How long do top scientists maintain their stardom? An analysis by region, gender and discipline: evidence from Italy

TL;DR

This study analyzes the duration of top scientists' research performance in Italy across regions, genders, and disciplines, revealing disparities and regional differences in maintaining scientific stardom.

Contribution

It provides the first longitudinal analysis of top scientists' career longevity in Italy, highlighting demographic and regional disparities in maintaining research excellence.

Findings

Over a third of top scientists maintain their status over three periods.

Higher retention in life sciences compared to engineering.

Women are less likely to sustain top status than men.

Abstract

We investigate the question of how long top scientists retain their stardom. We observe the research performance of all Italian professors in the sciences over three consecutive four-year periods, between 2001 and 2012. The top scientists of the first period are identified on the basis of research productivity, and their performance is then tracked through time. The analyses demonstrate that more than a third of the nation's top scientists maintain this status over the three consecutive periods, with higher shares occurring in the life sciences and lower ones in engineering. Compared to males, females are less likely to maintain top status. There are also regional differences, among which top status is less likely to survive in southern Italy than in the north. Finally we investigate the longevity of unproductive professors, and then check whether the career progress of the top and unproductive scientists is aligned with their respective performances. The results appear to have implications for national policies on academic recruitment and advancement.