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Northwestern University
Ben Jones

Ben Jones

Associate Professor

Management & Strategy

Ph.D., MIT, 2003
M.Phil., Oxford University, 1997
BSE, Princeton University, 1995

 
 

Age and Scientific Genius
with E.J. Reedy and Bruce A. Weinberg
January 2014

Abstract: Great scientific output typically peaks in middle age.  A classic literature has emphasized comparisons across fields in the age of peak performance.  More recent work highlights large underlying variation in age and creativity patterns, where the average age of great scientific contributions has risen substantially since the early 20th Century and some scientists make pioneering contributions much earlier or later in their life-cycle than others.  We review these literatures and show how the nexus between age and great scientific insight can inform the nature of creativity, the mechanisms of scientific progress, and the design of institutions that support scientists, while providing further insights about the implications of aging populations, education policies, and economic growth.

Paper (.pdf)

 

   

 

 

 

   
©2001 Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University