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A new paradigm for the scientific enterprise: nurturing the ecosystem
Alexander K Lancaster1,2, Anne E Thessen1,3, Arika Virapongse1,4
1Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, Montclair, New Jersey, USA.
F1000Research
|October 23, 2018
Summary
The traditional scientific career "pipeline" is broken due to funding and career issues. A new "ecosystem" model, using decentralized and cooperative approaches, offers a better framework for scientific training and careers.
Area of Science:
- Science and Technology Policy
- Higher Education Studies
- Career Development in Science
Background:
- Institutions of science face challenges: declining public funding, university corporatization, increased adjunct faculty, and poor academic career prospects for postdocs.
- These issues reveal a disconnect between the market economy and higher education's scientific training expectations.
- Current solutions focus on fixing the linear career "pipeline," which is increasingly unrealistic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critique the limitations of the "pipeline" metaphor for scientific careers.
- To propose and define an "ecosystem" metaphor as a more fitting conceptualization of scientific training and the professional landscape.
- To outline design patterns for a dynamic scientific enterprise based on peer-to-peer, decentralized, cooperative, and commons-based principles.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of the scientific career "pipeline."
- Development and articulation of the "ecosystem" metaphor.
- Description of practical design patterns for a new scientific enterprise model.
Main Results:
- The "pipeline" model is inadequate for addressing current challenges in scientific careers.
- The "ecosystem" metaphor provides a more dynamic and appropriate framework for understanding scientific training and professional development.
- Specific design patterns are proposed to foster a more adaptive and robust scientific enterprise.
Conclusions:
- Rethinking the scientific career structure beyond the "pipeline" is crucial.
- An "ecosystem" approach, leveraging decentralized and cooperative models, can create a more resilient and effective scientific enterprise.
- Implementing these principles can better align scientific training with contemporary career realities.
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