Age of Principal Investigators at the Time of First R01-Equivalent Remains Level with Recent Years in FY 2023

 

Age of Principal Investigators at the Time of First R01-Equivalent Remains Level with Recent Years in FY 2023

by Mike Lauer

In 2021, we reported that the age at which a researcher is designated on an NIH award for the first time had increased since 1995 and plateaued in the 2010s. We showed that the median age for PhDs first designated on an award remained around 41 in recent years while the median age of MDs and MD-PhDs was 44. There were no appreciable differences between researchers identifying as male or female. Today we are sharing an update on these data for fiscal years (FYs) 2021 – 2023, with the addition of information related to race, ethnicity, and disability status.

We have heard concerns about the rising age at which early career researchers are first supported on an NIH award. Some concerns have centered on the ways competitive funding and academic hiring impact early career scientists pursuing independent research careers.

For simplicity in this post, we refer to investigators receiving awards, but recognize that NIH makes R01-equivalent awards to institutions (not individual researchers).

Table 1 shows the age of investigators upon receiving their first R01-equivalent grant for FYs 2021 through 2023 disaggregated by their terminal degree. Between FYs 2021 and 2023, the median age for PhDs receiving their first award was 41 while the median age for MDs and MD-PhDs remained around 44. The difference between these groups may be due to the additional time spent by physicians in clinical training after receiving their degrees.

Table 1. Age at Receiving first R01-Equivalent for MDs, PhDs, and MD-PhDs for FYs 2021-2023

Fiscal Year	Degree	Number of Investigators	Mean Age (Years)	Median Age (Years)	10th Percentile	25th Percentile	75th Percentile	90th Percentile
2021	MD	373	46.0	44.0	39.0	41.0	49.0	56.0
2022	MD	325	45.5	44.0	39.0	41.0	48.0	56.0
2023	MD	381	46.0	45.0	39.0	41.0	48.0	56.0
2021	PhD	1,776	42.4	41.0	35.0	38.0	46.0	51.0
2022	PhD	1,872	42.4	41.0	35.0	38.0	46.0	52.0
2023	PhD	1,786	42.6	41.0	35.0	38.0	46.0	53.0
2021	MD-PhD	215	45.1	44.0	39.0	41.0	48.0	53.0
2022	MD-PhD	240	45.8	44.0	39.0	42.0	48.0	55.0
2023	MD-PhD	217	45.7	45.0	39.0	41.0	48.0	54.0

Table 2 shows the age of investigators identifying as male or female upon receiving their first R01-equivalent grant for FYs 2021 through 2023. In general, the median age at first award remained around 42 for both male and female researchers between FYs 2021 and 2023, consistent with prior recent data.

Table 2. Age at Receiving first R01-Equivalent for Investigators Identifying as Male or Female for FYs 2021 – 2023

Fiscal Year	Gender	Number of Investigators	Mean Age (Years)	Median Age (Years)	10th Percentile	25th Percentile	75th Percentile	90th Percentile
2021	Male	1,382	43.6	42.0	36.0	38.0	47.0	53.0
2022	Male	1,319	43.5	42.0	36.0	38.0	47.0	53.0
2023	Male	1,328	43.9	42.5	36.0	39.0	47.0	54.0
2021	Female	1,029	43.3	42.0	36.0	39.0	46.0	52.0
2022	Female	1,158	43.2	42.0	36.0	39.0	46.0	53.0
2023	Female	1,116	43.2	42.0	36.0	38.0	47.0	53.0

Responding to some feedback received on our last post, we are providing age at first R01-equivalent data broken down by additional demographic variables, specifically race/ethnicity and disability status.

Table 3 shows the age of Asian, underrepresented minority (URM), and white investigators receiving their first award between FYs 2021 and 2023. It is important to note that we use the White House’s Office of Management and Budget Minimum Standards for collecting and reporting race and ethnicity data (see this Nexus article for more). Race-ethnicity groups were combined to avoid potential privacy concerns.

In general, for FYs 2021 – 2023, the median age at first award is consistent between these groups at 42 years.

Table 3. Age at Receiving first R01-Equivalent for Investigators Identifying as Asian, URM, or White for FYs 2021 – 2023

Fiscal Year	Race / Ethnicity	Number of Investigators	Mean Age (Years)	Median Age (Years)	10th Percentile	25th Percentile	75th Percentile	90th Percentile
2021	Asian	641	42.8	42.0	36.0	38.0	46.0	51.0
2022	Asian	671	43.0	42.0	36.0	38.0	47.0	52.0
2023	Asian	672	43.7	43.0	36.0	39.0	48.0	53.0
2021	URM1	251	44.2	42.0	37.0	39.0	47.0	54.0
2022	URM	304	43.1	42.0	36.0	39.0	46.0	51.0
2023	URM	312	42.8	41.5	36.0	38.0	46.0	52.0
2021	White	1,410	43.4	42.0	36.0	38.0	47.0	53.0
2022	White	1,394	43.4	42.0	36.0	38.0	47.0	54.0
2023	White	1,367	43.6	42.0	36.0	39.0	47.0	54.0

1 URM includes investigators identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, more than 1 race, and Hispanic or Latino – regardless of race.

In table 4, we focus on age disaggregated by disability status. In general, the median age for investigators reporting a disability remained around 40 between FYs 2021 and 2023.

Table 4. Age at Receiving first R01-Equivalent for Investigators Reporting a Disability Status for FYs 2021-2023

Fiscal Year	Disability	Number of Investigators	Mean Age (Years)	Median Age (Years)	10th Percentile	25th Percentile	75th Percentile	90th Percentile
2021	Yes	21	43.6	40.0	36.0	38.0	46.0	52.0
2022	Yes	24	44.3	41.5	36.0	37.5	49.5	61.0
2023	Yes	39	41.3	40.0	34.0	36.0	45.0	50.0
2021	Unknown/ Withheld2	70	46.2	43.5	38.0	40.0	50.0	58.0
2022	Unknown/ Withheld	89	45.9	44.0	38.0	39.0	51.0	58.0
2023	Unknown/ Withheld	85	44.1	41.0	35.0	38.0	48.0	59.0
2021	No	2,386	43.3	42.0	36.0	38.0	47.0	52.0
2022	No	2,442	43.3	42.0	36.0	38.0	47.0	53.0
2023	No	2,395	43.6	42.0	36.0	39.0	47.0	54.0

2 “Unknown/Withheld” refers to a PI selecting the option “Do not wish to provide” or not checking any option on their eRA profile for disability status.

We are committed to ensuring a robust and vibrant future workforce. We will continue to assess age and other factors related to our supported workforce going forward.

I am grateful to my colleagues in the OER Division of Statistical Analysis and Reporting (DSAR) for their contributions to this blog.