The generational gap of science - a dynamic cluster analysis of doctorates in an evolving scientific system

Abstract

The features of science and technology (S&T) systems change over time. Simultaneously, at an individual level, the characteristics of actors in these systems also change concomitantly. In this study, the characteristics of doctorates in a changing S&T system are analyzed. This is performed by a series of cluster analyses on doctorates—with the goal of identifying shifting profiles—in strategic periods spanning three decades, which represents milestones in an evolving S&T system. A series of archetypal profiles of doctorates are identified, including changes to the relative weights of each of them, along with a pattern of alternating convergence and divergence over time on the characteristics of these doctorates.