How I Learned to Redefine Academic Success As a Senior Postdoc
After many professional twists and turns, a researcher reconsiders what it means to 'make it' in academia.
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If You're Not Failing, You're Not Learning
The learning scientist Manu Kapur, architect of the theory of productive failure, on reframing our notion of failure, and letting kids stumble (but with purpose).
Network of Clubs is Building a New Pipeline of Science Policy Professionals
Network of Clubs is Building a New Pipeline of Science Policy Professionals
A grassroots network led by early-career scientists offers new pathways to policy careers.
Feeling Lonely in Research? You're Not Alone
Opening up about my feelings during my PhD was powerful and cathartic.
Spain Votes Through Overhaul of Research Careers
Spain is about to overhaul its research career structures, after the Congress of Deputies approved the final version of a reform to the country's 2011 science, technology and innovation law last week.
Why Four Scientists Spent a Year Saying No
Saying no is a skill - and practising it improved our science.
A Moment That Changed Me: a Maths Puzzle Taught Me to Use My Brain - and Helped Me Cope with Losing My Daughter
A Moment That Changed Me: a Maths Puzzle Taught Me to Use My Brain - and Helped Me Cope with Losing My Daughter
As a schoolboy, I put little effort into my homework. But a long night wrestling with Euclidean geometry led to a career in nuclear physics - and a more resilient personality
Bullied Abroad: How Foreign Researchers Can Fight Back
Bullied Abroad: How Foreign Researchers Can Fight Back
Most international scholars do not report experiences of bullying because they fear retaliation, including threats to cancel visas. But they can take action.
When I Hit Obstacles on My Academic Journey, I Learned to Keep Trying and Embrace the Unexpected
When I Hit Obstacles on My Academic Journey, I Learned to Keep Trying and Embrace the Unexpected
With perseverance and adaptability, this scientist found his way forward.
Research Culture: Highlighting the Positive Aspects of Being a PhD Student
Research Culture: Highlighting the Positive Aspects of Being a PhD Student
Articles about doing a PhD tend to focus on the difficulties faced by research students: here we argue that the scientific community should also highlight the positive elements of the PhD experience.
How Colombian Coffee Farmers Helped My Climate-change Research
Community engagement enabled Jessica Eise to boost the relevance of her research. Here are her six tips for how to do this.
Switching Labs During a PhD
Jonathan Park's scientific interests changed after caring for a cancer patient. He ended up bidding an amicable farewell to Mark Gerstein, a supportive supervisor who had taught him a lot.
A Postdoc's Guide to Choosing the Right Lab
Allison McClure describes how she secured her first postdoctoral position and shares her thoughts on how laboratories can attract candidates.
Science Communication with a French Twist
Sarah Gagliano Taliun's mother tongue is English, science's lingua franca. Her move to a French-speaking university presented challenges and opportunities.
Manifesto to Save 'Lost Generation' of Researchers
Research leaders have this week put their weight behind a manifesto calling for moves to make research careers more attractive in a bid to stop the brain drain away from science.
Has the 'Great Resignation' Hit Academia?
A wave of departures, many of them by mid-career scientists, calls attention to widespread discontent in universities.
Gender Differences in the Determinants of Becoming a Professor in Germany
Eight Ways Universities Can Make Career Assessment More Equitable
New measures to reward scholars in the Netherlands could widen gender inequality if they are not designed and implemented correctly, warn four academics.
Career Change: When Dreams Don't Come True
As she closes the door on her time in academia, a neuroscientist faces unexpected grief.
How the Career Path to Principal Investigator is Narrowing
Lab leader roles are proving more elusive as trainees seek opportunities elsewhere, two studies find.
How and Why to Say 'no' to Colleagues and Collaborators
Sometimes it's best to refuse offers and focus on the right projects to benefit your career.
The Marine Biologist Whose Photography Pastime Became a Profession
The Marine Biologist Whose Photography Pastime Became a Profession
Alexander Semenov is a marine biologist and head of the scientific diving team at the White Sea Biological Station of Moscow State University.
Turning off My Phone Improved My Science
How stepping back from 24/7 connectivity helped to restore Adam Weiss's focus in the lab.
Moving Forward: from the Passive Leaky Pipeline to the Hostile Obstacle Course
Moving Forward: from the Passive Leaky Pipeline to the Hostile Obstacle Course
The metaphor of the leaky pipeline describes how the number of women, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and other minoritized groups progressively decreases at every stage of their academic careers. However, the passivity of this approach has often been criticized. Women and BIPOC don’t leak out of the pipeline. Instead, they are forced out of it under pressure behind blockages.
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