Now that I'm back in academia -- we really need to crackdown inside academia on "professors" who are really professional expert witnesses using up a position and a salary at what is supposed to be a non-profit (the university). (1/5)

Imagine if a senior employee at, say, the United Way
were drawing $~300K+ in donor money and in fact spending most of their time testifying in defense of the opioid industry. They'd be fired! It's a scandal.

The defense is that a professor can contribute or learn by doing expert work. Yes, experience matters; a side-gig is one thing, as are public interest cases. But there are clearly professors who have crossed the line and spend most time in expert work.

The work also has the obvious effect over the long term of tilting academic research and thinking to favor the industries who pay the professors. Because everyone is influenced by who they hear from, and who they are paid by.

Also: there's nothing wrong with being a full-time professional witness for a living-- I just don't know why academia and our donors should subsidize the expert witness industry at the expense of students, public service, and research.