Memo from To: Dr Bernice T. Eiduson

JOSHUA LEDERBERG veri Psychiatry

FEB 15 7976

career failure in science (academe)

Do you have ive any bibliography on this theme?

(I. now-want-to start-thinking. about -this as
-an administrative. responsibility, with a-view
_to-early warning and possible interventions.

Obviously, -the frame -is- greatly complicated
_ these days: by institutional tenure;-on the -
-one hand, and the vagaties-of extra-institutioné

funding (!) on the other.) -

Steve Cole had a Ph. D. student who did his

dissertation on this title; but it seems to have
been on the perceptions of junior faculty who
were denied tenure. I wish I knew more-about
what happens to investigators whose research
grants dry up for shorter or longer periods.
But my principal aim is a better handle on

prevention of catastrophes and the possibilitied
of timely intervention.

-I gave a seminar a couple of years ago to
our graduate students on the choice of a
scientific career; and we did use your book of
readings. The main shortcoming was my own: that
there was a great deal of statistical -and other
information that I-did not have -— perhaps does
not exist. As you would be the first to point
out, there is nothing less systematic in science
than the socialization of the aspirants.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

SL PROFESSOR JOSHUA LEDERBERG
Department of Genetics
~ + School of Medicine
yY 3 ) —~> Stanford University
a Stanford, California 94305

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