NIH PIs under 35 fell from 21% to 3% as scientists start careers ever later
Afinetheorem · x · 2026-09-27
A meta-science thread documents the dramatic ageing of independent scientists: in 1980, 21% of NIH-funded principal investigators were under 35; by 2015, only 3%.
The author draws an analogy to athletes' prime years — imagine MLB barring anyone under 35 from playing; career stats would visibly decline. Delaying scientists' first independent experiments until around 40 systematically reduces total research productivity. The full argumentation is laid out in the linked thread.
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