HSE Scientists Reveal How Staying at Alma Mater Can Affect Early-Career Researchers
Many early-career scientists continue their academic careers at the same university where they studied, a practice known as academic inbreeding. A researcher at the HSE Institute of Education analysed the impact of academic inbreeding on publication activity in the natural sciences and mathematics. The study found that the impact is ambiguous and depends on various factors, including the university's geographical location, its financial resources, and the state of the regional academic employment market. A paper with the study findings has been published in Research Policy.
In Russia, nearly half of all PhD holders continue working at the same university where they earned their degree—a career path known as academic inbreeding. This practice is believed to contribute to academic isolation and diminish the potential for innovation. Nevertheless, the impact of academic inbreeding on the productivity of early-career scientists remains insufficiently studied.
Victoria Slepyh, Junior Research Fellow at the HSE Laboratory for University Development, examined the career trajectories of 1,132 Russian scientists who earned their PhDs in 2012 in the fields of physics, biology, chemistry, and mathematics. To assess research productivity, the author analysed publications in international journals, their citation counts, and the presence of articles in first-quartile (Q1) journals.
The analysis was conducted on two levels. First, the author examined all 1,132 PhD holders who remained in academia during the first eight years following their dissertation defence. Among this group, the rate of academic inbreeding was 61%. The results showed that graduates who moved to different universities after earning their degrees were, on average, more likely to publish, have articles accepted in prestigious journals, and receive higher citation counts compared to those who remained at their alma mater.
The most pronounced negative effect of academic inbreeding was observed at universities without special status—those not designated as federal or national research universities and not participating in government science support programmes. Early-career researchers at such universities published, on average, 34% fewer articles indexed by Scopus, and their likelihood of having at least one publication in a prestigious journal was nearly half that of more mobile scientists.
According to the author, if an early-career researcher remains at a university with limited scientific activity and resources, they tend to reproduce low academic standards. Moreover, a limited professional experience reduces their competitiveness compared to their more mobile colleagues.
'In prestigious, research-oriented institutions, academic inbreeding generally does not have a significant impact on productivity. This can be attributed to a rich professional environment, including a strong research team, modern equipment, stable collaborations with other organisations, and involvement in major projects,' explains Slepykh.
Next, the author identified a subgroup of the most productive scientists—417 individuals whose number of publications exceeded the median (ranging from four to six publications during the first eight years of their academic careers). The proportion of inbreds was 56% in this sample. At the same time, the impact of academic inbreeding on productivity within this subgroup was minimal and appeared only in certain cases—specifically, among graduates who earned their degrees in regions with a saturated academic employment market.
In regions with numerous scientific institutions, graduates have greater opportunities to move to a different employer. When remaining at one’s alma mater under such circumstances stems from inertia rather than a deliberate choice, early-career researchers may miss the opportunity to thrive in a more suitable professional environment. In less developed regions, academic inbreeding is typically driven by limited alternatives. The study findings support the hypothesis that when early-career scientists have more employment options, remaining at their alma mater can negatively affect their productivity.
Additionally, the study revealed differences in behaviour across scientific disciplines. For example, mathematicians were more likely to pursue mobile career paths and less likely to remain at the universities where they earned their degrees, whereas physicists and chemists exhibited a stronger tendency toward academic inbreeding. The author attributes these differences to the nature of research infrastructure and publication traditions in various scientific fields.
'Academic inbreeding, in itself, is not necessarily problematic. However, its consequences can adversely affect scientific productivity, especially at universities without special status or with limited resources. To mitigate the risks of isolation, measures should be implemented to encourage academic mobility and the expansion of external collaborations. These may include internships, academic exchanges, and the development of partnerships with leading research centres. Such initiatives will enhance not only productivity but also the overall quality of the academic environment,' according to Slepykh.
See also:
Similar Comprehension, Different Reading: How Native Language Affects Reading in English as a Second Language
Researchers from the MECO international project, including experts from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain, have developed a tool for analysing data on English text reading by native speakers of more than 19 languages. In a large-scale experiment involving over 1,200 people, researchers recorded participants’ eye movements as they silently read the same English texts and then assessed their level of comprehension. The results showed that even when comprehension levels were the same, the reading process—such as gaze fixations, rereading, and word skipping—varied depending on the reader's native language and their English proficiency. The study has been published in Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
Mortgage and Demography: HSE Scientists Reveal How Mortgage Debt Shapes Family Priorities
Having a mortgage increases the likelihood that a Russian family will plan to have a child within the next three years by 39 percentage points. This is the conclusion of a study by Prof. Elena Vakulenko and doctoral student Rufina Evgrafova from the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences. The authors emphasise that this effect is most pronounced among women, people under 36, and those without children. The study findings have been published in Voprosy Ekonomiki.
Scientists Discover How Correlated Disorder Boosts Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a unique state of matter in which electric current flows without any energy loss. In materials with defects, it typically emerges at very low temperatures and develops in several stages. An international team of scientists, including physicists from HSE MIEM, has demonstrated that when defects within a material are arranged in a specific pattern rather than randomly, superconductivity can occur at a higher temperature and extend throughout the entire material. This discovery could help develop superconductors that operate without the need for extreme cooling. The study has been published in Physical Review B.
Scientists Develop New Method to Detect Motor Disorders Using 3D Objects
Researchers at HSE University have developed a new methodological approach to studying motor planning and execution. By using 3D-printed objects and an infrared tracking system, they demonstrated that the brain initiates the planning process even before movement begins. This approach may eventually aid in the assessment and treatment of patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. The paper has been published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Civic Identity Helps Russians Maintain Mental Health During Sanctions
Researchers at HSE University have found that identifying with one’s country can support psychological coping during difficult times, particularly when individuals reframe the situation or draw on spiritual and cultural values. Reframing in particular can help alleviate symptoms of depression. The study has been published in Journal of Community Psychology.
Scientists Clarify How the Brain Memorises and Recalls Information
An international team, including scientists from HSE University, has demonstrated for the first time that the anterior and posterior portions of the human hippocampus have distinct roles in associative memory. Using stereo-EEG recordings, the researchers found that the rostral (anterior) portion of the human hippocampus is activated during encoding and object recognition, while the caudal (posterior) portion is involved in associative recall, restoring connections between the object and its context. These findings contribute to our understanding of the structure of human memory and may inform clinical practice. A paper with the study findings has been published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Researchers Examine Student Care Culture in Small Russian Universities
Researchers from the HSE Institute of Education conducted a sociological study at four small, non-selective universities and revealed, based on 135 interviews, the dual nature of student care at such institutions: a combination of genuine support with continuous supervision, reminiscent of parental care. This study offers the first in-depth look at how formal and informal student care practices are intertwined in the post-Soviet educational context. The study has been published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education.
AI Can Predict Student Academic Performance Based on Social Media Subscriptions
A team of Russian researchers, including scientists from HSE University, used AI to analyse 4,500 students’ subscriptions to VK social media communities. The study found that algorithms can accurately identify both high-performing students and those struggling with their studies. The paper has been published in IEEE Access.
HSE Scientists: Social Cues in News Interfaces Build Online Trust
Researchers from the HSE Laboratory for Cognitive Psychology of Digital Interface Users have discovered how social cues in the design of news websites—such as reader comments, the number of reposts, or the author’s name—can help build user trust. An experiment with 137 volunteers showed that such interface elements make a website appear more trustworthy and persuasive to users, with the strongest cue being links to the media’s social networks. The study's findings have been published in Human-Computer Interaction.
Immune System Error: How Antibodies in Multiple Sclerosis Mistake Their Targets
Researchers at HSE University and the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBCh RAS) have studied how the immune system functions in multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease in which the body's own antibodies attack its nerve fibres. By comparing blood samples from MS patients and healthy individuals, scientists have discovered that the immune system in MS patients can mistake viral proteins for those of nerve cells. Several key proteins have also been identified that could serve as new biomarkers for the disease and aid in its diagnosis. The study has been published in Frontiers in Immunology. The research was conducted with support from the Russian Science Foundation.