How contemporary academic structures constrain scientific creativity and hold back early-career researchers
Authors: Haubrock, P.J., Kouba, A., Soto, I., Abreo, N.A.S., Vilizzi, L., Błońska, D., Tarkan, A.S., De Santis, V., Sousa, R., Nogueira, A.B., Heeren, S., Nogueira, J.G., Cano-Barbacil, C., Cremella, B., Strubbe, D., Silva, J.P.D., Poloni, R., Deschepper, P., Thoré, E.S.J., Misteli, B., Sun, J., Panisi, M., Dudgeon, D., Stamatiadou, V., Galib, S.M., Maes, C., Baso, N.C., Beukema, W., Števove, B., Záhorská, E., Kurtul, I., Kaur, D., Huber, A.F., Halabowski, D., de Assis Guilherme Padilha, J., Balzani, P., Kaya, C., Bayçelebi, E., Mugnai, M., Ahmed, D.A., Saç, G., Aksu, S., Kaya, B.M., Ciftcioglu, M., Jiang, X., Rodríguez-Rey, M., Martín-Forés, I., Leles, S.G., Pârvulescu, L., Pergl, J., Rossetto, F., Wei, H., Kirichenko, N.I., Briski, E., Gallitelli, L., Britton, J.R., Everts, T.
Journal: Nature Human Behaviour
Publication Date: 01/01/2026
eISSN: 2397-3374
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02575-5
Abstract:We argue that contemporary scientific systems progressively constrain high-risk and conceptually innovative research while being increasingly structured around short funding cycles, productivity-based evaluation criteria and risk-averse frameworks that favour predictable and non-transformative research outputs. Drawing on recent empirical literature, we show how such systems can place disproportionate pressure on early-career researchers by incentivizing safe, tractable and easily evaluated outputs. Structural academic mechanisms such as peer review and funding, escalating publication costs and institutional inequalities interact with precarious employment and hierarchical dependencies. In this environment, we contend that strategic conformity becomes a rational career path. This risks suppressing creativity and critical thinking precisely at the stage when scientific independence could otherwise emerge. Consequently, the probability of substantive contributions by early-career researchers is declining, while talent may increasingly abandon academia or cluster within a limited number of well-resourced institutions and national systems. By adopting a systems-level perspective, we argue that scientific creativity is not merely an individual trait but an emerging property of a supportive academic landscape and that maintaining or restoring it may require substantial structural reforms. These include promoting stable research pathways, decentralized decision-making and evaluation frameworks that better recognize collaboration, originality, persistence and nonlinear career trajectories. Without systemic change, we risk stifling the potential of early-career researchers to go beyond the confines of existing methods and approaches and deliver transformative advances. This would limit their capacity to meaningfully change our understanding of the world or benefit society, with impacts that fall short of their potential.
Source: Scopus
How contemporary academic structures constrain scientific creativity and hold back early-career researchers.
Authors: Haubrock, P.J., Kouba, A., Soto, I., Abreo, N.A.S., Vilizzi, L., Błońska, D., Tarkan, A.S., De Santis, V., Sousa, R., Nogueira, A.B., Heeren, S., Nogueira, J.G., Cano-Barbacil, C., Cremella, B., Strubbe, D., Silva, J.P.D., Poloni, R., Deschepper, P., Thoré, E.S.J., Misteli, B., Sun, J., Panisi, M., Dudgeon, D., Stamatiadou, V., Galib, S.M., Maes, C., Baso, N.C., Beukema, W., Števove, B., Záhorská, E., Kurtul, I., Kaur, D., Huber, A.F., Halabowski, D., de Assis Guilherme Padilha, J., Balzani, P., Kaya, C., Bayçelebi, E., Mugnai, M., Ahmed, D.A., Saç, G., Aksu, S., Kaya, B.M., Ciftcioglu, M., Jiang, X., Rodríguez-Rey, M., Martín-Forés, I., Leles, S.G., Pârvulescu, L., Pergl, J., Rossetto, F., Wei, H., Kirichenko, N.I., Briski, E., Gallitelli, L., Britton, J.R., Everts, T.
Journal: Nat Hum Behav
Publication Date: 03/09/2026
eISSN: 2397-3374
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02575-5
Abstract:We argue that contemporary scientific systems progressively constrain high-risk and conceptually innovative research while being increasingly structured around short funding cycles, productivity-based evaluation criteria and risk-averse frameworks that favour predictable and non-transformative research outputs. Drawing on recent empirical literature, we show how such systems can place disproportionate pressure on early-career researchers by incentivizing safe, tractable and easily evaluated outputs. Structural academic mechanisms such as peer review and funding, escalating publication costs and institutional inequalities interact with precarious employment and hierarchical dependencies. In this environment, we contend that strategic conformity becomes a rational career path. This risks suppressing creativity and critical thinking precisely at the stage when scientific independence could otherwise emerge. Consequently, the probability of substantive contributions by early-career researchers is declining, while talent may increasingly abandon academia or cluster within a limited number of well-resourced institutions and national systems. By adopting a systems-level perspective, we argue that scientific creativity is not merely an individual trait but an emerging property of a supportive academic landscape and that maintaining or restoring it may require substantial structural reforms. These include promoting stable research pathways, decentralized decision-making and evaluation frameworks that better recognize collaboration, originality, persistence and nonlinear career trajectories. Without systemic change, we risk stifling the potential of early-career researchers to go beyond the confines of existing methods and approaches and deliver transformative advances. This would limit their capacity to meaningfully change our understanding of the world or benefit society, with impacts that fall short of their potential.
Source: PubMed
How contemporary academic structures constrain scientific creativity and hold back early-career researchers
Authors: Haubrock, P.J., Kouba, A., Soto, I., Abreo, N.A.S., Vilizzi, L., Blonska, D., Tarkan, A.S., De Santis, V., Sousa, R., Nogueira, A.B., Heeren, S., Nogueira, J.G., Cano-Barbacil, C., Cremella, B., Strubbe, D., da Silva, J.P., Poloni, R., Deschepper, P., Thore, E.S.J., Misteli, B., Sun, J., Panisi, M., Dudgeon, D., Stamatiadou, V., Galib, S.M., Maes, C., Baso, N.C., Beukema, W., Stevove, B., Zahorska, E., Kurtul, I., Kaur, D., Huber, A.F., Halabowski, D., de Assis Guilherme Padilha, J., Balzani, P., Kaya, C., Baycelebi, E., Mugnai, M., Ahmed, D.A., Sac, G., Aksu, S., Kaya, B.M., Ciftcioglu, M., Jiang, X., Rodriguez-Rey, M., Martin-Fores, I., Leles, S.G., Parvulescu, L., Pergl, J., Rossetto, F., Wei, H., Kirichenko, N.I., Briski, E., Gallitelli, L., Britton, J.R., Everts, T.
Journal: NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Publication Date: 03/09/2026
ISSN: 2397-3374
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02575-5
Source: Web of Science
How contemporary academic structures constrain scientific creativity and hold back early-career researchers.
Authors: Haubrock, P.J., Kouba, A., Soto, I., Abreo, N.A.S., Vilizzi, L., Błońska, D., Tarkan, A.S., De Santis, V., Sousa, R., Nogueira, A.B., Heeren, S., Nogueira, J.G., Cano-Barbacil, C., Cremella, B., Strubbe, D., Silva, J.P.D., Poloni, R., Deschepper, P., Thoré, E.S.J., Misteli, B., Sun, J., Panisi, M., Dudgeon, D., Stamatiadou, V., Galib, S.M., Maes, C., Baso, N.C., Beukema, W., Števove, B., Záhorská, E., Kurtul, I., Kaur, D., Huber, A.F., Halabowski, D., de Assis Guilherme Padilha, J., Balzani, P., Kaya, C., Bayçelebi, E., Mugnai, M., Ahmed, D.A., Saç, G., Aksu, S., Kaya, B.M., Ciftcioglu, M., Jiang, X., Rodríguez-Rey, M., Martín-Forés, I., Leles, S.G., Pârvulescu, L., Pergl, J., Rossetto, F., Wei, H., Kirichenko, N.I., Briski, E., Gallitelli, L., Britton, J.R., Everts, T.
Journal: Nature human behaviour
Publication Date: 09/2026
eISSN: 2397-3374
ISSN: 2397-3374
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02575-5
Abstract:We argue that contemporary scientific systems progressively constrain high-risk and conceptually innovative research while being increasingly structured around short funding cycles, productivity-based evaluation criteria and risk-averse frameworks that favour predictable and non-transformative research outputs. Drawing on recent empirical literature, we show how such systems can place disproportionate pressure on early-career researchers by incentivizing safe, tractable and easily evaluated outputs. Structural academic mechanisms such as peer review and funding, escalating publication costs and institutional inequalities interact with precarious employment and hierarchical dependencies. In this environment, we contend that strategic conformity becomes a rational career path. This risks suppressing creativity and critical thinking precisely at the stage when scientific independence could otherwise emerge. Consequently, the probability of substantive contributions by early-career researchers is declining, while talent may increasingly abandon academia or cluster within a limited number of well-resourced institutions and national systems. By adopting a systems-level perspective, we argue that scientific creativity is not merely an individual trait but an emerging property of a supportive academic landscape and that maintaining or restoring it may require substantial structural reforms. These include promoting stable research pathways, decentralized decision-making and evaluation frameworks that better recognize collaboration, originality, persistence and nonlinear career trajectories. Without systemic change, we risk stifling the potential of early-career researchers to go beyond the confines of existing methods and approaches and deliver transformative advances. This would limit their capacity to meaningfully change our understanding of the world or benefit society, with impacts that fall short of their potential.
Source: Europe PubMed Central