Recruiting and Retaining the Best Scientists: A Researcher's Perspective

Abstract

This paper aims to gain a better understanding of the motives and criteria by which excellent researchers choose a host institution. Semi-structured interviews of recently appointed excellent young researchers based in the UK, USA and Germany were carried out and motivations for choosing an institution explored. The findings show that a variety of professional and personal factors are involved in the decisionmaking process. Excellence of research was clearly important, but also fit and potential for collaborations was cited. Personal issues included family issues regarding stability of children’s schooling, employment for partners and ease of adapting to the local language. Length of tenure was also stated as being important for personal reasons and also to allow time to build up a research group. This understanding of young researchers’ key motives for choosing an institution will inform institutions to allow them to attract and retain excellent researchers which will be of benefit not only to the institution itself, but also to the regional and national economy.