Science Examines the Key Ingredients in Creating and Maintaining So-Called Global Research Universities. (September 7, 2012)

The September 7, 2012 issue of Science features in its podcast a discussion of what does it take to create and maintain an outstanding research university.

Host Interviewer – Kerry Klein

The United States is home to most of the world's top research universities. But many countries are now trying to emulate the path that the U.S. followed in hopes of growing their own academic powerhouses. This week, Science kicks off a series that examines the key ingredients in creating and maintaining these so-called global research universities. In this first story, Dennis Normile explores the role of mobility by focusing on the increasing flow of talent into East Asia, in particular Hong Kong and Singapore. He spoke with me about this “reverse brain drain” from Tokyo.

Interviewee – Dennis Normile (Contributing Correspondent, Tokyo)

The countries of East Asia, especially those with Confucian traditions, have always revered scholarship and learning. And in recent years, despite the most recent economic difficulties, these countries have become wealthy enough to invest in their universities. Greater numbers of students are going on for tertiary education and even advanced degrees. And these countries in regions want a few flagship institutions to be in the ranks of elite global universities. And so as National University of Singapore President Tan Chorh Chuan told me, “To achieve academic excellence, attracting, nurturing, and retaining top talent is the most vital strategy.” So these schools are joining the international competition for top academic talent.

Kerry Klein

And to do that, they’re bringing in scientists from all over the world.

Dennis Normile

Exactly. They’re recruiting all over the world.

Kerry Klein

So you mentioned the National University of Singapore. What other schools are we talking about?

Dennis Normile

In Singapore, it’s the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University. And in Hong Kong, in particular, there’s the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. I should say that schools throughout Asia are all moving in this direction, but it’s schools in Hong Kong and Singapore that have led the way.

Kerry Klein

So does this represent a shift, you know, something new? Are there more foreign-born scientists moving to these institutions than in the past?

Dennis Normile

Well, I think the numbers are certainly increasing. The schools in Hong Kong and Singapore have had a head start, but there is increasing interest among universities in China. For one thing, the universities are expanding; they’re growing very quickly. They want to be players at an international level, and so they are increasingly recruiting non-Chinese to fill positions. That started with positions – particularly in China I’m talking about – in business schools, but now they have a program specifically intended to attract scientists and engineers and not just to their universities, but to high-tech companies, as well.

Kerry Klein

So what it is exactly that’s, you know, attracting, actually drawing these scientists in from around the world?

Dennis Normile

It’s plain and simple opportunity. Academic positions in the U.S. and Europe are a bit hard to come by these days. But the universities in Asia, their funding is still growing because their student populations are growing. The universities are expanding, so there are new positions opening up, new institutes, departments are expanding. As Kono Lemke, a German earth scientist told me, “The positions available in Europe are typically to fill slots being vacated by retiring professors.” So if you move into a slot like that, you’re basically replacing an established piece of a puzzle, so to speak.

Kerry Klein
And then, in comparison, these positions in Asia aren’t necessarily just replacements or stepping stones. They’re actually more career-oriented and prestigious positions. Is that right?

Dennis Normile

For sure. The universities in Asia – particularly those in Hong Kong and Singapore – do not think of these as stepping stone positions. They are looking for people who will stay and build careers. Of course, they expect that some people will leave – you know, move on to other positions – but they really don’t want somebody who’s just going to come for a couple years and then leave. They want people that will build careers here.

Kerry Klein

So do these opportunities tend to be attracting younger or older scientists?

Dennis Normile

Both. They are looking for senior scientists to fill leadership positions, and at the same time, they’re looking for younger researchers whose careers are just taking off. One example of the former is Kerry Sieh. He is a prominent geologist who had a tenured position at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He’s now 60 or 61, I forget exactly. He gave up that comfortable position at a prestigious university to be the founding director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University. And this is a generously funded center of excellence that is getting something like $127 million over 10 years. And they expect it to become a center that will have 50 or 60 top academics that will do groundbreaking research in Earth sciences and climate change. And at the other end of the career path, another example is Stephanie Wehner. She’s a German quantum information scientist who came to Singapore for her very first faculty position after completing a post-doc stint in the U.S.

Kerry Klein

Now what about the non-career aspects of a move like this? You know, attractive positions and the global economic situation might be drawing foreign scientists over to Hong Kong and Singapore. But, as you said, some have given up well-established careers. Some of them, I’m sure, have families. Can you speak to the quality of life that seems to be keeping these scientists in these places?

Dennis Normile

Well, I think for most academics, the opportunities for research and teaching is the main draw. The lifestyle, of course, is a very important thing. Here again, Hong Kong and Singapore, because of their colonial legacies, have a big advantage in that they have been for a long time the most cosmopolitan cities in Asia. And so, you know, just about anybody from any country can move there and feel at home. There are also, in both cities, very high-quality and well-respected international schools for children.

Kerry Klein
So on a global scale, what’s the bigger picture here? Do you think that this is going to result in a shift of strength from today’s academic powerhouses, or is this simply going to help level the playing field for Asian institutions?

Dennis Normile

It’s definitely more a matter of leveling the playing field. The governments in the region want a few flagship schools to be among the world’s best research universities. Their thrust is not to try to set up a competition between East and West. They’re really trying to achieve academic excellence. And they see academic excellence as necessitating recruiting the best academics, no matter where they come from.

Kerry Klein

Great. Well, Dennis Normile, thank you so much.

Dennis Normile

Okay.

Kerry Klein

Contributing Correspondent Dennis Normile talks about East Asia’s global research universities in a News Focus this week.