Research suggests low pay and job insecurity are discouraging young people from becoming academics.
Ticking time bomb' A survey from the Association of University Teachers says a third of lecturers are over the age of 50, and only one in five is under 35. It says that compared with the early 1980s, many university departments now have a much larger proportion of staff approaching retirement. Earning potential There are also high proportions of staff approaching retirement in biology, maths, engineering and languages. Too few of our best young people are attracted to academic careers. And they are right.