Academics ‘in motion’: A mixed-methods study on the link between social and spatial mobility of researchers
Final Report Abstract
The project investigates the spatial mobility of scientists from three disciplines (biology, computer science, sociology) in different career phases (doctoral phase, post-doc phase, professorship): How often and under what conditions do they commute, move, or spend time abroad? What influence does spatial mobility have on career opportunities? The starting point is the timediagnostic observation that societies are becoming increasingly mobile and that this creates opportunities but also demands on individuals. In science, mobility is characterized by the fact that, on the one hand, research with a fundamentally international orientation and the rewarding of contacts abroad play an important role, and, on the other hand, the conditions of employment in the so-called academic middle class are generally limited in time and job changes often require a change of location. This shows that job-related spatial mobility in this field often moves in an ambivalent field of tension between requirement and possibility. The project empirically combines a standardized online survey with in-depth guided interviews. The focus is on a developmental perspective that also takes a retrospective look at changes in phase-specific conditions and attitudes. The quantitative results show, among other things, that scientists are particularly mobile in the postdoc phase. Spatial mobility certainly proves to be an advantage for a career, but the subjective attitudes suggest that mobility in science is not an unquestioned normality, but must be viewed in a more nuanced way in terms of its potential and, at the same time, its demands. The qualitative data in particular point to complex constellations of conditions, especially in the context of couple relationships and parenthood.
Publications
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„Erforschung von sozialer und räumlicher Mobilität im Kontext akademischer Karrierewege: Konzeptionelle Ansätze und methodischer Zugriff“. Vortrag im Rahmen des Workshops Transnationales Sampling und die quantitative Forschung zu Mobilitätsprozessen, Hamburg, 1/2020.
Kohrs, S.
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„Erforschung räumlicher und sozialer Mobilität im Kontext akademischer Karrierewege“. Vortrag beim „Projekte & Publikationen“-Plenum, HS Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach, 11/2021.
Nonnengart, S.
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„Räumliche und soziale Mobilität(en) erforschen: Herausforderungen und Erkenntnisse eines methodenpluralen Forschungsprojekts“. Vortrag beim Online-Workshop Methodenplurale Forschungsdesigns des Arbeitskreises Mixed Methods der DGS, digital, 11/2021.
Neumann, B.
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„Akademiker*innen in Bewegung?! Method(olog)ische Reflexionen entlang eines Forschungsprojekts zu sozialer und räumlicher Mobilität“. Vortrag auf der Tagung Mixed Methods in der Sozialstrukturanalyse an der Universität Göttingen, 4/2022.
Neumann, B.
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„Un-/Gleiche Prekarität?! Wissenschaftsinterne Unterschiede der Arbeits- und Anstellungsbedingungen in Informatik, Biologie und Soziologie“. Vortrag in der Ad-Hoc-Gruppe „‚Innerhalb‘ und ‚außerhalb‘ der Wissenschaft als (zunehmend) polarisierte Welten“ auf dem 41. Kongress der DGS, Bielefeld, 9/2022.
Neumann, B.
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Un-/Gleiche Prekarität?! Wissenschaftsinterne Unterschiede der Anstellungsbedingungen in Informatik Biologie und Soziologie. In: Villa, P.-I. (Hrsg.): Polarisierte Welten. Verhandlungen des 41. Kongresses der DGS 2022.
Neumann, B.
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„Spatial and social mobility in academic careers. Mobility patterns, career stages and disciplinary peculiarities“. Vortrag beim Workshop „Current Perspectives on Spatial Mobilities“ des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Nürnberg, 3/2023.
Neumann, B. & Nonnengart, S.
