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London's biomedical behemoth opens its doors
This week, the first of 1500 researchers and support staff begin moving into the largest biomedical research building in Europe, the £650 million Francis Crick Institute in London.
The science–policy interface
How do we ensure the effective role of science in public policy-making? This well-worn, long-standing question reflects the fact that the answer is not simple. Later this month in Brussels, scientists and policy-makers will convene at the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) Forum to consider the most promising ways forward.
Research watchdog's new leader faces staff revolt
The new director of the federal office that guards against misconduct in U.S.-funded biomedical research is aiming to shake things up—but is also encountering rough waters. Kathryn Partin, who took the helm of the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) in December 2015, has launched a top-to-bottom review of the office, which has been criticized for moving too slowly and meting out sanctions that lack teeth.
Progress lies in precision
If we want to achieve the ambitions set out by the United Nations for global health and development by 2030, we need to bring two worlds closer together through a new concept—precision public health.
Choosing the nontenure track
“Isn't this just a glorified postdoc position? Won't taking this offer hurt my chances of landing a tenure-track professor position?”
NSF tries two-step review, drawing praise—and darts
Thousands of conservation and environmental biologists must now survive two rounds of peer review before getting funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF says that the two-stage review process, which it launched 4 years ago as a pilot project in two divisions within its biology directorate, has resulted in a more manageable workload and fuller consideration of the highest-quality proposals.
Science advice for Europe
On 23 July, around 4500 scientists and friends of science will assemble in Manchester, UK, for the opening of the EuroScience Open Forum, Europe's largest interdisciplinary research conference.
The communities of Science
"Science is, indeed, a profoundly social activity": Jeremy Berg's first Science editorial
The measure of success
Rather than focusing on what members of underrepresented groups need to do to “adapt” to academic culture, we should be interrogating the system itself, which expects all of us to work excessively at the expense of our physical and mental health.
A winding path to satisfaction
Many feel there is only one path to success and that any deviations will be catastrophic. My own academic path might seem to support this belief. On the surface, it appears quite linear: undergrad, grad student, postdoc, faculty member. But if you look deeper, you will see the series of roadblocks and revised plans that led me to where I am today.
A peek at peer review helps young scientists
Winning a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hard, especially if it's your first one. New data from a pilot project called the Early Career Reviewer (ECR) Program suggest that sitting in judgment of other grant applicants can help young scientists improve their odds when they apply for their own grants.
Genuine research keeps students in science
A new study of a novel undergraduate program at the University of Texas (UT), Austin, has found that giving college freshmen the opportunity to do research as part of their coursework significantly increases their chances of completing college and graduating with a science degree.
What does research reproducibility mean?
The language and conceptual framework of “research reproducibility” are nonstandard and unsettled across the sciences. In this Perspective, we review an array of explicit and implicit definitions of reproducibility and related terminology, and discuss how to avoid potential misunderstandings when these terms are used as a surrogate for “truth.”
Preprints for the life sciences
Piece reflecting the opinions of researchers, funders, and journals.
Why pursue the postdoc path?
Complex, diverse rationales require nuanced policies: evidence suggests a need for increased attention to career planning among students, their mentors, graduate schools, and funders
When the payoff for academics drops, commercialization suffers
A 2002 law in Norway that ended the country's long-running practice of giving academics 100% ownership of their intellectual property and adopted a U.S.-style system caused the per capita number of patents from academics to drop by 53% in the next 5 years.
A radical change in peer review
A radical change in peer review
Creating a more inclusive academy
Although there has been a welcome increase in discussion about gender disparities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), broad participation of women from all backgrounds in academic STEM will not be achieved until institutions are transformed.
Europe on course for a neutron drought
Scientists in Europe face a dramatic reduction in neutrons beams for research within the next 5 to 10 years.