Intellectual Entrepreneurship<i>A Vision for Graduate Education</i>

Cherwitz, Richard A.; Sullivan, Charlotte A.

doi:10.1080/00091380209605565

Cited by 38 publications

(22 citation statements)

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“…Although some programmes advocate framing career possibilities for doctoral graduates in terms of 'intellectual entrepreneurship' (Cherwitz & Sullivan, 2002) what we are suggesting is that a successful research career may entail a particular subjectivity or disposition on the part of the researcher, without which individuals may be less likely to succeed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

The entrepreneurial subjectivity of successful researchers

Sinclair

Cuthbert

Barnacle

2014

Higher Education Research & Development

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This article begins the work of examining what kind of doctoral experiences positively influence researcher development, and what other attributes may contribute to a successful research career. It reports preliminary findings from the analysis of survey responses by a sample of successful mid-career researchers. Positive doctoral experiences and the early establishment of research activity are found to be important to researcher development. Successful researchers were also found to be able to acknowledge the importance of their 'soft skills', and to have flexible, responsive and adaptive dispositions. We term this disposition 'an entrepreneurial subjectivity' and argue that it is an important and underexamined characteristic of the successful researcher.Successful mid-career researchers are an ideal cohort to begin the work of identifying what in the doctoral experience contributes to the development of a successful researcher and the qualities and attributes of successful researchers. To this end, we surveyed recipients of Australian 'Future Fellowships', competitive four-year research grants awarded to those with between 5 and 15 years post-doctoral experience. Future Fellowships are awarded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), the premier national research funding organisation.The survey was designed to investigate how successful researchers are developed with a particular focus on the role and influence of the doctorate in this process. Preliminary findings from an analysis of survey responses are outlined in this article. After introducing the study and outlining characteristics of the cohort, findings are discussed thematically concerning motivations for research, the doctoral experience, publication and preparation for a research role, and to what factors participants in the survey attribute their research success.The findings point overwhelmingly to a positive doctoral experience and early establishment of research efficacy as important to researcher development; and to successful researchers having a repertoire of 'soft skills', including a reflective capacity to recognise the importance of soft skills to their success as researchers. In addition, a key finding of this study is that successful researchers appear to have flexible, responsive and adaptive dispositions; what we call 'an entrepreneurial subjectivity'. We argue that an 'entrepreneurial subjectivity' is an important and under-examined characteristic that may be the making of, as well as what is required of, successful researchers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

The entrepreneurial subjectivity of successful researchers

Sinclair

Cuthbert

Barnacle

2014

Higher Education Research & Development

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“…Evidence suggests that Institutes providing their young researchers with the most opportunities attract and retain the very best. The Intellectual Entrepreneurship program offered to both PhDs and Postdocs at the University of Texas has provided an advantage in recruiting young researchers, as they are given the possibility to expand their professional development opportunities outside the academic realm (Cherwitz and Sullivan 2002a). If universities want to attract the very best they will need to keep up with the market and invest time, effort and money into career planning for postdocs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A positive postdoctoral experience is related to quality supervision and career mentoring, collaborations, networking and a nurturing research environment

2011

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For postdocs to have the best chances of achieving their career goals they need to not only acquire discipline-specific research experience, but also additional generic skills vital for future employment inside or outside academia. They also require access to information and mentoring that will help them strategically plan and make informed decisions about their future. Few studies have examined the variables that impact the postdoctoral experience or research productivity. Thus, a comprehensive survey was conducted to determine whether quality supervision, career mentoring, collaboration, networking and a nurturing research environment makes a positive difference in the experiences and productivity of postdoctoral researchers. Unsurprisingly, the survey revealed that job insecurity and lack of a career structure are ongoing concerns for postdocs. However, a clear association was shown between quality supervision, for example, in conveying the importance of taking responsibility for their future academic career by strengthening their track record, and the number of peer-reviewed publications produced. The findings also suggest that mentoring in non-academic career paths can be greatly improved. The results of this study have guided a research-intensive Australian University to implement initiatives and programs which enhance the postdoctoral experience. Finally this work raises awareness of the crucial contributions postdocs make to the research output and environment of universities.

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“…In developing countries, this trend also is being followed Á the example of Sri Lanka being in line with an urge to discard the 'old colonial' concept of a university of 'learning for its own sake', which does not seem to match the needs of the country. 8 Key issues in leading universities to this transition in knowledge organisation include: the publicly articulated demand for universities to demonstrate value to society and align themselves with policy goals (Lambert, 2003); a stronger focus on a creative problem-solving approach that demands transdisciplinarity; an imperative by this means to defend academic freedom; a drive for intellectualism rather than narrow scholasticism (Cherwitz, 2002(Cherwitz, , 2005; student and professional demands for career relevance; and a search for innovation (McInnis, 2001;Etzkowitz, 2004;Greenhalgh, 2008).…”

Section: Knowledge Organisationmentioning

confidence: 99%