Chris Garner reports in the Waikato Times that Andy West, chief executive of AgResearch, is not surprised by the recent results of a poll showing that many agricultural and soil scientists are not happy.
The high levels of job satisfaction, says Dr West, are not surprising due to the overly high levels of competition for funding experienced by scientists.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Dr West, who leaves the job on June 30 after announcing his resignation this month, is looking at the private sector and offshore for his next role.
“”Presently, there is too much competition for funding. However, I am hopeful that a better balance between contest and stability will be introduced in the near future,” Dr West said.
“The results of the survey, Dr West said, was symptomatic of the competitive nature of New Zealand’s science funding system.”