Researcher (senior)

Policy should focus more on research’s benefits to a region than on where it is conducted, say Sarah Chaytor, Grace Gottlieb and Graeme Reid

Scientific leaders and politicians have embraced calls to reduce the stress and precarity faced by researchers. Jack Grove examines some radical proposals

Concentrating funding on top universities around Beijing and Shanghai risks alienating students forced to settle for less exalted institutions, researchers say

With some academics being willing to oust those they disagree with, self-censorship is a huge, unacknowledged problem, says James Tooley

Lack of transparency in examinations under spotlight as US feminist’s dissertation finally lodged in Bodleian

Imminent research cuts linked to GCRF reductions could fall heavily on UK’s regions, figures show

Simpler options are imperfect but perhaps no more so than the panels’ unavoidably cursory ‘peer review’ of submissions, says Dorothy Bishop

The focus of research evaluation on papers and grants excludes far too many vital contributions. We must change that, says Simon Hettrick

Relying on academic research, thinktanks translate findings into the language of politicians and media, EUA president Michael Murphy argues – but not always accurately

Amid demographic decline and geopolitical isolation, island hopes to have more English-language courses

A failure of imagination and aversion to networking is preventing doctoral students finding rewarding careers outside academia, says Max Horder

Merging metrics for the REF, KEF and TEF would free up time for academics to become researchers once again, says Robert MacIntosh

‘The first Black woman on the tenure track in theoretical cosmology’ tells Matthew Reisz about her struggles to reconcile a pristine childhood image of science with the reality she confronts by using selective citation to marginalise racist or sexist scientists

Covid-19 has prompted an explosion in preprints but has curtailed networking and underlined the extra pressures on women and junior academics. Simon Baker asks whether the pandemic era is a dark blip or a bright new dawn

Three countries even received double-digit increases in 2020, but with so much new government debt, some fear cuts could be in store further down the line

UK academia’s champion for black postgraduate students, Anne-Marie Imafidon, and others explain how scholars can help diversify graduate education

Foreign students, mostly from Asia, ‘will simply go elsewhere’ if Biden doesn’t act soon

Long-term public and economic health depends on empowering universities, businesses and health systems to work together, says Michael Spence

Attempts to impose the IHRA definition have prompted the formulation of an alternative that respects academic freedom, says Bahram Bekhradnia

Playwright can help us see beyond the limitations of the biomedical model, argues palliative care doctor

Universities have decried the GCRF cuts, but being corralled into promoting justice globalism is not academic freedom, says Bruce Macfarlane

Better and more open policies should accompany rapid jump in overseas recruitment, scholars say

Anonymising applications and reserving studentships and starter grants for Black researchers would go a long way, says Daniel Akinbosede

University employees are ‘in the firing line’ and some have gone into hiding

Without audit studies, we would have an impoverished understanding of discrimination, say S. Michael Gaddis, Charles Crabtree and nine others

Sector leaders welcome independent review into bureaucracy, which follows Dominic Cummings’ diatribe against ‘process horror’ in research

Amid the economic ravages inflicted by the coronavirus, the EU has agreed a huge stimulus package. But while research in some countries looks set for a transformational boost, it may be a different story for teaching

Former Downing Street guru says UK’s new research agency must be freed from ‘expensive disaster zone’ of science bureaucracy

A year since face-to-face academic conferences were cancelled, Jack Grove hears from scholars on their mixed experiences of digital events

The author and historian on how a story about a young cavewoman inspired her and the books that bring London’s everyday past to life  

Boost in research funding is only a first step in fostering innovation, experts say

Local and international collaboration will allow institutions to tackle the challenges of sustainable development, says Tawana Kupe

The crackdown on ‘Islamo-leftism’ is a purely political move to court right-wing votes in the coming election, says William Barylo

Worries about Islamo-leftism in France and free speech in England reflect disciplines’ straddling of science and activism, says Alexis Artaud de La Ferrière

Catherine Rottenberg applauds a bold attempt to forge a politics of solidarity in response to humanitarian crisis

New funding should be used to lure researchers from industry and overseas, experts say

Knock-backs are frequent and unavoidable. But treating referees’ comments with a hard-headed pragmatism lessens the sting, says Adrian Furnham

With more candidates than ever applying for research roles, some scholars are reassessing how they engage with unsuccessful applicants

Evidence shows that universities outside the golden triangle are among the best at creating successful companies, says Brian McCaul

As Netflix’s film on Sutton Hoo illustrates, collaboration between academic and commercial research enriches understanding of history, says Susan Greaney

Budget also aims to cut bureaucracy and open up internationalisation avenues 

Major scholarly publishers warn that some titles will become unviable unless open access scheme changes tack on compliance

The ‘feel’ for a person that comes from encountering them in their home is difficult to replicate in depth online, says Graham Crow

Experts call on global community to support Burmese scholars

Shocking lapses in scientific standards show why renewed scrutiny of existing literature and new anti-fraud measures are needed, says David A. Sanders

Researchers should campaign with the public to build back better, say Stephen Bradley, Jessica Butler and Chris Chambers

More ‘coherent’ mechanism is needed to develop regional ties, expert says

Researcher uses role-play techniques to demonstrate both the technical and interpersonal challenges of decision-making during a pandemic

Expert sees opportunities for ‘soft power’ in Global South

Universities may think they have more pressing priorities than the UN’s SDGs. But they don’t, say Martha McPherson and Kate Roll

The country’s universities have shot up global rankings on the back of huge investment and a ruthless focus on publication. But as the country gears up for its next five-year plan, Joyce Lau asks whether stratospheric ambitions for a ‘Chinese Harvard’ can be met

Manuscripts by female authors enjoy more favourable treatment in many disciplines, according to analysis of 350,000 journal submissions

Praise for Covid vaccine creators is deserved, but the extraordinary work of other scientists must not be overlooked, says Nicholas Dirks

Robert Peckham’s faith in the value of his medical humanities training was gravely tested as his father lay in intensive care

Research scheme advocated by Dominic Cummings may provide template for streamlined grants process in future

While eLife is planning to publish only preprints, even it concedes that journal brand still counts for a lot, notes Michael Marinetto

Evidence suggests that different personality types are drawn to – and excel at – teaching and research, says John Dreijmanis

Academics remain wedded to prestige indicators, but peer reviewers may conclude that the journal is profiteering, says Dorothy Bishop

The government points to a decade of funding guarantees, but critics have taken aim at draconian punishments for campus protests and the rushed scrapping of a PhD vetting body

The ‘Tasmania Model’ of addressing social need offers lessons for the wider sector, say Rufus Black and Nick Fowler