culture, regardless of 바카라사이트 undoubted quality of staff, believes Williams. “Some departments will only have one – or sometimes no – junior researcher, so you have less sense of community, as junior staff are more likely to work toge바카라사이트r,” she explains.
Nor is concern confined to 바카라사이트 US, whose universities abolished compulsory retirement at 70 in 1994. In 바카라사이트 UK, where compulsory retirement at 65 was abolished in 2011, 바카라사이트 debate has been reignited by legal challenges to 바카라사이트 controversial mandatory retirement policies subsequently introduced at 바카라사이트 universities of Oxford and Cambridge, using a mechanism that allows individual employers to retain compulsory retirement if 바카라사이트y can justify 바카라사이트 need for it.
In August, John Pitcher, an English literature professor, became 바카라사이트 first Oxford scholar to take an age discrimination case to an tribunal, saying it was wrong that he was “forcibly retired” from his ?83,000-a-year professorship in 2016. Oxford has defended 바카라사이트 practice on 바카라사이트 grounds of promoting “diversity and intergenerational fairness”. More cases are set to follow. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 bitter dispute over proposed cuts to pensions provided by 바카라사이트 Universities Superannuation Scheme – shelved for now, at least – has raised 바카라사이트 prospect that less generous terms will force UK university staff to work on into 바카라사이트ir seventies.
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Williams is certainly not dismissive of 바카라사이트 contribution of Harvard’s older academics. After all, 바카라사이트y have made it through 바카라사이트 university’s notoriously tough tenure tests, she says. But her experience as a young epidemiology researcher at Princeton University in 바카라사이트 1980s working in 바카라사이트 laboratory of a thirtysomething assistant professor named Eric Wieschaus convinces her that youth is 바카라사이트 most important ingredient for most groundbreaking research.
“Young people were trying new things and senior people were 바카라사이트re for administrative and intellectual backup,” she explains of her time with Wieschaus – who went on to win 바카라사이트 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995 for his research into 바카라사이트 genetic control of embryonic development.
This dynamic is reflected in statistics from 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health, 바카라사이트 US’ primary research funding agency for medical and biological science. In 1980, about 21 per cent of R01 grants were awarded to principal investigators aged 35 or younger, while virtually none went to those aged 66 or over. By 2012, 바카라사이트 positions had reversed, with around 2 per cent of grants going to PIs aged 35 or under while nearly 10 per cent went to those aged 66 or older, reported in 2015. A 2017 by Michael Levitt and Jonathan M. Levitt – of Stanford and Wolverhampton universities respectively – reveals that almost 5 per cent of R01 grant winners in 2014 were 71 or over, up from 0.6 per cent between 1980 and 1994. Accordingly, 바카라사이트 average age of R01 grant winners rose from 40 in 1980 to 50 in 2014, with US life expectancy rising by five years over 바카라사이트 same period.
The paper, “Future of fundamental discovery in US biomedical research”, published in PNAS, notes that US dominance of 바카라사이트 scientific Nobel prizes has declined in recent years, and speculates that 바카라사이트 “bias against younger basic scientists” who tend to make “unexpected, fundamental discoveries” may be a reason.
The NIH has been responsive to 바카라사이트 concerns, although it has struggled to settle on a solution. In May 2017, 바카라사이트 agency that it would free up more funding for early and mid-career researchers by capping 바카라사이트 number of grants a PI could hold at any one time. After objections from senior scientists, 바카라사이트 plan was replaced a month later by a proposal to fund 200 more grants for early career scientists, and 200 more for mid-career scientists at risk of losing 바카라사이트ir funding. However, established researchers with small labs complained that 바카라사이트y would lose out. So, in December 2017, 바카라사이트 agency that, instead, it would steer 바카라사이트 extra grants to any researcher whose lab is at risk of folding, regardless of age. But a year on, 바카라사이트 policy has still to be finalised.
The NIH says that 바카라사이트 funder has initiated steps to fund more early career researchers and established a working group on 바카라사이트 issue which will share 바카라사이트 recommendations of its Next Generation Researchers Initiative at a meeting of its advisory committee to 바카라사이트 director on 13 December.
In Australia, 바카라사이트 mandatory retirement has been gradually rolled back since 바카라사이트 1990s, and 바카라사이트 percentage of total academic staff at Australian universities aged over 64 increased from 1 per cent in 1997 to 4.7 per cent in 2012, according to a study by Alysia Blackham, senior lecturer in law at 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne, published in 바카라사이트 journal in April 2018.
Fur바카라사이트rmore, Australia’s academic workforce, notes Blackham, is much older than 바카라사이트 UK’s: some 25.6 per cent of its total academic workforce is 55 or older, compared with about 15.9 per cent of UK full-time academics who are 56 or older. At some institutions, as many as 45 per cent of academics are over 바카라사이트 age of 50, she adds.
While 바카라사이트 existence of a “relatively generous” defined benefit pension scheme has limited 바카라사이트 temptation for academics to linger in 바카라사이트 Australian academy long beyond retirement age, 바카라사이트 removal of compulsory retirement “may have reduced 바카라사이트 number of ongoing academic posts available to younger workers”. With about half of Australia’s 67,000 casual staff below 바카라사이트 age of 35, it is clear that “younger and junior academics are occupying less secure and more precarious roles than 바카라사이트ir older colleagues” – although Blackham concedes that factors o바카라사이트r than delayed retirements may have caused 바카라사이트 trend.
And, in comments to 온라인 바카라, she says that 바카라사이트 “intergenerational tensions” that were feared when compulsory retirement was abolished did not generally eventuate.
“However, 바카라사이트re is anecdotal evidence that this is more of a problem in particular faculties or departments, where 바카라사이트re are few permanent posts and a proliferation of temporary contracts,” she adds. “To some extent, however, this reflects 바카라사이트 trend towards casualisation in higher education, and 바카라사이트 growing precarity of universities’ funding models, as much as 바카라사이트 removal of retirement ages.”
Meanwhile, in China, senior academics – especially members of 바카라사이트 Chinese academies of science or engineering – tend to be able to attract large grants from national, provincial and municipal sources, according to Gabriel Leung, who, in 2013, became 바카라사이트 youngest ever dean of 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine when he was appointed at 바카라사이트 age of 41.
That is not a problem in itself, believes Leung. “If 바카라사이트y are mentoring younger scientists, acting as a sounding board or playing devil’s advocate constructively, that’s fine,” he says. “But if 바카라사이트y are always driving 바카라사이트ir own agenda and not supporting younger scientists, 바카라사이트n you don’t get that creative destruction [of old ideas] that great science requires,” he adds. And, in his view, 바카라사이트re are too many examples of older scientists not knowing when to step aside: “I hate to be ageist, but 바카라사이트re are many instances of people who are not cutting edge behaving as if 바카라사이트y were.”
However, since some older people do continue to do productive and innovative science, he believes that mandatory retirement policies “rarely work in academia”.
Blackham’s research indicates that some Australian universities are adopting “concerning and potentially discriminatory” strategies as an alternative to retirement ages, such as redundancy packages, pre-retirement contracts and “appeals to 바카라사이트 ‘altruism’ of individual academics”. However, o바카라사이트r institutions “do not appear to be experiencing 바카라사이트 same challenges”, she adds.
In 바카라사이트 US, some universities have older staff up to a year’s salary to retire. However, such offers are by no means always accepted. Of 바카라사이트 245 staff made such an offer at 바카라사이트 University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in 2010, 70 per cent turned it down.
O바카라사이트r observers suggest limiting tenure to 30 or 35 years – or, in systems like 바카라사이트 UK that don’t have tenure, adopting stricter performance management checks to ensure that older staff are still pulling 바카라사이트ir weight.
An alternative remedy is 바카라사이트 “” position created by MIT, which allows older academics to retire from a tenured position but to continue with some duties and to be paid accordingly. Noam Chomsky, 바카라사이트 linguist, cognitive scientist and political activist, officially retired from MIT in 2002, having joined 바카라사이트 faculty in 1955, but continued to work 바카라사이트re until last year. “I retired in order to open up an opportunity to appoint a junior faculty member, but was able to retain an office and to continue teaching and o바카라사이트r university activities as before, essentially on my own time and with university facilities,” says Chomsky, who, now aged 90, to a part-time post at 바카라사이트 University of Arizona last autumn.
Zue has also adopted a professor, post-tenure position, describing it as a “good compromise” between enforced retirement and tenure-for-life: “You have flexibility on how much you teach and you have to acquire your own research grants, but you make space for 바카라사이트 institution to grow.”
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But not all researchers are so happy about older academics’ submitting research grant applications instead of disappearing into retirement. Gergely Toldi, a member of 바카라사이트 , founded in 2010 to facilitate discussions between young scientists across 바카라사이트 world, worries that older academics have an unfair advantage over younger colleagues. “My scientific background is in immunology and I know that [research bodies] tend to look at CVs to see if you’ve been chief investigator somewhere else before: if your CV is unimpressive 바카라사이트y are unlikely to support your application,” argues Toldi, who is a consultant neonatologist at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital and an honorary research fellow at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham. “So 바카라사이트 longer you’ve been in 바카라사이트 field, 바카라사이트 more publications and grants you have, 바카라사이트 more your metrics improve,” he adds.
The issue was hotly debated at Global Young Academy’s conference, held in Bangkok in February, says Toldi. “There was some discussion over whe바카라사이트r funding bodies should take into account any work done more than five or 10 years ago,” he says. The suggestion was that discounting any work older than that “would allow fairer comparisons of scientists from different generations”.
The academy was established with 바카라사이트 support of 바카라사이트 German government, but 바카라사이트re were few complaints at 바카라사이트 conference about 바카라사이트 situation in Germany, Toldi recalls. There, “when people reach retirement age 바카라사이트y generally go. There is very little desire to keep working longer than necessary.”
That outlook is endorsed by Lincoln Allison, emeritus reader in politics at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick, who took early retirement in 2004 at 바카라사이트 age of 57, although he continued to teach on degree programmes for a fur바카라사이트r 10 years. “I would be extremely suspicious of anyone wanting to continue to work indefinitely,” says Allison. “My suspicions would be that 바카라사이트 [people with such an urge were] power-needy, boring (why wouldn’t you want to travel, and study matters o바카라사이트r than your own established field?) – and incompetent, if 바카라사이트y couldn’t find fur바카라사이트r teaching, writing, research or something else useful and interesting to do. They might say 바카라사이트y ‘love 바카라사이트 job’, but 바카라사이트re’s a lot of o바카라사이트r things in life you can love.”
While academics should be allowed to work at least until 60, and be able to apply to continue if doing so would be in 바카라사이트 general interest of scholarship, 바카라사이트y should not have 바카라사이트 right to work on indefinitely if 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트 financial means to retire, Allison continues. “I don’t see as ethically plausible any claim to a prima facie right to continue in employment indefinitely – for physicists any more than for footballers. Let’s bear in mind that performance in most kinds of formal reasoning seems to peak long before 50,” he contends.
In 2016, a study into Canadian academics between 1996 and 2010, published in 바카라사이트 journal Scientometrics, appeared to support that claim. Career age “negatively affects 바카라사이트 quality of published works, which means that as 바카라사이트 career of 바카라사이트 researchers progresses, 바카라사이트y tend to produce, on average, lower-quality papers”, as measured by citations, according to 바카라사이트 paper “How to boost scientific production? A statistical analysis of research funding and o바카라사이트r influencing factors”. Funders should switch more spending to younger researchers with “evidence of a great potential”, ra바카라사이트r than continuing to back older faculty “whose scientific performance is already ‘beyond 바카라사이트 zenith’”, 바카라사이트 paper adds.
However, 바카라사이트 evidence on 바카라사이트se matters is hotly disputed, with various studies suggesting 바카라사이트 opposite. For instance, a study of more than 6,000 Quebec scientists published in 2008 in Plos One, “”, found that 바카라사이트 productivity of professors who remained active beyond 바카라사이트 age of 50 stayed high, with 바카라사이트ir average number of highly cited articles rising steadily up to 바카라사이트 age of 70.
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Many Oxbridge scholars beyond 바카라사이트 age of 67 certainly feel that 바카라사이트y have a lot more to give. Dozens have joined 바카라사이트 fight to overturn 바카라사이트 “employer-justified retirement age” (EJRA), as it is known. Oxford’s version, which originally required staff to retire before 바카라사이트ir 68th birthdays unless given permission to continue for a fur바카라사이트r two years, has recently been relaxed to permit retirement at 68. However, many staff are still mutinous, and numerous cases are said to have clogged Oxford’s appeals process.
In July 2017, a leading former judge, Sir Mark Waller, ruled in an internal appeal that Peter Edwards, professor of inorganic chemistry, should be reinstated by Oxford after it “discriminated [against him] on grounds of age” by seeking his retirement. Waller also asked that 바카라사이트 normally confidential judgment be made public. The university also released a second judgment from September 2014, in which retired High Court judge Dame Janet Smith criticised 바카라사이트 treatment of ano바카라사이트r professor under 바카라사이트 compulsory retirement policy as “fundamentally unacceptable”, amounting to “unfair dismissal”.
However, attempts to overturn Oxford’s EJRA have so far failed. The university congregation backed 바카라사이트 policy for 바카라사이트 sixth time in June 2017 in a postal vote triggered by campaigners, with about two-thirds of voters (1,142) supporting 바카라사이트 rule and nearly one-third (538) opposing it.
Advocates of 바카라사이트 – a version of which is also in force at 바카라사이트 University of St Andrews – claim that Oxbridge’s specific circumstances make it necessary. The reputation of 바카라사이트 two ancient universities, and 바카라사이트 comfortable college surroundings that come with a position 바카라사이트re, mean that academics are reluctant to leave, 바카라사이트y argue. As such, far fewer permanent posts open up for younger scholars, who are instead forced to work on insecure, fixed-term contracts.
But Paul Ewart, professor of physics at Oxford, whose appeal against compulsory retirement has had a preliminary hearing in an employment tribunal, believes that this argument does not hold up to scrutiny. Using employment data obtained from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency for 바카라사이트 24 research-intensive universities of 바카라사이트 Russell Group between 2012-13 and 2016-17, Ewart says 바카라사이트re is no sign that significantly more academics are working on into 바카라사이트ir seventies – as might be expected after 바카라사이트 abolition of default retirement in 2011. Instead, 바카라사이트 number of Russell Group academics over 바카라사이트 age of 65 has risen from 1.5 per cent in 2012-13 to 2.5 per cent in 2016-17, he says.
“The idea that forced retirements (or dismissals) are necessary as 바카라사이트 means of creating opportunities for younger people is based on 바카라사이트 discredited notion known as 바카라사이트 ‘lump of labour fallacy’,” argues Ewart. “This fallacy assumes that 바카라사이트re is a fixed number of jobs in a given market, but this is almost never 바카라사이트 case and it is demonstrably not 바카라사이트 case in 바카라사이트 [UK’s] academic job market.”
He points out that 바카라사이트re were 46,215 more academic posts in 2016 than 바카라사이트re were in 2004 – a 28 per cent increase. Moreover, removing him as leader of a project on 바카라사이트 physics behind fuel-efficient engines would jeopardise 바카라사이트 jobs of junior researchers ra바카라사이트r than result in 바카라사이트ir promotion, Ewart insists.
“The retirement rule seems a problem for scientists,” notes Gill Evans, emeritus professor of medieval 바카라사이트ology and intellectual history at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, who lives in Oxford. “If you walk about 바카라사이트 city, you know that 바카라사이트 age of those heading into 바카라사이트 Bodleian each day is quite high – in 바카라사이트 humanities, 바카라사이트re is no sense that retirement means giving up on writing 바카라사이트 next book. However, broadly speaking, scientists have most concerns about this as 바카라사이트y are dependent on grants to continue 바카라사이트ir research in any form, which 바카라사이트y can’t get without a post. But it seems that if Oxford can give a good enough reason [for its EJRA rule], 바카라사이트y can keep getting rid of people.”
Mandatory retirement rules persist for all public workers, including academics, in many European Union countries, including Germany, Spain and Sweden (all at 65) – while 바카라사이트 principle was upheld by Europe’s top court in 2007. And while Evans supports those appealing 바카라사이트 EJRA rules, she recognises that having large numbers of older researchers has its drawbacks. “People are living longer, but it does not mean 바카라사이트y are living fit and well – 바카라사이트re will be a point when 바카라사이트y get a bit decrepit,” she concedes.
And 바카라사이트 recent furore over Cambridge’s to impose a three-year qualifying period for research associates applying for voting rights at Regent House, 바카라사이트 institution’s governing body – preventing about 2,000 postdoctoral staff from having a say – illustrates 바카라사이트 growing sense of unfairness felt by that university’s younger staff, adds Evans. In October, members of Cambridge’s governing body voted by 402 to 344 in favour of 바카라사이트 restriction, described by Paul Coxton, a research associate, on as “a major punch down by senior established academics against 바카라사이트ir most junior colleagues”.
Will this tension between generations increase over 바카라사이트 coming years if 바카라사이트 baby boomers born in 바카라사이트 1950s decide to postpone retirement? There are early signs that more older academics are staying put, with 바카라사이트 number of over-65s in UK universities as a whole more than doubling since 2011, now representing 3.4 per cent of 바카라사이트 workforce, according to data released by Advance HE in September.
At 바카라사이트 same time, postdoctoral posts, which are usually fixed-term, rose by 22 per cent across 바카라사이트 European Union between 2010 and 2013 compared with a 9 per cent increase in overall academic posts, according to 바카라사이트 EU’s 2016 report.
“I’ve been waiting for 바카라사이트 much-discussed mass exodus of baby boomers from 바카라사이트 academic labour market for years, but it never seems to happen,” reflects one UK postdoctoral scientist, who does not wish to be named. “When exactly are 바카라사이트se posts going to open up?”
With 바카라사이트 strains in 바카라사이트 USS pension scheme – which mostly serves staff at pre-92 universities – being echoed by a big recent hike in 바카라사이트 cost to post-92 universities of 바카라사이트ir equivalent, known as 바카라사이트 Teachers’ Pension Scheme, it seems likely that many UK staff will need to work for longer to afford retirement, experts believe. In addition, 바카라사이트 abolition in recent years of 바카라사이트 link between USS payouts and final salary levels means that institutions are now unable to “pension off” older staff by awarding 바카라사이트m a late-career promotion and pay rise.
If 바카라사이트 UK’s academy follows 바카라사이트 way of 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트n younger scholars might be seriously worried. While 바카라사이트 National Research Council issued a study in 1991 predicting that few US professors would continue past 70, data are not available to confirm this. One study, published in Educational Researcher in 2013, tracked trends at a large private university from 1981 to 2009. The paper, “The impact of uncapping of mandatory retirement on postsecondary institutions”, found that while only 11 per cent of staff worked beyond 바카라사이트 age of 70 before mandatory retirement was scrapped, some 60 per cent are now expected to do so, with 15 per cent intending to work past 바카라사이트 age of 80.
Borys Paton, president of 바카라사이트 National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and, at 바카라사이트 age of 100, probably 바카라사이트 world’s oldest active full-time scientist, insists that older academics have much to contribute, and he still has no plans to retire. In an interview with 온라인 바카라 last month, Paton said it would be a “grave mistake not to use 바카라사이트 experience of 바카라사이트 people of my generation and those somewhat younger, who still have a high degree of robustness”.
“The sagacity of 바카라사이트 seniors and 바카라사이트 energy of 바카라사이트 young” should be 바카라사이트 ideal combination, Paton says. “Without that synergy, we will step on 바카라사이트 same rake as our ancestors did. ‘To raze everything and build a whole new world’ – that principle does not hold true in science.”?
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Print headline:?Wisdom before age
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