Research administrator

Academic Jack Davis tells John Morgan of his surprise at learning that his history of the Gulf of Mexico had won a Pulitzer prize and his hope that it will help to deliver a pro-environmental message

Philip Moriarty explains quantum mechanics with heavy metal music in

Scotland’s first black professor talks about life as an immigrant, his experiences of racism and why ‘better science makes better’

The EU’s proposal for its next research and innovation funding framework focuses too narrowly on technology, say Gabi Lombardo and Jon Deer

In a world transformed, we need a radical new blueprint – for a flexible, less centralised network of scholars and students, says a former Berkeley chancellor

Robert MacIntosh explains what to expect when staff enter the little-known world of the university exam board

Is the 4* researcher who is also a stellar teacher a realistic expectation? Times Higher Education surveyed academics to find out. Jack Grove reports

Some commentators have urged the UK to replicate German universities of applied science. It’s not that simple, says Neil Shirtcliffe

‘Verbose’ language, bad English and unexplained abbreviations all figure highly in reasons for rejection

Increasing research investment could see country lead the region in higher education, but experts say it needs to balance capacity with culture

Cambridge researcher dreams of returning home to war-stricken country

At a gathering of young scientists and Nobel prizewinners, David Matthews detects a whiff of mutiny in the air stirred by the pressures of a modern research career

Submissions will be published alongside reviewers’ comments and author responses

Chemistry laureate Michael Levitt also warns younger scientists are now far less likely to be awarded grants

A weekly look over the shoulders of our scholar-reviewers

Scholars keep feelings of inferiority well cloaked yet self-doubt can strike any of us and only disclosure alleviates the pain of this hidden epidemic

Book of the week: memoirs of the Weimar generation are formed into a powerful social history, writes Hester Vaizey

Female economists less likely to collaborate widely, study finds

National strategies also debate merits of basic versus applied research in rapidly expanding field

A home-grown alternative to the research assessment exercise would better reflect local practice and sit better with the special administrative region’s new political reality, says Michael O’Sullivan

The best of those universities founded since the year 2000

We unveil the top 250 universities under 50 years old and explain our generational and nuanced approach to young institutions

This year’s ranking showcases a much greater range of Golden Age universities and has been expanded to include 200 universities

Legal action should not be required to convince universities to do more to help expectant mothers graduate without delay, says John Kaag 

Investigation discovers that three-quarters of advertised posts are filled by an internal candidate

Study suggests doctorates are now seen as a test of character rather than intellect

Better recognition of the wider social benefits of both teaching and research would help universities regain public goodwill, says Nick Petford 

Speakers at THE summit worry that structural funds have become ‘part of the problem’ for new member states

While one group of publishers takes academic network to court over copyright, another strikes deal

It’s time for students to step in and end the political stalemate on stopping gun violence on university campuses, says Sarah Kenny

Efforts to reclaim imperial history from so-called ‘politically correct’ professors have little to do with genuine academic debate, argue James McDougall and Kim Wagner

Reluctance to shame those who breach editorial ethics has dented confidence in research integrity, argue Adam Cox, Russell Craig and Dennis Tourish

Faculties without borders are the key to turning multidisciplinarity into more than a buzzword, says Duncan Ivison

The Cambridge Analytica controversy flags up the ethical perils of research with Big Data – especially when it has commercial potential, says John Holmwood 

As a parliamentary committee calls for an independent review of Prevent, Steven Greer and Lindsey Bell argue that too much criticism of the anti-extremism programme is based on myths

Professional doctorates offer a more useful, less stressful but no less rigorous alternative to the moribund PhD, says Richard Willis

With state intervention back in vogue, and publishers’ profit margins still sky-high, journals could be the next monopoly to come under scrutiny

Radical ideas required to cut research grant waste

Funding rises for fundamental science with be welcomed even if they fall short of some scholars’ expectations, says Creso Sá

Don’t blame university support staff for not joining the strike over pensions – it is because too often they are left out of the conversation, says Fiona Whelan

Extraordinary demand for a conference on how universities support staff with invisible disabilities highlights how ableism remains widespread in academia, argue Jennifer Leigh and Nicole Brown

We answer some of your questions about the forthcoming Times Higher Education Innovation Rankings

Accepting that your doctoral studies will sometimes take second place to family commitments is part of the journey of a PhD student mother, says Annabelle Workman

Just as the ‘little red dot’ city state has made an indelible mark on the global stage, president of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Subra Suresh examines how his institution has garnered attention

Futao Huang considers the five nations trying to compete with China, Asia’s higher education superpower

Canadian scientists’ impressive campaign for increased basic science funding risks splintering as victory looms, says Jim Woodgett

A year-long experiment convinced Michael Marinetto that carving out research time is a fun but unwinnable game 

The 2018 regional rankings use Times Higher Education’s tried and tested methodology to scrutinise Asia

Bias in assessing submissions is inevitable and damaging. Anonymisation is the least bad solution, says Graham Farrell

Without QR funding, the UK research base would be like a Lego set with only one type of brick, write Sarah Chaytor and Graeme Reid

Minimum compliance with publication requirements is the best recipe for job satisfaction, says Mike Marinetto

Universities hoping to submit staff who have already left are going to have to work hard on maintaining goodwill, says Robert Dingwall

Controversy in Canada over support for blue-skies research would diminish if more researchers took Pasteur’s approach, says Creso Sá

The mantra that research is loss-making is a convenient fiction used to draw more money to the centres of universities, say Peter Coveney and Christopher Greenwell    

Research grant data shows patterns of academic migration around Europe – with Italy suffering the biggest brain drain

The 2021 research excellence framework could be more representative and humane than ever, but the devil will be in the implementation, says James Wilsdon

Largest amount of cash handed out by research councils overall since 2014-15 brings an end to negative trend

Funding fell for many of the UK’s top institutions despite increase in overall amount of cash granted by research councils

Getting innovations to market can be a conundrum, but help and support is available for those limbering up for the knowledge exchange framework, says Siraj Ahmed Shaikh 

Traditions, success and lack of self-reflection limit higher education's role in thought revolutions, says Geoff Mulgan