Researchers' portrait: is it you?
Letizia Gabaglio
Wednesday, 05 November 2008 15:35 UTC
The European project RESCAR has come to the end. The aim of the study was to collect and analyse information on researchers in Europe. A sample frame of life scientists in ten countries (Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK) was compiled based on experienced life scientists listed in citation and patent databases. A survey instrument was created and piloted and carried out online. The Italian partner – Istituto di ricerche sulla popolazione e le politiche sociali del CNR (IRPPS) – published some results on the identikit of Italian researchers in lifesciences: man, age 40-49, university employee, enough satisfied by his work but not at all by his wage.
The research focused on 1200 bio and biotech researchers with a high productivity. Here some results: women are underrepresented (73,6% are men), the majority of the excellent researchers work in public institution (either universities – 72% – or institution – 20%), few in the private sector (non profit – 4% – companies 1,4%).
Are you a researchers in this field? Do you recognized yourself or the majority of your colleagues in this portrait?
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Replies
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I am surely part of the crowd: I do work in the life sciences (cancer radiotherapy-oriented, in an Institution that is linked to the Government) and I am a man, satisfied with my involvement in scientific research, though much worried about the prospects of just barely making it to the end of the month. I’d need a montlhy salary that is twice as much as current University Ricercatore entry-level stipend to declare myself at least “fine”, financially speaking.
What worries me the most is that I am 35 years old now, and I definitely would not want to end up being dissatisfied about my finances in 10 years time. No way.
Most of my colleagues are female, though, which throws a slight exception to the report that you are mentioning here.
Also, remarkably, there’s only two of us, out of 10 in my group, with a child in school-age.
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