The simulation of an academic job search used in this study is not very much like a real academic job search. This study was well designed, but it is harder t

The simulation of an academic job search used in this study is not very much like a real academic job search. This study was well designed, but it is harder to do a faithful blind replication of the hiring process in academia vs the public or private sector because job searches are much rarer, and most of the applicants are known - at least by reputation - by most of the evaluation committee - their future coworkers. The researchers made a strong effort to obscure the goal of the study, but if you are an academic participating in an artificial candidate search, you are likely to suspect that one of the variables being tested is either sex, race, or both. The experiment where evaluators rated a single candidate addresses this somewhat, but even in that case the participants are almost certain to have known that there was no job search in progress, and very likely to have realized that there was a socially desirable response possible to be given at no cost. By no cost, I mean that this person is not going to show up and take space and resources that could go to your preferred candidate/collaborator.