Cat Zero, a novel by Jennifer Rohn, an infectious disease researcher, shines light on the backbiting and tensions of lab life as an unlikely team of scientists work to save the cats of Kent from a mysterious virus
The push to admit more students from ethnic backgrounds should not be seen as a chore but as a valuable opportunity to update curricula, says Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett
How strong a voice should academics and students have in university governance? Tom Cutterham contrasts autocratic and democratic patterns in UK and European institutions
Bold by nature, young institutions are tailor-made for ambitious projects such as the EU’s plan to create disruptive ‘super-networks’, says Anthony Forster
Book of the week: the lonely and anxious men devising and sharing pick-up techniques misidentify women as the root of their problems, writes Katherine Angel
As a Brit leading HKU, Peter Mathieson had no baggage. The University of Edinburgh’s new v-c tells Ellie Bothwell about academic freedom, internationalisation and being treated to taxi drivers’ views on students
With more data from more institutions, our 2018 Young University Rankings explore the growing higher education sector. Here we explain the methodology that underpins the tables
A critique of the political class; overcoming groupthink; the father of fractal geometry; the golden age of American teen car culture and a theory of cultural evolutionary psychology
In Serious Larks, a collection of witty and wide-ranging essays from the philosopher Ted Cohen, a central theme is the need for rules and the pleasures of flouting them
There are now more women than men in higher education worldwide. While it would appear to be a victory for gender equality, this imbalance also highlights boys’ educational underachievement. Ellie Bothwell reports
Drug-related crime, rising unemployment and low salaries are all contributing to a postgraduate shortage that indicates an uncertain future for Mexico’s higher education system, finds Rachael Pells
Embracing immersive content would aid public engagement and bring research and teaching closer together, argue Vincent Tong, Sam Smidt and Matilda Katan
It was at a Munich university that a group of students formed a non-violent movement to resist the Nazi regime. Their courageous idealism sets an example that, Kenneth Asch hopes, continues to flower on campuses
The Wolfson History Prize-nominated professor discusses how China’s past shapes its nationalism and why the Communist Party’s ‘historical nihilist’ label suits him