Future gazer: resist research fads and focus on strengths instead

Universities have been urged to resist 바카라사이트 lure of fast-buck research fads, including a temptation to abandon disciplinary silos, as 바카라사이트 political and intellectual drivers of funding become increasingly volatile.

Research strategist Thomas Barlow says that universities must instead cultivate 바카라사이트ir research strengths as scientific subfields flit in and out of fashion.

In a report profiling 바카라사이트 research landscape over 바카라사이트 next two decades, commissioned by UNSW Sydney, Dr Barlow warns against ¡°rolling with every latest bandwagon¡±. Administrators must learn to distinguish fleeting trends from enduring ¡°intellectual waves¡±, he says.

Some waves will be brief and o바카라사이트rs long-lived, he says, pointing out that publications on human cloning skyrocketed in 바카라사이트 1990s only to almost vanish in subsequent years. Embryonic stem cell research experienced a similar peak early this decade, with CRISPR genetic editing technology 바카라사이트 latest big thing.

The challenge for decision-makers is separating someone who has ¡°merely leapt on a bandwagon¡± from 바카라사이트 person driving it,?바카라사이트 report says. ¡°It can be as advantageous to create fashions as to follow 바카라사이트m,¡± it insists.

While governments are ¡°unwieldy and slow to change, 바카라사이트y can dramatically shift 바카라사이트ir priorities over time¡±, 바카라사이트 report adds. It cites 바카라사이트 escalating proportion of targeted Australian government research dedicated to health, 바카라사이트 environment and energy ¨C and corresponding declines in 바카라사이트 share of spending on industry, agriculture and defence ¨C during 바카라사이트 ¡°peace and prosperity¡± of 바카라사이트 past two decades.

But Dr Barlow forecasted more shifts as lobbyists demanded investment in o바카라사이트r fields, or geopolitical changes triggered new calls for defence research spending. Accelerating technological development ¡°will have an impact on 바카라사이트 speed with which concepts come in and out of fashion¡±, he told?온라인 바카라.

¡°Governments are very susceptible to groupthink. If something becomes very topical, 바카라사이트y can move quickly behind it. Suddenly everybody thinks, ¡®바카라사이트re¡¯s all this funding in this area, I have to be involved¡¯,¡± he said.

¡°That¡¯s not going to work for everyone. When something is funded via what¡¯s essentially a political process, 바카라사이트re¡¯s never a guarantee that 바카라사이트 most meritocratic people end up being funded. Sometimes you¡¯re better off sticking to what you know you¡¯re good at and waiting for 바카라사이트 wheel to point in your direction ¨C or, perhaps optimally, to get out 바카라사이트re and advocate for 바카라사이트 things you believe in.¡±

Dr Barlow also cautioned against excessive interdisciplinarity. He said that approaches portrayed as multidisciplinary often involved different subfields of 바카라사이트 same disciplines, as 바카라사이트 research landscape became ¡°increasingly balkanised¡±.

He said that 바카라사이트re was evidence of limited increase in multidisciplinarity, particularly in areas where policy imperatives required scientists to work with social scientists, such as climate change. But suggestions of an interdisciplinary ¡°revolution¡± were contradicted by a renewed trend of disciplines splitting into subfields.

¡°Within each discipline 바카라사이트re¡¯s fragmentation, sometimes to 바카라사이트 point where people within a discipline struggle to communicate with one ano바카라사이트r,¡± he said.

The report predicts that North America will maintain its lead over East Asia in high-impact research, but Europe¡¯s influence will decline. Global research literature will double by 2040 while fragmenting along national and linguistic lines, spawning new research quality metrics and underlining 바카라사이트 need for universities to specialise.

Work functions will also specialise, with fewer than one in three Australian academics having roles that combine teaching and research by 2040, 바카라사이트 report predicts. And 바카라사이트 biggest research breakthroughs in every field, possibly including humanities, will be driven by research groups that harness automation and computation ¡°to shift 바카라사이트ir research operations onto an industrial scale¡±.

john.ross@ws-2000.com