Researcher (senior)

An insider’s view of the 2016 US election that lacks insight frustrates Lennard Davis

The Oakland Promise, like a number of local schemes in the US, aims to be a ‘cradle to career’ programme moving more of the city’s children into higher education. John Morgan visits California to assess it

Do you feel you’re just winging it, waiting for the day when your incompetence is exposed? Six academics show that you’re far from alone

Calls for additional funding to help colleges police controversial events

Female economists less likely to collaborate widely, study finds

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

A university career can be lonely, anxious and narrow. But those who learn from their regrets can avoid unnecessary stress, says Michael Marinetto

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

The best of those universities founded since the year 2000

Our data visualisations show how institutions were established in three distinct waves, and the global distribution of ‘Golden Age’ universities

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

Because the passing of a year is an arbitrary measure of maturity, we have added more gradation into our rankings, says Phil Baty

To what extent can universities drive economic development – or vice versa? Rachael Pells explores the ways in which higher education and economic success interact

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

For insight into the ‘pervasive dislocation’ of people’s lives today, the sociologist Jeff Ferrell rode the rails across the US. He tells Matthew Reisz about life on the road and the limits of mainstream research

Depictions of sick human bodies were valuable in advancing medical knowledge, says Helen Bynum

The #MeToo movement has cast historical behaviour and curricula in a new, shadowy light. Four writers give us their perspectives

Giving Irish undergraduates continued access to home fee status and loans could be discriminatory, experts warn

Crackdown leaves professors needing to pay back almost €250,000 each on average

Progress shows business schools have successfully innovated in period of economic uncertainty, says survey

Campaigners fear a huge increase in EU military research spending will lead to development of autonomous weapons

Book of the week: this careful analysis shows cognitive science can be a critical literary tool, writes Gail Marshall

Convincing universities to divest from fossil fuels and use only green energy is a better strategy, says Thomas Smith

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

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

Regional students and research facilities claim the spoils in a benign budget for universities

Women are less likely to become principal investigators than equally qualified male scientists, Yale University researchers claim

UK expertise pulls far ahead of Europe in terms of output, but collaboration will be vital if sectors are to remain competitive with US and Asia, experts say

Embracing immersive content would aid public engagement and bring research and teaching closer together, argue Vincent Tong, Sam Smidt and Matilda Katan 

Objections to the suppression of ‘sensitive’ articles should not be based on outmoded claims about consumption, says Michel Hockx

Relatively liberal eras cannot restrain subsequent authoritarian regimes, but we can teach societies to see through propaganda, writes Paul Jump

Submissions invited across 18 categories

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

Maastricht study finds less hard-working students benefit when taught with more persistent peers

Indian lecturer joins with British colleagues to promote literature of those formerly called ‘untouchables’

But Grattan Institute report urges government, institutions to steer those unlikely to finish towards cost-saving early exit

Regional institutions, facing uncertain funding future, build case for more federal support ahead of budget

Hollywood legend’s backfiring legal action offers lessons for universities on essay mills, says researcher

Study reveals feedback on social media sites closely correlate to measures of quality such as England's TEF

Joe Moran enters another dimension, one marked by the absence of sound. Next stop, the quiet zone

A lyrical memoir of a writer and psychoanalyst’s romantic and intellectual relationship with Lacan shows that psychoanalysis is very much the art of the enigmatic vignette, says Benjamin Poore

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

If the legislative requirements to respond to gender pay gaps are perceived as weak, the moral imperative for universities to act is strong, argues Anthony Forster 

Evidence from German Excellence Initiative suggests elite status rubs off on student perception – even if this is irrational

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

NAS calls for US lawmakers to bring change also brings warning that crisis talk may ultimately ‘stifle frontier discoveries’

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

Antarctic scientist who studied survival in cold environments remembered

Sinophiles will find much to admire in this deeply learned treasure trove, writes Jonathan Mirsky

Shahidha Bari on an idiosyncratic book that attempts to understand the politics of textile culture

Joanna Lewis considers a work that follows the lineage of a British foreign policy that focused on promoting economic and cultural ties with other English-speaking nations

Growing up working class meant Michelle Deininger was more worried about money than academic aspirations, but after a second chance she managed to complete her PhD 

Concerns over cost and impact of proposals can be overcome, say scholars

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 

Growing discontent among University and College Union members about leaders’ handling of negotiations