@jack @ChristiJunior @matrix I just had that conversation with a friend a couple of days ago, who had the opportunity to get into such job at the university, but doesn't want to for that very reason.
Over here it's all about writing papers all the time. The more papers, the better the scientist. And it's a public university, so these assholes get paid with our tax money.
Having been at some of the more science-oriented research centres, I can say that they work on super specific things that in some cases can't even be applied yet. One woman has been working 10 years on some statistical analysis project that went nowhere, yet still manages to produce papers and give lectures to this day, about that subject and its possibilities. Again, that's money from taxes.
NO NO NO NO.
"Department of informatics"
How?
Nuke California!