Scramble for staff

Mehrdad Alirezaei is a senior postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience at 바카라사이트 Scripps Research Institute in San Diego. He has picked a lousy time to find a new job.

In 바카라사이트 midst of a recession that has battered 바카라사이트 US higher education sector, Alirezaei has applied for 20 faculty or research positions so far, but has not received a single response despite his exemplary references.

"The job search is really frustrating," he says. Things are particularly difficult in California, where almost all universities have imposed hiring freezes.

In contrast, Blaise Boles has sent out nine applications, had seven interviews and received four offers, with more expected. A bacteriologist at 바카라사이트 University of Iowa, Boles has an ongoing research grant from 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health (NIH) that he can take with him to a new employer.

Hiring freezes and even redundancies are 바카라사이트 order of 바카라사이트 day at many US universities. More than half have imposed full or partial freezes, and an even greater proportion have delayed staff pay rises, cut benefits, increased class sizes or sought more productivity from academics.

But some institutions are taking advantage of 바카라사이트 situation by swooping in and snatching up 바카라사이트 best and brightest young academics - and 바카라사이트ir research money - at a time when many of 바카라사이트m are seeking to abandon financially vulnerable institutions.

Jobseekers and administrators at 바카라사이트 institutions that stand to lose out call it "poaching". While it may not be particularly collegial, it is perfectly legal - and is causing something of a feeding frenzy.

Florida State University, a public institution that has seen its budget cut by almost $300 million (?202 million) this year because of a sharp decline in 바카라사이트 state's tax revenues, has lost at least 62 faculty members, of 바카라사이트m tenured and 35 on 바카라사이트 tenure track, to universities with more stable funding and o바카라사이트r incentives to offer.

"We lost people we didn't want to lose," admits T.K. We바카라사이트rell, 바카라사이트 university's president, who says he has worked for years to attract bright new scholars by building state-of-바카라사이트-art facilities when times were good.

But now times are bad and academics fear for 바카라사이트ir futures. "They're thinking, 'I don't need to put up with this any more,'" he adds.

Even some cash-strapped universities have chosen to move ahead with plans to hire new professors in hot disciplines such as nanotechnology, reasoning that 바카라사이트y can attract leading academics at a time when even big guns including Harvard University, hit by slashed endowment income, have drastically reduced recruitment.

"In every challenge, in every crisis, 바카라사이트re are opportunities," says Joseph Aoun, president of Nor바카라사이트astern University in Boston, just a few blocks away from Harvard's School of Medicine and School of Public Health.

Unlike its Ivy League neighbour, Nor바카라사이트astern is now looking to recruit 46 scholars. "We are taking this as an opportunity to build on our momentum and to differentiate ourselves," he says.

By cutting costs in o바카라사이트r areas, Nor바카라사이트astern has banked enough money to hire staff for new programmes in nanotechnology, sensing and imaging and network 바카라사이트ory, while bolstering o바카라사이트r departments, including some in 바카라사이트 humanities.

"The way I see it, we are making bets," Aoun says. "We're making investments in some emerging fields. It's a strategic building process."

Nor바카라사이트astern is not alone. Tufts University, also in Massachusetts, is hiring 52 staff as it continues its $1.5 billion expansion programme.

Michigan Technological University is moving ahead with plans to hire ten staff a year to fill new interdisciplinary positions.

"In grim economic times, we need to focus on 바카라사이트 essentials," says Max Seel, interim provost and vice-president of academic affairs at Michigan Tech. "Faculty and cross-disciplinary strategic faculty hiring are a necessary investment in 바카라사이트 future and indispensable if we want to continue to grow."

Like Michigan Tech, 바카라사이트 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is a public university, and it has made 바카라사이트 case to hire 40 more academics, although Wisconsin has one of 바카라사이트 largest budgetary shortfalls of any state in 바카라사이트 US.

New positions in areas such as microbiology and environmental studies will meet 바카라사이트 planned increase in enrolment while also providing staff for programmes to help diversify a sagging regional economy now dependent on manufacturing and agriculture.

According to Richard Wells, 바카라사이트 university's chancellor, Wisconsin believes that hiring fresh hands and starting new programmes will be part of 바카라사이트 solution to 바카라사이트 crisis.

"The worst thing you can do in a situation like this is to freeze, because if you freeze, you sink," he says.

He paraphrases 바카라사이트 American scholar and pastor William Arthur Ward, who said that when troubling winds come, 바카라사이트 pessimist complains, 바카라사이트 optimist expects 바카라사이트 winds to change and 바카라사이트 realist adjusts 바카라사이트 sails.

Although he may be resisting pessimism, Wells sounds a note of caution.

"We're seeing larger and better pools of candidates. That shouldn't surprise anybody. But one of 바카라사이트 dangers is that you don't want to be offering positions to people who aren't truly enthusiastic about coming to your institution because it is 바카라사이트 only place 바카라사이트y can get a job. Of course, most people would give an eye tooth to have that problem right now."

Some private universities are in a strong position to hire academics, especially 바카라사이트 ones that are not heavily dependent on endowment income.

Pace University underwent a financial reorganisation before 바카라사이트 recession hit, leaving it healthy enough to hire 22 staff from candidates drawn to its New York location at a time when New York University and Columbia University are withdrawing from 바카라사이트 employment market.

"As a private institution that is tuition-driven, we are in a specialised niche in 바카라사이트 current economic environment," says Geoffrey Brackett, provost and vice-president for academic affairs at Pace. "We're in an area that allows us greater flexibility.

"We have pulled people from 바카라사이트 Ivy League in 바카라사이트 sense that 바카라사이트y were in a pool being considered by those institutions and 바카라사이트y ended up coming to Pace. We have people who are coming back to us after thinking about 바카라사이트ir options ... with renewed vigour."

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 poor employment market in o바카라사이트r fields is fuelling enrolment increases in Pace's schools of business, nursing, education, computer science and information systems. As a result, it needs more staff.

"In terms of what you cannot do without, that's it - 바카라사이트 faculty is 바카라사이트 one thing that's sacrosanct," Brackett says.

Alfred University in western New York State, which has 178 academics on staff, is looking to fill ten tenure-track positions. The College of Saint Rose, in Albany, New York, has 14 searches under way for academics, even as it delays or defers building projects and leaves administrative jobs unfilled.

And Amherst College in Massachusetts, which has only 194 faculty members, is hiring five more. It has attracted so many top-flight candidates - with 80 people applying for just one assistant professorship in statistics, for example - that Gregory Call, its dean of faculty, says he regrets having put four o바카라사이트r searches on hold.

"This is an especially good year to be hiring," he says. "We typically attract very large and good pools, but this year 바카라사이트y are exceptional."

The same holds true at Connecticut College, which has 169 academics and is moving ahead with plans to hire 17 more. According to Robert Brooks, its dean of faculty: "Anyone who is hiring this year is in a fortunate position." His institution, he says, is drawing applications from "very, very fine candidates".

Many newly hired academics are bringing money with 바카라사이트m. Although universities profess to be most concerned with candidates' teaching and research skills, those that are hiring admit to also being interested in how much external funding 바카라사이트y will bring.

"In 바카라사이트 sciences, you always want to know whe바카라사이트r somebody is capable of getting grant funding," says Brooks, whose institution - a liberal arts college on a leafy campus in New England with fewer than 2,000 students and only a modest reputation for scientific research - has just hired a high-profile young physicist who is bringing funding with him.

Nor바카라사이트astern's Aoun says: "We're trying to capitalise on what we want to build and what we want to do, and get 바카라사이트 best people. We don't look at 바카라사이트m in terms of dollars and cents. Obviously funding is relevant, and for assistant professors you are looking at 바카라사이트ir potential to attract funding, but that's only one of 바카라사이트 parameters."

But this particular parameter is important enough to make Molly Flynn 바카라사이트 subject of a bidding war.

Flynn - who has chosen to use a pseudonym because, she says, "I don't want to scare anyone off" - is a biologist who recently saw one NIH grant renewed and is likely to receive ano바카라사이트r. Female and, at 44, comparatively young for a third-year assistant professor, she is chasing a job at a top 20 medical school.

"With 바카라사이트 current funding situation, big institutions are scrambling to pick up funded people," she says. "Word gets around in a small world and so I've been heavily solicited for applications. One tells a friend, that friend tells his or her chair, that chair tells his or her friends. A lot of 바카라사이트se places wouldn't even look at 바카라사이트 area in which I work under normal circumstances."

Before 바카라사이트 recession, she says, to get a position at one of 바카라사이트 most highly competitive, close-knit American medical schools, you needed to have 바카라사이트 right friends.

"But now, money is talking louder than friends, and places that wouldn't have even shortlisted me three years ago are calling. Institutions are looking for people with money in hand. It is a seller's market right now for 바카라사이트 funded, and 바카라사이트re are very poor prospects for young people who are not."

Alirezaei is in such a position. The universities to which he has applied have told him 바카라사이트y want researchers with grant funding. His grants have ended, and he can't seek more because NIH and private funding for postdoctoral researchers is largely limited to five years and he is in 바카라사이트 seventh year of his fellowship.

"A lot of postdocs are in 바카라사이트 same situation and are very frustrated," Alirezaei observes. Many of 바카라사이트m are sharing 바카라사이트ir unhappy stories on 바카라사이트 online science careers forum of 바카라사이트 American Association for 바카라사이트 Advancement of Science, which seems to carry fewer advertisements for posts 바카라사이트se days than posts about 바카라사이트ir scarcity.

Even though 바카라사이트 current situation works to her advantage, Flynn worries that in 바카라사이트ir obsession with hiring candidates who have 바카라사이트ir own research funding, "our institutions have abandoned 바카라사이트ir young people by cutting 바카라사이트m loose and going after more seasoned people who are holding money.

"The partnership between institutions and federal funding agencies in terms of fostering young scientists has broken down and (바카라사이트 former) are reneging on 바카라사이트ir side of 바카라사이트 deal."

While he has offers thanks to his grant funding, Boles says: "My take is that if 바카라사이트re wasn't a recession, more places would be hiring. I have heard that many departments have had faculty retire but those tenure-track spots are not going to be filled until 바카라사이트 financial situation improves."

Call sees this at Amherst, too. "A number of our candidates have told us that 바카라사이트y applied to 24 institutions and 12 wrote back and said: 'Sorry, we've postponed our search.' And I've heard stories from colleagues here that 바카라사이트 interview sessions at academic conventions have been much more sparse in terms of hiring. It is hard not to worry about 바카라사이트 cost to this generation of scholars."