Research Outputs

Longitudinal Trends in U.S. Faculty Aging and Academic Productivity [Analytical Dataset]

Olejniczak AJ, Savage WE, Powers JN, Lange P (2026)

Zenodo

This dataset contains the statistical outputs, summary tables, and data visualizations generated by Academic Analytics Research Center's (AARC) study of faculty aging at US universities. These files serve as the supplementary data and primary analytical artifacts in support of a forthcoming article evaluating the demographic shifts and research vitality of the U.S. scientific workforce.

The divergence of mobility and attrition: A two-track study of the U.S. scientific workforce (2011-2024) [Conference Presentation Presentation]

Powers JN, Olejniczak AJ, Savage WE (2026)

ICSSI 2026: Boulder, CO, USA

Mount Horribilis: examining productivity gaps in American research universities

Goldstein K, Yair G, Rotem N (2026)

Higher Education

The 'publish-or-perish' adage has long served as a primary organizing principle for academic careers, operating under the assumption that competitive evaluation systems successfully incentivize continuous research output. However, a recent study by Keith Goldstein, Gad Yair, and Nir Rotem, published in the journal 'Higher Education', challenges this assumption by revealing a massive, previously hidden landscape of non-productive years.

Distinct domains: a call for nuance in the categorization and evaluation of “Arts and Humanities” disciplines

Savage WE, Wheeler R, Olejniczak AJ (2025)

Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics

This study challenges the monolithic treatment of 'Arts and Humanities' in research evaluation. We argue that the aggregation of these distinct disciplines into a single category obscures critical differences in scholarly output patterns, citation behaviors, and funding needs. We propose a more nuanced framework for categorization that respects the unique epistemic cultures of disciplines ranging from History to Performing Arts.

Tenure and research trajectories

G. Tripodi, X. Zheng, Y. Qian, D. Murray, B.F. Jones, C. Ni, & D. Wang (2025)

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

We analyze the relationship between tenure decisions and long-term research trajectories. Using a comprehensive dataset of faculty careers, we examine how the pressure of the tenure clock influences risk-taking in research topics and subsequent productivity. The findings suggest that current tenure mechanisms may inadvertently discourage high-risk, high-reward research paths early in a career.

Diversity of HBCUs’ Institutional Human Capital: A Cross-Discipline, Longitudinal Analysis of Faculty Hiring and Placement at HBCUs

Yan E, Palmer RT, He J et al. (2025)

Innov High Educ

This longitudinal analysis examines faculty hiring and placement patterns at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). We investigate the sources of doctoral training for HBCU faculty across disciplines and how these patterns have evolved over time. The study highlights the critical role HBCUs play in diversifying the academic workforce and the unique characteristics of their human capital networks.

Same as It Ever Was: Gender, Race, and Ethnicity Differences in Promotion for Academic Economists

Ginther DK, Kahn S, Milakhina D (2025)

AEA Papers and Proceedings

Despite decades of attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion, this study finds persistent gaps in promotion rates for women and underrepresented minorities in academic economics. Controlling for publication quantity, quality, and citations, we find that significant unexplained penalties remain in the probability of promotion to full professor.

Underrepresented minority faculty in the USA face a double standard in promotion and tenure decisions

Masters-Waage T, Spitzmueller C, Edema-Sillo E et al. (2024)

Nat Hum Behav

This paper presents evidence of a 'double standard' in tenure decisions where underrepresented minority (URM) faculty are held to higher thresholds of productivity than their non-URM peers. Through experimental and observational data, we demonstrate that ambiguous tenure criteria often shift to disadvantage URM candidates, requiring them to demonstrate significantly higher achievements to be rated as equivalent.

AGE: Age-Gender Effect on Faculty Career Progression in American Universities

Rahmani H, Olejniczak AJ, Weckman GR (2024)

IEEE Transactions on Big Data

We introduce the 'AGE' framework to model the intersectional effects of age and gender on faculty career progression. Utilizing big data techniques on a massive dataset of academic careers, we quantify how age penalties in hiring and promotion differ significantly by gender, with women facing steeper age-related barriers earlier in their careers than men.

Gender and retention patterns among U.S. faculty

Spoon K, LaBerge N, Wapman KH, Zhang S, Morgan AC, Galesic M, Fosdick BK, Larremore DB, Clauset A (2023)

Science Advances

In a comprehensive study of U.S. faculty retention, we find that women are more likely to leave academia at every career stage than men. This attrition gap cannot be fully explained by publication productivity or institutional prestige. The findings suggest that workplace climate and structural factors play a larger role in retention than previously quantified.