Erin E Leahey

Interests

Teaching

research design; science, knowledge, and innovation; quantitative analysis & reasoning

Research

interdisciplinarity; scientific careers

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Chapters

• Leahey, E. E., & Blume, A. (2017). Elucidating the Gender Divide in Patenting Activity. In Gender and Entrepreneurial Activity. Edward Elgar Publishing.
  More info

  Leahey, Erin, and Amelia Blume (2017). “Elucidating the Gender Divide in Patenting Activity.” Chapter 7 (pp. 151-167) in Al Link (ed.) Gender and Entrepreneurial Activity. Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Leahey, E. E., & McBee, D. (2016). “New Directions in Interdisciplinary Training: Trials and Tribulations”. In Investigating Interdisciplinary Research: Theory and Practice across Disciplines.. Rutgers, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
• Barringer, S., Eliason, S., & Leahey, E. E. (2013). A History of Causal Analysis in the Social Sciences. In Handbook of Causal Analysis for Social Research. Springer.
  More info

  Barringer, Sondra, Scott R. Eliason, and Erin Leahey (2013). "A History of Causal Analysis in the Social Sciences." Chapter in the Handbook of Causal Analysis for Social Research edited by Stephen L. Morgan. Springer, pp. 9-26.

Journals/Publications

• Leahey, E. E., Lee, J., & Funk, R. J. (2023). What Types of Novelty are most Disruptive?. American Sociological Review, 88(3), 562–597.
  More info

  This paper was supported by a NSF grant to me and my Co-PI Russell Funk at the Carlton School of Management at the University of Minnesota. My PhD student Jina Lee was RA on the project and a coauthor.
• Park, M., Leahey, E. E., & Funk, R. J. (2020). Dynamics of Disruption in Science and Technology. TBD.
  More info

  This is another paper emanating from the collaborative NSF grant with Co-I Russ Funk. Mike Park is an international graduate student at U Minnesota. We analyze all Web of Science articles and all US Patents over a 50 years period to understand whether and how scientific work is becoming less disruptive. This paper won a Best Paper award at the Academy of Management in summer 2021. We submitted the paper to Science, but it was rejected. We are now revising and deciding where to send it next.
• Barringer, S., Leahey, E. E., & Salazar, K. (2020). “What Catalyzes Universities’ Commitment to Interdisciplinary Research?”. Research in Higher Education, 61, 679–705.
  More info

  This is the third published paper to emanate out of my collaborative NSF grant (2015-2019) with former PhD student Sondra Barringer, now at SMU. Karina Salazar was an RA on the project for 3 years, and is a first generation student from South Tucson.Research in Higher Education (JIF 2.2) publishes studies that examine issues pertaining to postsecondary education.
• Hackett, E. J., Leahey, E. E., & Parker, J. N. (2021). “Do Synthesis Centers Synthesize? A Semantic Analysis of Diversity in Research Output”. Research Policy, 48. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2020.104069
  More info

  Work on this large-scale and computationally intensive analysis began in about 2012! The international team met several times over a period of years at two synthesis centers - NCEAS at UCSB and NesCent at Duke - and collaborated effectively.There are several other authors including: Ismael Rafols, Stephanie Hampton, Ugo Corte, John M. Drake, Bart Penders, Laura Sheble, Niki Vermeulen, Todd Vision.Research Policy (JIF 5.3) is a multi-disciplinary journal devoted to analyzing, understanding and effectively responding to the economic, policy, management, organizational, environmental and other challenges posed by innovation, technology, R&D and science. Edward J. Hackett, Erin Leahey, John N. Parker, Ismael Rafols, Stephanie Hampton, Ugo Corte, John M. Drake, Bart Penders, Laura Sheble, Niki Vermeulen, Todd Vision (2021). “Do Synthesis Centers Synthesize? A Semantic Analysis of Diversity in Research Output.” Research Policy 50(1)
• Leahey, E. E., & Barringer, S. (2020). Universities’ Commitment to Interdisciplinary Research: To What End?. Research Policy.
  More info

  This paper has been published in Research Policy, Research Policy (JIF 5.3) is a multi-disciplinary journal devoted to analyzing, understanding and effectively responding to the economic, policy, management, organizational, environmental and other challenges posed by innovation, technology, R&D and science. The research was funded by a collaborative NSF grant with former PhD student Sondra Barringer (now at SMU).
• Koppman, S., & Leahey, E. (2019). Who moves to the methodological edge? Factors that encourage scientists to use unconventional methods. Research Policy, 48(9).
  More info

  Research Policy (JIF 5.3) is a multi-disciplinary journal devoted to analyzing, understanding and effectively responding to the economic, policy, management, organizational, environmental and other challenges posed by innovation, technology, R&D and science.
• Leahey, E., Barringer, S. N., & Ring-Ramirez, M. (2019). Universities' structural commitment to interdisciplinary research. Scientometrics, 118(3), 891-919.
  More info

  This is the first/foundational paper from our 3 year NSF grant that ended in 2019. Co-I Sondra Barringer earned her PhD from UA in 2013 and is now Assistant Professor at SMU.Scientometrics (JIF 2.9) is concerned with the quantitative features and characteristics of science and scientific research.
• Koppman, S., & Leahey, E. E. (2016). Risk and Reputation: How Professional Classification Signals Drive the Diffusion of New Methods. working paper under revision.
  More info

  This project was funded by the ConfluenCenter at UA; we collected original data, analyzed it, and wrote a paper for submission to ASA and Academy of Management annual meetings. Both were due in early January 2016, and both have been accepted.
• Leahey, E. E., & Koppman, S. (2015). Risk and Reputation: How Professional Classification Signals Drive the Diffusion of New Methods. ASA conference paper.
  More info

  This project was funded by the ConfluenCenter at UA; we collected original data, analyzed it, and wrote a paper for submission to ASA and Academy of Management annual meetings. Both were due in early January 2016, and both have been accepted.
• Leahey, E. E., Nielsen, M. W., Alegria, S., Börjeson, L., Etzkowitz, H., Falk-Krzesinski, H. J., Joshi, A., Smith-Doerr, L., Woolley, A. W., & Schiebinger, L. (2018). The Perks and Perils of Interdisciplinary Research. European Review, 26, S55-S67.
• Leahey, E. E. (2015). From Solo Investigator to Team Scientist: Trends in the Practice and Study of Research Collaboration. Annual Review of Sociology.
• Leahey, E. E., Beckman, C., & Stanko, T. (2009). Prominent but Less Productuve: The Impact of Interdisicplinarity on Scientists' Research. Administrative Science Quarterly.
  More info

  The paper has received a second "revise and resubmit" from Administrative Science Quarterly.
• Leahey, E. E., Beckman, C., & Stanko, T. (2017). Prominent but Less Productive: The Impact of Interdisicplinarity on Scientists' Research. Administrative Science Quarterly.
  More info

  Administrative Science Quarterly (ASQ; JIF 8.3), owned and managed by the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University,is a top-ranked, quarterly, peer-reviewed journal that publishes the best theoretical and empirical papers on organizational studies from dissertations and the evolving, new work of more established scholars, as well as interdisciplinary work in organizational theory, and informative book reviews.
• Leahey, E., Mathias, N., Alegria, S., Börjeson, L., Etzkowitz, H., Falk-Krzesinski, H., Joshi, A., Leahey, E. L., Smith-Doerr, L., Williams Woolley, A., & Schiebinger, L. (2017). Gender diversity leads to better science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
  More info

  Nielsen, Mathias W., Sharla Alegria, Love Börjeson, Henry Etzkowitz, Holly J. Falk-Krzesinski, Aparna Joshi, Erin Leahey, Laurel Smith-Doerr, Anita Williams Woolley, and Londa Schiebinger (2017). “Gender diversity leads to better science.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(8): 1740–1742. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1700616114
• Leahey, E. E. (2016). From Solo Investigator to Team Scientist: Trends in the Practice and Study of Research Collaboration. Annual Review of Sociology.
• Koppman, S., Cain, C., & Leahey, E. E. (2013). The Joy of Science: Disciplinary Diversity in Emotional Accounts. Science, Technology, and Human Values.
  More info

  First two authors were/are graduate students and RAs on the NSF project.
• Leahey, E. E., & Moody, J. (2013). Sociological Innovation through Subfield Integration. Social Currents.
  More info

  Leahey, Erin, and James Moody. Sociological Innovation through Subfield Integration Revise & resubmit.
• Leahey, E. E. (2013). No Decline, Just Loss of Dominance: A Prompt to Worry (a bit) and Ask Why. Contemporary Sociology.
  More info

  Book review.Leahey, Erin (2013). No Decline, just Loss of Dominance: A Prompt to Worry (a bit) and Ask Why. Lead review on symposium about Yu Xie and Alexandra Killewald _Is American Science in Decline?_ Harvard University Press 2012. Contemporary Sociology 42(6): 790-92.
• Leahey, E. E., & Cain, C. L. (2013). Straight from the Source: Accounting for Scientific Success. Social Studies of Science, 43(6), 24.
  More info

  Leahey, Erin, and Cindy L. Cain (2013). “Straight from the Source: Accounting for Scientific Success.” Social Studies of Science 43(6): 927-951.This is the first and main paper to result from my NSF grant.
• Leahey, E. E. (2012). Lawyers' Lines of Work: The Role of Specialization in the Income Determination Process. Social Forces.
  More info

  Leahey, Erin, and Laura A. Hunter (2012). “Lawyers’ Lines of Work: The Role of Specialization in the Income Determination Process.” Social Forces 90(4):1101-1132. This paper was published with graduate student Laura Hunter.
• Leahey, E. E., & Reikowsky, R. C. (2008). Research Specialization and Collaboration Patterns in Sociology. Social Studies of Science, 38(3), 425-440.

Proceedings Publications

• Leahey, E. E. (2012, September). Shaping Scientific Work: The Organization of Knowledge Communities. In National Academies of Science: SciSIP PI conference - commissioned paper.
  More info

  Leahey, Erin (2012). “Shaping Scientific Work: The Organization of Knowledge Communities.” Paper commissioned by the National Academies of Science for NSF Science of Science and Innovation Policy (SciSIP) program workshop, Washington, DC, September 2012.

Presentations

• Leahey, E. E. (2023, February).

  “Papers and Patents are Becoming Less Disruptive over Time”

  . Invited talk at the UIUC School of Information Colloquium series.
• Leahey, E. E. (2023, June).

  “Illuminating Dark Matter”

  . Invited Keynote at International Conference on Science of Science. Northwestern University, Evanstan, IL.
• Leahey, E. E. (2023, March).

  “What Types of Novelty are Most Disruptive?”

  . Invited talk @ MIT Sloan School of Management, Economic Sociology group. Cambridge, MA: MIT SLoan School.
• Leahey, E. E. (2023, May).

  “What Types of Novelty are Most Disruptive?”

  . Invited talk at Nordic Network for the Science of Science, Odense, Denmark. Odense, Denmark.
• Leahey, E. E. (2023, November).

   “Transfer and Translation at the University”

  . Invited presentation at University of the Future Symposium, University of Tubingen (Germany).
• Leahey, E. E. (2023, October).

  "Disruption in Science: Trends, Patterns, and Correlates"

  . Invited keynote at Leibniz Center for Science and Society & DZHW, Hanover, Germany.
• Leahey, E. E. (2023, September).

  "How Science Policy Shapes the Nature of Scientific Work” 

  . CWTS Speaker series at Leiden University. Leiden, NL: CWTS.
• Leahey, E. E., Nanoti, A., Langalia, M., Lee, J., Gomez, C. J., & Bratt, S. E. (2023, June). Division of Labor in Data-Intensive Science: Implications for Innovation and Equity. 2nd International Conference of Science of Science & Innovation (ICSSI). Kellogg Global HUB, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA: Digital Science.
  More info

  In this paper, we systematically analyze the international division of labor on 1.2 million datasets submitted to GenBank over 29 years (1992-2021). GenBank [1] is an international open research data repository for the genomics community hosted by NCBI – and through which the Human Genome Project was conducted and COVID-19 sequences submitted – mak- ing it an ideal site to analyze the global distribution of labor on datasets. To classify countries, we use the the World Bank Income Classification [2] and a newer measure, the Scientific and Technical Capacity Index (STCI) [7], nuancing the binary of N-S. We analyzed the yearly struc- tures and dynamics of the division of N-S division of labor on genomic datasets by calculating the ratio of overlap of scientists appearing as (co)contributors to the dataset and on the dataset’s associated publication(s), inferring that a higher overlap is indicative of “coreness” in flat teams [8]. Coreness is indicative that the dataset submitter is more ‘core’ to the project, indicating the technical labor on a project is drawn into the intellectual center of the study. We find: (1) Scientists from the global south tend to be listed as datasets contributors more often that of global north researchers. Overlap increases overall, but there remain dis- tinct functional roles; that is, 40 percent of scientists are only dataset contributors. This finding is surprising given prior studies reporting the lack of infrastructures to produce and curate data in low income or scientifically developing countries. However, it could be that contribution is explained by the high frequency of N-S collaborations in genomics research on infectious diseases [5], leading to southern scientists being equipped to collect and submit datasets. (2) We identify a positive relationship between the “flatness” of a team and southern scientists leading or last author on the publication.
• Leahey, E. E. (2021). What Types of Novelty are Most Disruptive. Academy of Management. zoom.
• Leahey, E. E. (2021). “What Types of Novelty are Most Disruptive?”. Invited talk at Brown UniversityDepartment of Sociology.
• Leahey, E. E. (2021, August). Historical Dynamics of Disruption in Science and Technology. Academy of Management. zoom.
• Leahey, E. E. (2021, August). “Universities’ Commitment to Interdisciplinary Research: Causes and Consequences.”. Invited talk at Network of Inter- and Trans-disciplinary Research Organisations (NITRO) – Oceana. Australia (via Zoom).
• Leahey, E. E. (2021, December). “What Types of Novelty are Most Disruptive?”. Invited talk at Leiden UniversityCWTS.
• Leahey, E. E. (2020, Fall). What Types of Novelty are Most Disruptive?. UNC Sociology Colloquium. Zoom: UNC Chapel Hill Sociology.
  More info

  I was asked to give the kick-off talk for UNC Sociology's 2020-21 lecture series.
• Leahey, E. E., & Lee, J. (2020, summer). What Type of Novelty are Most Disruptive?. Indiana University Network Science Institute, CADRE Project. Zoom.
  More info

  CADRE helped secure the data for this project and asked us to give a talk about our research.
• Leahey, E. E., & Lee, J. (2020, summer). What Types of Novelty are Most Disruptive?. Stanford Workshop on Computational Sociology. Zoom.
  More info

  Jina and I presented this paper and fielded questions while serving on a panel and Stanford's Computational Sociology Workshop in August 2020.
• Leahey, E. E. (2019, Spring). Keynote address: “The Impact of Interdisciplinarity on Scientists’ Careers”. Social Science Research Center, College for International Education Research International Conference (CIDER). Berlin, Germany (April). Berlin.
  More info

  I was invited to give a talk summarizing a number of my works on interdisciplinarity.
• Leahey, E. E. (2019, fall). "The Contours of Interdisciplinarity". Uppsala University, Centre for Integrated Research on Culture and Society, workshop on “Why Interdisciplinarity?” Uppsala, Sweden. Uppsala University, Sweden.
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  I was invited to give a talk about my research program on interdisciplinarity.
• Leahey, E. E. (2018, August). “Studying Scientific Careers”. University of Arizona, Department of Planetary Sciences. UA campus.
  More info

  I was asked to give a talk focused on my research about scientific careers.
• Leahey, E. E. (2018, January). “Infrastructure for Interdisciplinarity”. The National Academies of Science Innovation Policy Forum, “Workshop on Government Decision-Making to Allocate Scientific Resources”. Washington DC: NAS.
  More info

  Invited talk.
• Leahey, E. E. (2018, May). Keynote Address: “Is Interdisciplinary Collaboration Worth the Trouble?”. Loma Linda University Health Collaboration Symposium. virtual: Loma Linda University.
  More info

  Invited talk.
• Leahey, E. E., & Ring-Ramirez, M. (2018, October). “Universities’ Structural Commitment to Interdisciplinary Research”. University of Arizona, Computational Social Science Workshop. Tucson: CSS Certificate Program.
  More info

  Misty, a RA on my 2015-18 NSF project with Sondra Barringer, and I presented this paper at the bi-annual CSS workshop.
• Leahey, E. E. (2016, February). How Gender Informs Research Programs & Disciplinary Cultures. Is there a ‘gender-diversity dividend’ for science? Mapping the knowledge implications of increasing gender diversity in research.” NSF-sponsored workshop organized by Londa Schiebinger & Mathias W. NielsenStanford University.
• Leahey, E. E. (2016, February). Investigations in Interdisciplinarity. UA School of Information.
• Leahey, E. E. (2016, September). Is Interdisciplinary Collaboration Worth the Trouble?. German Center for Higher Education Research & Science Studies.
• Leahey, E. E., & Koppman, S. (2016, April). Risk and Reputation: How Professional Classification Signals Drive the Adoption of New Methods. Indiana University, School of Library and Information Science.
• Leahey, E. E. (2015, November). Prominent but Less Productive: The Impact of Interdisciplinarity on Scientists' Research. U Iowa colloquium.
• Leahey, E. E. (2015, fall). Prominent but Less Productive: The Impact of Interdisciplinarity on Scientists’ Careers. department colloquium. Iowa City, IA: Department of Sociology.
• Leahey, E. E. (2015, fall). Quantifying Science. workshop associated with the Conference on Complex Systems 2015. Tempe, AZ.
• Leahey, E. E., & McBee, D. (2015, AUgust). “New Directions in Interdisciplinary Training: Trials and Tribulations”. ASA annual meeting. Chicago, IL.
• Leahey, E. E., & McBee, D. (2015, fall). Trails and Tribulation of Interdisciplinary Research. 4S (Society for the Social Studies of Science) Annual Meeting. Denver, CO.
• Leahey, E. E. (2013, August). How Gender Informs Research Programs and Disciplinary Cultures. ASA annual meeting.
  More info

  I was invited to present a synopsis of three of my research papers at a thematic session at the annual ASA meeting.
• Leahey, E. E. (2013, May). The Impact of Interdisciplinarity on Scientists' Careers. Global Young Academy.
  More info

  I was invited to present my research at the Global Young Academy meeting in Hannover, Germany.
• Leahey, E. E. (2013, May). The Impact of Interdisciplinarity on Scientists' Careers. University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
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  I was invited to present my research to the markets and Organizations group.
• Leahey, E. E. (2012, 2012-10-01). The Impact of Inter-disciplinarity on Scientists' Careers. Penn State Department of Sociology. Penn State University.
  More info

  I was invited to give a talk at Penn State Department of Sociology.
• Leahey, E. E. (2012, August). Interdisciplinarity: Theory, Methods, and Data. Academy of Management. Boston, MA.
  More info

  This was a Professional Development Workshop I was asked to co-lead. It was my first time attending the Academy of Management meeting.
• Leahey, E. E., Beckman, C., & Stanko, T. (2012, 2012-08-01). The Impact of Inter-disciplinarity on Scientists' Careers.. ASA. Denver, CO.
  More info

  Academic conference presentation: American Sociological Association

Poster Presentations

• Leahey, E. E., Lee, J., Langalia, M., Devitt, W., Gomez, C. J., & Bratt, S. E. (2023, June). North-South Collaborations on Scientific Datasets: A Longitudinal Exploration (1992-2021). 2nd International Conference of Science of Science & Innovation. Kellogg Global HUB, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA: Digital Science.
  More info

  In this paper, we systematically analyze the frequency of N-S collaborations on approx- imately 1.2 million sequences submitted to GenBank over 29 years (1992-2021). GenBank [2] is an international open research data repository for the genomics community hosted by NCBI, and in which the Human Genome Project sequences were shared and infectious disease sequences submitted (including COVID-19) making GenBank an ideal site to analyze N-S col- laborations on datasets. To classify countries we use the World Bank Income Classification [4] and the Scientific and Technical Capacity Index (STCI) [11]. We find: (1) datasets are disproportionately produced by the global north, but there is a higher rate of collaborations between nations with discrepant S&T capacity on datasets over time. The preponderance of the datasets submitted are domestic collaborations, but where there is international collaborations, over 89 percent are collaborations among scientifically advanced countries. The N-S collaborations networks demonstrate “burstiness” in their forma- tion and dissolution [5], suggesting scientific reactivity to outbreaks of infectious disease (e.g. HIV/AIDs) and ad hoc influx of resources to build capacity in southern scientists’ institutions (see Figure 1). (2) The classification indices commonly used to characterize the global north and south at a national level are incompatible revealing a need for composite mea- sures to nuance the N-S binary. The S&T capacity index [11] to the need for measures that capture the multi-faceted nature of the N-S political economy [1, 7], where S&T capacity and income measures are not interchangeable. For instance, United Arab Emirates is classified as a High Income Country (HIC) by the World Bank income classification, but as a Scientifically Lagging Country (SLC) by the parameters of the S&T index.

Others

• Leahey, E. E., & Koppman, S. (2013, September). Disciplinary Trading Zones: A Focus on Methodological Imports..
  More info

  We began collecting data for this ConfluenCenter funded project.
• Leahey, E. E. (2017, December). Infrastructure for Interdisciplinarity. A Science Policy Report prepared for NSF and the National Academies, funded by NSF award #1723536.
• Leahey, E. E. (2016, July). The Perks and Perils of Interdisciplinary Research. Social Science Research Council’s online Items series. http://items.ssrc.org/the-perks-and-perils-of-interdisciplinary-research/
• Leahey, E. E. (2017, January). Interdisciplinary research may lead to increased visibility but also depresses scholarly productivity. LSE Impact Blog. 23 January 2017. http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2017/01/19/
• Leahey, E. E. (2017, January). Prominent but Less Productive: The Impact of Interdisciplinarity on Scientists’ Research. The ASQ Blog. https://asqblog.com/2017/01/25/leahey-beckman-stanko-2016/