Research
Working papers
Productivity Beliefs and Efficiency in Science
Better allocation of existing funding could substantially increase scientific output.
Publications
Scientific Talent Leaks Out of Funding Gaps
Funding gaps increase the risk that lab personnel stop working in the U.S., especially graduate students and postdocs in labs with a single major NIH grant.
Presented at NBER Summer Institute 2022 (Innovation) and 2024 (Science of Science Funding).
Coverage: Marginal Revolution, Good Science Project, Nature (Career Feature), Nature (News), STAT.
Money, Time, and Grant Design
Scientists value larger grants much more than longer ones; grant design matters more for attracting particular researchers than for changing their research plans.
Coverage: Nature.
The National Survey of Academic Researchers: New Facts and Data
A survey of professors at ~150 U.S. universities documents new facts that are normally hard to observe, e.g., risk-taking in personal life predicts risk-taking in research
Coverage: Nature, Nature (News).
Science, Interrupted: Funding delays reduce research activity but having more grants helps
Funding delays cut lab spending, especially payroll spending, while access to other grants cushions the decline.
Unequal Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Scientists
Women, lab-based scientists, and scientists with young children reported larger losses of research time during the pandemic.
Work in progress
Scientific Production Function
The Effect of Temporary Colocation on Knowledge Flows
Scientists who serve together longer on grant-review panels are more likely to cite each other for up to ten years.