[Full Video Available] The Annus Horibilis: A Multilevel Study of Null Scientific Productivity

This new seminar series led by our member, Dr Hugo Horta is to bring:

• Asian researchers based in Europe to present their research
• European researchers coming to the forum to engage with Asian audiences and promote discussion on topics related to higher education and science policy
• Asian researchers doing research about Europe and Asian-European relations
• Build a community and further collaborations between European and Asian based researchers

Co-organizers: SCAPE, CHERA

[UPDATED] Please note that the seminar will be conducted via Zoom only.
Date: October 10, 2023 (Tue)

Time: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Speaker: Prof. Gad Yair, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Chair: Dr Hugo Horta, Associate Professor, HKU

Abstract

This study seeks to correct a glaring bias in the sociology of scientific productivity by focusing on years of lost talent in career distributions, or the Annus Horibilis, namely, years of null or minimal productivity. Using a complete dataset of 398 American Ph.D. granting universities with more than 200,000 scientists in 170 department types, and spanning yearly data over 18 years (2004-2021), the study will analyze distributions of yearly productivity at four different levels: Individual, departmental, institutional, and discipline-level. Preliminary analyses suggest that null publications per year appear in 37% of the sum of 1,379,385 of faculty career years; one publication per year appears in an additional 17% of all career years, together constituting more than 50% of lost talent of all career years. The proposed study would advance beyond extant studies in three ways: First, rather than using small samples of elite scientists, this study will use a complete dataset of American faculty in American PhD granting universities. Second, rather than using simple statistical models to test distributions, the availability of big data will allow to implement multilevel and machine learning predictive models. Third, this rich dataset will allow the testing of alternative theoretical explanations of lost or unexploited talent, and open up new vistas for explaining stratification in science. This study will thereby provide groundbreaking understandings of the hidden iceberg of non-productive career years at four levels: individual, departmental, institutional and disciplinary. It would advance innovative theoretical concepts for appreciating where and how faculty talent remains little used, generating the hidden iceberg of the Annus Horibilis.

Bio

Gad Yair, Ph.D. 1994, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He holds the Louis and Ann Wolens Chair in Educational Research. His academic interests are social theory, culture, science and education.  During the last decade Prof. Yair has made outstanding contributions to the study of Israeli culture and the sociology of science. He has published more than 100 academic publications.

His books Include The Code of Israeliness (2011, Hebrew), Love is not Praktish: The Israeli Look at Germany (2015, Hebrew), Massa Israeli (The Israeli Journey): Towards an Israeli Pedagogy (2017), The Unruly Mind: An Invitation to Israeli Science (2020).

His books Include The Code of Israeliness (2011, Hebrew), Love is not Praktish: The Israeli Look at Germany (2015, Hebrew), Massa Israeli (The Israeli Journey): Towards an Israeli Pedagogy (2017), The Unruly Mind: An Invitation to Israeli Science (2020)