The “Trump effect” and its impact on faculty recruitment
Does the election of Donald Trump impact the faculty recruitment at ETH Zurich?
Over the last few months, journalists have asked us on multiple occasions whether we are seeing a “Trump effect” – i.e. an increase in applications from the USA, as is the case in Canada according to media reports. We do of course have access to details about candidates' countries of origin, but we have not made any attempt to evaluate these statistics because we do not regard this information as particularly relevant for us. Ultimately, what counts is not the number or origin of the applications, but ETH's ability to recruit candidates successfully and find new researchers who are able to get involved in the local culture and integrate into ETH Zurich and Switzerland on a long-term basis.
At the end of last year, right after Donald Trump was elected, two sets of appointment negotiations with candidates from the USA (one of whom was originally from Europe) actually fell through – at a time when other Swiss universities were already announcing an increase in headhunting activity in the USA. Of course, there are more substantial reasons for changing university and returning to Europe than the political environment in the USA.
The latest statistics from mid-2017 show that, out of the 25 appointments so far this year, only four people have been recruited from the USA (all at the assistant professor level), which is actually below the usual average of around 25 percent in recent years. This naturally raises the question of why ETH Zurich is not actively responding to this opportunity and targeting top researchers from the USA. The answer is clear: ETH Zurich's general recruitment policy for professors is based on a long-term strategy and not on political events in particular countries.
The appointment commissions appointed by the President are always instructed, regardless of the applications received, to seek out other high-flyers in the relevant field and encourage them to apply. It doesn't matter where they come from. What matters is the scientific quality and innovative capacity of their research, together with excellent teaching abilities and a willingness to get involved in the new environment and in ETH culture. It remains to be seen whether the “Trump effect” will eventually have an impact on ETH Zurich's recruitment statistics.
Office for Faculty Affairs
Birgit Kessler is Head of the Office for Faculty Affairs at ETH Zurich. The Office for Faculty Affairs supports the ETH President with the planning of professorships and the appointment of new professors and handles any concerns during their time at ETH right up until they retire. www.ethz.ch/faculty-affairs
The new "life" magazine is here
This article appears in the current issue of "life" magazine.
Research in focus: this issue begins a four-part series about ETH Zurich’s main research focuses. The first will be dedicated to the topic of data science. ETH Vice President Ulrich Weidmann explains in an interview how ETH intends to reduce air travel by ETH employees: he is convinced that the quality of research will not be diminished if fewer flights are taken.
"life" also reports on ETH’s First Aid officers, and a portrait of Linda Schädler reveals what she appreciates most about her work as head of the Collection of Prints and Drawings.