Mobility a key skill to move up in academia: podcast

Mobility, research, teaching, and personal and interpersonal skills have been identified as the top attributes needed to progress in academia, new research shows.

A recent study from the University of Sydney drew results from job ads posted across 3000 universities on over 40 different disciplines in 60 countries.

Researchers then analysed the most popular skills to determine the most important attributes needed across an academic career lifespan.

Study co-author Dr Lilia Mantai, a senior lecturer at Sydney University's business school, said academics face an increasingly complex and competitive job landscape.

"To go up the academic ladder independent of discipline or country we found that research is the top skill, and it is closely followed by teaching and supervision skills," Dr Mantai told Campus Review.

"Academics are also expected to engage in curriculum development, fundraising, establishing partnerships and more.

"However more recently, mobility plays a big role in how fast academics can progress."

Dr Mantai joined Campus Review to give insight into what skills university professionals need to make strides.

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