quote:
Decreasing output is associated with increasing seniority? Hard for me to buy that.
I would have expected decreasing direct involvement with the research due to a growing coterie of grad students whose activities must be managed, but with the result of increasing publication output.
Actually, his pub record is rather typical for faculty at smaller, more teaching-oriented schools. Bringing with them their grad research and connections when they are first hired, they finish up and perhaps expand on their grad research, and then over time get bogged down with administrative and teaching duties. It happened to me, and I've seen it in every lab-science oriented faculty member that has been hired at my school since I've been here, and form discussions with colleagues elsewhere, the trend seems to be the same.
A decreased research/publication output, however, does not in any way mean that one is further removed from what is going on. In fact, when one is not so concerned with one's own specific research area, one has the time to indulge their other interests and curiosities.
I would agree that his lack of recent publications would be an issue but only if he were presenting himself as some sort of expert, like Wells does.