Mathias Wullum Nielsen
Biographic Data
| ID | 261491 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mathias Wullum Nielsen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mathias Wullum |
| FAMILY NAME | Nielsen |
| SIGNATURE | NIELSEN M W |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Copenhagen |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8759-7150 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 72 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
The geographical diversity of the citation elite in STEMM is decreasing, even as the overall scientific workforce has diversified
The expansion of research systems in low- and middle-income countries has shifted science to a more diverse geographical structure. Using a global dataset of 40 million authors in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical fields (STEMM), we investigate whether this shift has made it easier or more difficult for newcomers residing in the Global South to rise to prominence in their disciplines. We tracked yearly cohorts of authors w…
The unequal dividend
While it is well recognized that more men than women move abroad for research jobs, it remains unclear if both genders derive similar benefits from such moves. We traced the mobility trajectories of a global sample of 15,817 early-career researchers over approximately 10 years to quantify gender variations in their returns to mobility. Employing an event study design, with and without gender-based matching on origin countries, destination countri…
Momentary symbols
While a growing sociological literature documents how visuality shapes collective identities, less attention is given to the temporal dimension of symbol construction and the shifting meanings and practices associated with prominent images and objects. We introduce the concept of momentary symbols to describe and examine processes where objects for a shorter period rapidly grow into a dominant symbol for a collective, but just as quickly acquire …
Quantifying the mover’s advantage
Research on scientific careers finds a mover’s advantage. International migration correlates with increased visibility and productivity. However, if scientists who move internationally, on average, enter into more prestigious employments than they came from, extant research may overestimate the direct performance gains associated with international moves. Building on insights from the sociology of science and studies of international researcher m…
Getting ahead in the social sciences
How do parenthood and publishing contribute to gender gaps in academic career advancement? While extensive research examines the causes of gender disparities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers, we know much less about the factors that constrain women's advancement in the social sciences. Combining detailed career- and administrative register data on 976 Danish social scientists in Business and Management, Economic…
Gender, self-efficacy and attrition from STEM programmes
The persistent gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is often attributed to differences in students’ confidence in their own academic abilities (i.e. self-efficacy). Yet, the role of self-efficacy in mediating gender differences in STEM attrition is unclear. To address this issue, we analyse administrative register data and representative survey responses from two cohorts of students (N = 14,427) who entered highe…
Knowledge Hierarchies and Gender Disparities in Social Science Funding
This article examines the relationship between knowledge hierarchies and gender stratification in research funding. Through a mixed-methods study combining data on 5460 funded and unfunded social science applications submitted to a research council in Western Europe, and nine interviews with current and former council members, we explore how applicants' disciplinary, thematic and methodological orientations intersect with gender to shape funding …
The Societal Readiness Thinking Tool
In this paper, we introduce the Societal Readiness (SR) Thinking Tool to aid researchers and innovators in developing research projects with greater responsiveness to societal values, needs, and expectations. The need for societally-focused approaches to research and innovation—complementary to Technology Readiness (TR) frameworks—is presented. Insights from responsible research and innovation (RRI) concepts and practice, organized across critica…
Global citation inequality is on the rise
Significance By analyzing a global sample of 4 million authors and 26 million scientific papers, this study finds that the top 1% most-cited scientists have increased their cumulative citation shares from 14 to 21% between 2000 and 2015 and that the Gini coefficient for citation imbalance has risen from 0.65 to 0.70. The growing citation concentration should be understood in the context of diverging trends in publication and collaboration activit…
Selective referencing and questionable evidence in Strumia’s paper on “Gender issues in fundamental physics”
Concentration or dispersal of research funding
The relationship between the distribution of research funding and scientific performance is a major discussion point in many science policy contexts. Do high shares of funding handed out to a limited number of elite scientists yield the most value for money, or is scientific progress better supported by allocating resources in smaller portions to more teams and individuals? In this review article, we seek to qualify discussions on the benefits an…
Making gender diversity work for scientific discovery and innovation
Gender consequences of a national performance-based funding model
This article investigates the extent to which the Danish Bibliometric Research Indicator (BRI) reflects the performance of men and women differently. The model is based on a differentiated counting of peer-reviewed publications, awarding three and eight points for contributions to ‘well-regarded’ and highly selective journals and book publishers, and 1 and 5 points for equivalent scientific contributions via ‘normal level’ channels. On the basis …
One and a half million medical papers reveal a link between author gender and attention to gender and sex analysis
Using a sample of more than 1.5 million medical research papers, our study examined the potential link between women's participation in medical science and attention to gender-related and sex-related factors in disease-specific research. Adjusting for variations across countries, disease topics and medical research areas, we compared the participation of women authors in studies that do and do not involve gender and sex analysis. Overall, our res…
Limits to meritocracy? Gender in academic recruitment and promotion processes
According to the literature, women researchers are sometimes at a disadvantage in academic recruitment due to insufficient network ties and subtle gender biases among evaluators. But how exactly do highly formal recruitment procedures allow space for mobilizing informal, potentially gendered, network ties? Focusing on the preliminary stages of recruitment, this study covers an underexposed aspect of women’s underrepresentation in academia. By com…
Reasons for Leaving the Academy
This study provides a contemporary case for exploring the assumed ‘opt out’ phenomenon among early‐career female researchers. Based on rich data from a Danish case study, we adopt an integrated, holistic perspective on women's reasons for leaving the academy. We propose the concept of ‘adaptive decision‐making’ as a useful analytical starting point for synthesizing structure‐ and agency‐centred perspectives on academic career choices. Our study p…
Gender inequality and research performance
Academic debates addressing the persistent gender gap in science reveal considerable contestation of the relevance and extent of the problem. Particular attention has been given to the question of whether women’s high attrition rates should be ascribed to the structural and cultural barriers inherent to the academic system or instead individualistic matters, such as personal motivation, performance and merit. In order to contribute to a more nuan…
Justifications of Gender Equality in Academia
Gender equality in academia is often perceived as receiving more emphasis in Norway and Sweden than in Denmark. But how do the public research institutions in the three countries approach issues of gender equality differently? This study investigates how activities related to gender equality are articulated and justified in the policy statements of six Scandinavian universities. The analysis reveals some interesting disparities between the countr…
Gender inequality and research performance
Academic debates addressing the persistent gender gap in science reveal considerable contestation of the relevance and extent of the problem. Particular attention has been given to the question of whether women’s high attrition rates should be ascribed to the structural and cultural barriers inherent to the academic system or instead individualistic matters, such as personal motivation, performance and merit. In order to contribute to a more nuan…
Reasons for Leaving the Academy
This study provides a contemporary case for exploring the assumed ‘opt out’ phenomenon among early‐career female researchers. Based on rich data from a Danish case study, we adopt an integrated, holistic perspective on women's reasons for leaving the academy. We propose the concept of ‘adaptive decision‐making’ as a useful analytical starting point for synthesizing structure‐ and agency‐centred perspectives on academic career choices. Our study p…
One and a half million medical papers reveal a link between author gender and attention to gender and sex analysis
Using a sample of more than 1.5 million medical research papers, our study examined the potential link between women's participation in medical science and attention to gender-related and sex-related factors in disease-specific research. Adjusting for variations across countries, disease topics and medical research areas, we compared the participation of women authors in studies that do and do not involve gender and sex analysis. Overall, our res…
Making gender diversity work for scientific discovery and innovation
Justifications of Gender Equality in Academia
Gender equality in academia is often perceived as receiving more emphasis in Norway and Sweden than in Denmark. But how do the public research institutions in the three countries approach issues of gender equality differently? This study investigates how activities related to gender equality are articulated and justified in the policy statements of six Scandinavian universities. The analysis reveals some interesting disparities between the countr…
Knowledge Hierarchies and Gender Disparities in Social Science Funding
This article examines the relationship between knowledge hierarchies and gender stratification in research funding. Through a mixed-methods study combining data on 5460 funded and unfunded social science applications submitted to a research council in Western Europe, and nine interviews with current and former council members, we explore how applicants' disciplinary, thematic and methodological orientations intersect with gender to shape funding …
Gender, self-efficacy and attrition from STEM programmes
The persistent gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is often attributed to differences in students’ confidence in their own academic abilities (i.e. self-efficacy). Yet, the role of self-efficacy in mediating gender differences in STEM attrition is unclear. To address this issue, we analyse administrative register data and representative survey responses from two cohorts of students (N = 14,427) who entered highe…
Gender consequences of a national performance-based funding model
This article investigates the extent to which the Danish Bibliometric Research Indicator (BRI) reflects the performance of men and women differently. The model is based on a differentiated counting of peer-reviewed publications, awarding three and eight points for contributions to ‘well-regarded’ and highly selective journals and book publishers, and 1 and 5 points for equivalent scientific contributions via ‘normal level’ channels. On the basis …
Getting ahead in the social sciences
How do parenthood and publishing contribute to gender gaps in academic career advancement? While extensive research examines the causes of gender disparities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers, we know much less about the factors that constrain women's advancement in the social sciences. Combining detailed career- and administrative register data on 976 Danish social scientists in Business and Management, Economic…
Justifications of Gender Equality in Academia
Gender equality in academia is often perceived as receiving more emphasis in Norway and Sweden than in Denmark. But how do the public research institutions in the three countries approach issues of gender equality differently? This study investigates how activities related to gender equality are articulated and justified in the policy statements of six Scandinavian universities. The analysis reveals some interesting disparities between the countr…
Limits to meritocracy? Gender in academic recruitment and promotion processes
According to the literature, women researchers are sometimes at a disadvantage in academic recruitment due to insufficient network ties and subtle gender biases among evaluators. But how exactly do highly formal recruitment procedures allow space for mobilizing informal, potentially gendered, network ties? Focusing on the preliminary stages of recruitment, this study covers an underexposed aspect of women’s underrepresentation in academia. By com…
Reasons for Leaving the Academy
This study provides a contemporary case for exploring the assumed ‘opt out’ phenomenon among early‐career female researchers. Based on rich data from a Danish case study, we adopt an integrated, holistic perspective on women's reasons for leaving the academy. We propose the concept of ‘adaptive decision‐making’ as a useful analytical starting point for synthesizing structure‐ and agency‐centred perspectives on academic career choices. Our study p…
Gender inequality and research performance
Academic debates addressing the persistent gender gap in science reveal considerable contestation of the relevance and extent of the problem. Particular attention has been given to the question of whether women’s high attrition rates should be ascribed to the structural and cultural barriers inherent to the academic system or instead individualistic matters, such as personal motivation, performance and merit. In order to contribute to a more nuan…
Gender consequences of a national performance-based funding model
This article investigates the extent to which the Danish Bibliometric Research Indicator (BRI) reflects the performance of men and women differently. The model is based on a differentiated counting of peer-reviewed publications, awarding three and eight points for contributions to ‘well-regarded’ and highly selective journals and book publishers, and 1 and 5 points for equivalent scientific contributions via ‘normal level’ channels. On the basis …
One and a half million medical papers reveal a link between author gender and attention to gender and sex analysis
Using a sample of more than 1.5 million medical research papers, our study examined the potential link between women's participation in medical science and attention to gender-related and sex-related factors in disease-specific research. Adjusting for variations across countries, disease topics and medical research areas, we compared the participation of women authors in studies that do and do not involve gender and sex analysis. Overall, our res…
Making gender diversity work for scientific discovery and innovation
Concentration or dispersal of research funding
The relationship between the distribution of research funding and scientific performance is a major discussion point in many science policy contexts. Do high shares of funding handed out to a limited number of elite scientists yield the most value for money, or is scientific progress better supported by allocating resources in smaller portions to more teams and individuals? In this review article, we seek to qualify discussions on the benefits an…
Global citation inequality is on the rise
Significance By analyzing a global sample of 4 million authors and 26 million scientific papers, this study finds that the top 1% most-cited scientists have increased their cumulative citation shares from 14 to 21% between 2000 and 2015 and that the Gini coefficient for citation imbalance has risen from 0.65 to 0.70. The growing citation concentration should be understood in the context of diverging trends in publication and collaboration activit…
Selective referencing and questionable evidence in Strumia’s paper on “Gender issues in fundamental physics”
The Societal Readiness Thinking Tool
In this paper, we introduce the Societal Readiness (SR) Thinking Tool to aid researchers and innovators in developing research projects with greater responsiveness to societal values, needs, and expectations. The need for societally-focused approaches to research and innovation—complementary to Technology Readiness (TR) frameworks—is presented. Insights from responsible research and innovation (RRI) concepts and practice, organized across critica…
Quantifying the mover’s advantage
Research on scientific careers finds a mover’s advantage. International migration correlates with increased visibility and productivity. However, if scientists who move internationally, on average, enter into more prestigious employments than they came from, extant research may overestimate the direct performance gains associated with international moves. Building on insights from the sociology of science and studies of international researcher m…
Getting ahead in the social sciences
How do parenthood and publishing contribute to gender gaps in academic career advancement? While extensive research examines the causes of gender disparities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers, we know much less about the factors that constrain women's advancement in the social sciences. Combining detailed career- and administrative register data on 976 Danish social scientists in Business and Management, Economic…
Gender, self-efficacy and attrition from STEM programmes
The persistent gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is often attributed to differences in students’ confidence in their own academic abilities (i.e. self-efficacy). Yet, the role of self-efficacy in mediating gender differences in STEM attrition is unclear. To address this issue, we analyse administrative register data and representative survey responses from two cohorts of students (N = 14,427) who entered highe…
Knowledge Hierarchies and Gender Disparities in Social Science Funding
This article examines the relationship between knowledge hierarchies and gender stratification in research funding. Through a mixed-methods study combining data on 5460 funded and unfunded social science applications submitted to a research council in Western Europe, and nine interviews with current and former council members, we explore how applicants' disciplinary, thematic and methodological orientations intersect with gender to shape funding …
The unequal dividend
While it is well recognized that more men than women move abroad for research jobs, it remains unclear if both genders derive similar benefits from such moves. We traced the mobility trajectories of a global sample of 15,817 early-career researchers over approximately 10 years to quantify gender variations in their returns to mobility. Employing an event study design, with and without gender-based matching on origin countries, destination countri…
Momentary symbols
While a growing sociological literature documents how visuality shapes collective identities, less attention is given to the temporal dimension of symbol construction and the shifting meanings and practices associated with prominent images and objects. We introduce the concept of momentary symbols to describe and examine processes where objects for a shorter period rapidly grow into a dominant symbol for a collective, but just as quickly acquire …
The geographical diversity of the citation elite in STEMM is decreasing, even as the overall scientific workforce has diversified
The expansion of research systems in low- and middle-income countries has shifted science to a more diverse geographical structure. Using a global dataset of 40 million authors in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical fields (STEMM), we investigate whether this shift has made it easier or more difficult for newcomers residing in the Global South to rise to prominence in their disciplines. We tracked yearly cohorts of authors w…
Sociology (12 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Gender Diversity and Inequality (7 works) · Political science (7 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · Higher education (6 works) · Diversity and Career in Medicine (5 works) · Economics (5 works) · scientometrics and bibliometrics research (5 works) · Demographic economics (4 works)