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Geremia
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Is there a good book or article on why the numbers of PhDs per capita in physics have been plummeting over the years? Thank you
His solutions are:
- Those who follow large well-supported research programs have lots of powerful senior scientists to promote their careers. Those who invent their own research programs usually lack such support and hence are often undervalued and underappreciated.
- People with the uncanny ability to ask new questions or recognize unexamined assumptions, or who are able to take ideas from one field and apply them to another, are often at a disadvantage when the goal is to hire the best person in a given well-established area.
- In the present system, scientists feel lots of pressure to follow established research programs led by powerful senior scientists. Those who choose to follow their own programs understand that their career prospects will be harmed. That there are still those with the courage to go their own way is underappreciated.
- It is easy to write many papers when you continue to apply well-understood techniques. People who develop their own ideas have to work harder for each result, because they are simultaneously developing new ideas and the techniques to explore them. Hence they often publish fewer papers, and their papers are cited less frequently than those that contribute to something hundreds of people are doing.
- Young scientists should be hired and promoted based only on their ability, creativity, and independence, without regard to whether they contribute to any research programs established by older people.
- To prevent overinvestment in speculative directions that may end up as dead ends, departments should ensure that different points of view about unsolved problems, and rival research programs, are represented on their faculties.
- Scientists should be penalized for doing superficial work that ignores hard problems and rewarded for attacking the longstanding open conjectures, even if progress takes many years of hard work. More room could be made for people who think deeply and carefully about the really hard foundational issues.
- Research groups should seek out people who pursue rival approaches, and include them as postdocs, students, and visitors. Conferences in one research program should be encouraged, by those funding them, to invite speakers from rival programs. Instructors should encourage students to learn about competing approaches to unsolved problems, so that the students are equipped to choose for themselves the most promising directions as their careers advance.
- Funding agencies and foundations should take steps to see that at every level scientists are encouraged to freely explore and develop all viable proposals to solve deep and difficult problems. Funding should go to individual scientists for individual thought and not to research programs. A research program should not be allowed to become institutionally dominant until supported by convincing scientific proof of the usual kind. Before such proof is demonstrated, alternative and rival approaches should receive encouragement to ensure that the progress of science is not stalled by overinvestment in a direction that turns out to be wrong.
- A foundation or agency could create a small number of Einstein fellowships, to go specifically to theorists under 40 who invent their own ideas and programs aimed at solving foundational problems in physics. As Einstein told us, to solve such problems requires concentration for years, regardless of fashion, so these fellowships should offer 10 years of support and go only to theorists whose work cannot be categorized as a contribution to an existing approach.
Geremia said:Is there a good book or article on why the numbers of PhDs per capita in physics have been plummeting over the years? Thank you
dacruick said:I don't have one but I can take a stab at it. Physics doesn't make you a whole lot of money.
People with the uncanny ability to ask new questions or recognize unexamined assumptions, or who are able to take ideas from one field and apply them to another, are often at a disadvantage when the goal is to hire the best person in a given well-established area.
A foundation or agency could create a small number of Einstein fellowships, to go specifically to theorists under 40 who invent their own ideas and programs aimed at solving foundational problems in physics. As Einstein told us, to solve such problems requires concentration for years, regardless of fashion, so these fellowships should offer 10 years of support and go only to theorists whose work cannot be categorized as a contribution to an existing approach.
twofish-quant said:I disagree with that. VP at a investment bank makes $250K/year. I know of a few people at the managing director level that make close to or perhaps more than $1M/year.
The "Physics PhD Crisis" refers to the decrease in the number of students pursuing and obtaining PhDs in physics in recent years. This is a concern because it can lead to a shortage of qualified physicists, which can have a negative impact on scientific research and advancements.
There are several factors contributing to the decline in physics PhD numbers. These include the high cost of pursuing a PhD, the long time commitment required, and the limited job opportunities available in academia and industry for PhD holders.
The decrease in physics PhD numbers is a global issue, but it is more prevalent in certain countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. In other countries, such as China and India, there has been an increase in the number of students pursuing physics PhDs.
The physics PhD crisis can have a negative impact on scientific research and innovation, as there will be fewer qualified researchers and experts in the field. It can also lead to a decrease in the number of physics teachers, which can affect the education of future generations in this important subject.
To address the physics PhD crisis, efforts need to be made to make PhD programs more accessible and affordable for students. There should also be more job opportunities for PhD holders in both academia and industry. Additionally, promoting the importance and relevance of physics in society can help attract more students to pursue a PhD in this field.