The Scientist - USA (2021-12)

16 THE SCIENTIST | the-scientist.com

CRITIC AT LARGE

D

uring these days of a hopefully declining pandemic, hiring

new faculty has recently begun in earnest for many research

universities. Hence, considering the most effective criteria

for selecting new faculty is important, with long-term implications.

So, what are the best criteria?

In his 2011 book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Nobel Prize–

winning economist and psychologist Daniel Kahneman con-

tends that statistical analysis of data is an equal or even better

measure of quality than intuitive judgments based on off-the-

cuff interviews. These data can come from applicants’ CVs—

for example, college ranking, number of peer-reviewed publi-

cations, impact factor of journals, and the h-index of both the

candidates and their mentors. They can also come from the

job interview, according to Kahneman, who suggests that hir-

ing committees ask candidates a few questions about each of

six independent traits deemed to be prerequisites for success,

then rank the answers on a scale from, say, 1 (poor) to 5 (excel-

lent). To avoid systematic bias being carried over from one set

of answers to another (called the halo effect), recruiters should

collect the scores for each trait before moving on to the next

trait, Kahneman suggests.

There are also qualitative considerations: the quality of the

interview seminar and future research plans, interest in the fac-

ulty and their research, technical expertise to fit a presumed need,

an engaging personality, and letters of recommendation from

well-regarded references. Kahneman acknowledges these, and

suggests that employers add up all the scores based on the inter-

view and combine these with collegial discussion and intuition

(called “delayed holistic judgment” by Kahneman and his coau-

thors in the 2021 book Noise). The candidate with both the high-

est final score and agreed intuition is the one for the job. 

Every seven years, I have spent sabbatical leave at top-ranked

US universities: Yale, Caltech, the University of California, Berke-

ley, and MIT. I have often wondered: What distinguishes faculty at

such august institutions from the rest? Do the faculty at top univer-

sities have special insight in hiring new faculty that others do not?

Or is it that they have the funds to recruit or to raid other universi-

ties and companies for proven superstars? The latter clearly helps,

but there must be more to the story.

Highly ranked universities offer superior infrastructure, includ-

ing major computers, large and expensive analytical equipment,

and specialized core facilities. They also provide an exciting and © ISTOCK.COM, NADZEYA_DZIVAKOVA

Going beyond personal impressions is essential to hiring researchers

who engage in meaningful and innovative work.

BY GEORGES BELFORT

Data-Driven Hiring