In a nutshell: There is no research without teaching. [1]

The noble task of a university professor is to enable students to become candid scientists. Some of them will then follow the road of research, which is but one part of science, being the motor of knowledge production. Others will opt for opportunities to apply such knowledge, or will teach what they learnt to students, or will do something far from the science they have been trained in.

Those who want to continue on an academic research road, allegedly less influenced by industry interests, seem to have a problem. To get a lifetime post at the university, they have to climb the academic ladder to its top, a venture with many uncertainties and privations. Got there finally they realise that the job of a full professor does not leave much time for own research, just 17 percent of their working time in the average, to be precise. However, another 20 percent are invested in research supervision, thus research covers 37 percent of a professors time, which is more than the 30 percent he spends for teaching. As a professor I would be much more intrigued by the fact that over 20 percent of my time are consumed by management and organisational stuff. [2]

Beg you pardon? Research supervision is not to be regarded as own research, you say? Aha. What does ‚own research‘ actually mean? Is it the kind of research I am carrying out me myself in front of my stand-alone computer? Where does research of this type exist really? Research is teamwork, and the teams are made up of people of various backgrounds and experiences, with hopefully the most experienced ones as team leaders. A professor’s task of research supervision is something between team leading and teaching, and I deem it an absolutely essential part of his job – and of his own research.

As a student, more than forty years ago, I had the chance to learn with some professors of the teaching researcher kind. I cannot imagine that they all have gone without leaving some followers behind.

References:
[1] first published on Facebook
[2] David Matthews: ‚If you love research, academia may not be for you‚ (with thank to Marcy Goldberg for the link)