Science

One-time science superstar explains why he is happier not being famous and why the ‘hobbyist’ approach to research tools no longer works

Covid’s creation of an environment in which lessons can be debated will improve public understanding, say Deenan Pillay and David King

With academic conferences on hold, novel ways of collaborating have taken off – from preprints and digital networks to AI-backed matchmaking, writes Jack Grove

International action needed to eliminate ‘cloned journals’ that prey on early career researchers, says Indian research integrity adviser

Nobel contender David Sabatini’s future at MIT remains unclear after he was let go by Boston research institute and top US science funder

Proposed redundancies target science, engineering and IT – disciplines supposedly favoured by funding reforms

Managing climate change and pandemics alike requires immediate engagement with policy, not science-first rhetoric, argues Mike Hulme

Identifying and seed-funding scientists with ground-breaking ideas is a low-risk, high-reward alternative to traditional grant funding, says Donald Braben

Allowing access to study engagement data would provide employers with more useful insights into a graduate’s character, argues Chris Moore

New guidelines have rightly rejected publisher claims that gold is the only sustainable path for open access, say Stephen Eglen and Rupert Gatti

Tackling global warming will need the work of humanities researchers as much as scientists or engineers, says ex-universities minister Chris Skidmore

Resistance to the knowledge generated by science will only be overcome with the help of the humanities. But what can universities do to bridge C. P. Snow’s famous divide between these fields, which endures to this day?

Funding body’s impending review should recognise sector’s clear preference for immediate open access, says Steven Inchcoombe

With ‘storytelling’ CVs becoming crucial in hiring and funding decisions, Jack Grove explores how academics can craft compelling research statements

Universities must do more to help those dissatisfied with academic life as they seek a career in industry, says Mayra Ruiz Castro

Ex-research council boss Douglas Kell says sector body should take action over unsolicited emails that consume academics’ time

Bosses of private institutions that collect millions of pounds from student loans have received generous share and dividend awards

New project shines light on the discrimination and inequalities faced by precariously employed researchers at UK universities

New European Research Council president has proven record of innovation and leadership, says European Commission lead for science

Universities offer many rewarding technical careers – but local populations are often oblivious of them, says Mike Hughes

University staff are keen on hybrid working, but will it work long-term for researchers? Jack Grove examines which practices might outlast the pandemic

Shift towards studies using preregistered reports could inhibit scientific inquiry and harm researcher well-being, argue US scholars

Funder’s reduced budget for 2021-22 reflects loss of pro-science adviser and mindset of new Treasury boss, say Whitehall and research council insiders

Trailblazing initiative to transform hiring, promotion and performance review has been praised by open science advocates

Prolific cancer researcher Eric Lam has been fired after investigation found evidence of data falsification and manipulation

The computational biologist and Royal Society prizewinner on empowering neurodiversity, academic humour and why emotions are key to problem-solving

Articles in leading journals that can be reproduced gain 16 fewer citations a year on average, say Californian economists

Historic learned society sets 75 per cent threshold for ‘flipping’ major titles

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

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

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

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

Border hold-ups and complex new rules are causing supply shortages in laboratories that jeopardise research, says Wellcome Sanger Institute

Hopes that for-profit institutions would head for disadvantaged communities not served by universities have not been realised

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

Former sorority member at Vanderbilt University explains how concept of ‘brotherhood’ forces fraternity members to not report assaults

Biomedical funder to widen eligibility of early career awards to encompass scholars returning from career break

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

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

mRNA pioneers, Oxford vaccine scientists and Bill Gates are potential contenders for science’s top prize

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

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

The never-ending checklist of skills required by academia means careers advice is rarely consistent, says Maarten van Smeden

Establishing clear performance goals can be crucial for the success of young researchers and research groups alike. Jack Grove speaks to laboratory leaders about taking a more enlightened approach to this task in difficult times

Metrics rarely reflect how students have addressed their weaknesses, which is itself the most rewarding part of university teaching, says Megan Argo

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

Three professors shortlisted for Times Higher Education’s Research Supervisor of the Year award discuss their approach to mentoring

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

‘Confusion’ over UN rules leads event organisers to bar students, experts or groups

David A. Sanders enjoys a clear and comprehensive, if flawed, study of where science is going wrong and how to put it right 

Survey of UK-based undergraduates reveals fears over spring term restart despite overall satisfaction with universities’ handling of Covid-19 pandemic

Phased return to campus and more clarity on rules for returning international students are needed, says the UK opposition

City’s leader announces sweeteners, while pushing engagement with mainland China

Prestigious journal group seeks to spread cost of publishing across a greater number of authors than those accepted for publication

Expert views conflict on humanities graduates’ employment prospects, and whether Australian funding changes will make arts the preserve of the elite

As debate intensifies on how to measure research excellence beyond publications, Jack Grove asks senior scientists how they assess intangible personal qualities when hiring researchers

Astrophysicists in Hong Kong and France say that public perceptions of gender should change and that more should be done to support women in science

Ron Daniels told Times Higher Education summit that fears that elite universities remain inaccessible have hit trust in science