Academic capitalism has been among the most influential lines of research into markets in higher education. This paper takes up the distinct but related topic of academic production. This study makes use of a theory of fields and the concept of strategic action fields Fligstein and McAdam ("Social Theory" 29:1-26, 2011; "A theory of fields," Oxford University Press, New York, 2012) and empirical evidence from a qualitative study of laboratory management at three research universities in the US to explore the how micro-dynamics of academic production may contribute to the establishment and maintenance of academic capitalism.