The place of unions in the academy
From the largest strike in the history of UK higher education, to the US ‘academic precariat’ looking to unionise to improve their conditions, Jack Grove assesses the changing influence of workers’...
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Ambitious postdocs jostle for scant permanent posts
Poor job security a major issue in survey of chemist and physicist PhD graduates, writes Paul Jump
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We need a middle path to data democracy
There must be greater permeability between universities and tech giants if we want to protect data from corporate interests and use it for the public good
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A salamander and a Star Trek uniform: perfect Christmas gifts for academics
Got some last minute scholarly Christmas shopping to do? Glen Wright has got your back
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Split in postdoc prospects
Wide variations in the career prospects of postdoctoral researchers across disciplines suggest that two distinct research cultures continue to co-exist in universities. In the physical and biological...
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Leader: Postdoc promotion
There are good reasons why there should be more postdoctoral students on temporary contracts in the physical and biological sciences than in the arts and social sciences. Modern scientific research...
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Everyday epiphanies: six academics recall turning points in their careers
Determination to make your own way is key to success in academia, but scholars’ research, teaching and even their lives can be transformed by a chance encounter or event
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The big push: are PhDs too tough?
Study suggests doctorates are now seen as a test of character rather than intellect
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'Best and brightest' postdocs rewarded
Twenty newly qualified biomedical scientists have each received £250,000 awards from the Wellcome Trust in a new scheme to help postdoctoral students start their research careers, writes Louise...
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‘I understand anger over v-c pay’, says new Cambridge head
Institution’s Canadian leader tackles executive remuneration, Brexit and diversifying the university’s student intake in ɫºÐÖ±²¥ interview
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What is it like to take a leadership role at a university?
Senior management has its perks but it also comes with a host of new practical, philosophical, psychological and even physical challenges. Here, seven people who have lived through that fiery baptism...
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California postdocs win better employment terms
After 18 months of wrangling, postdoctoral researchers have finally reached an agreement with the University of California over a contract of employment that they hope will set standards for postdocs...
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The week in higher education – 25 January 2018
The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the world’s media
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Are research institutes islands of excellence?
Independent research institutes are hailed as hothouses for cutting-edge science, but they seem to be falling out of fashion. Rachael Pells asks if concentrating research in universities is a better...
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Research collaboration: does absence make the heart grow fonder?
Academics are likely to be happier at work if their research involves scholars away from their institution, study reveals