Academic life

Scholars' inboxes are a minefield of spam, newsletters, and the odd invitation to meet a very important person

One in three scholars in field ‘deeply concerned’ about future research career prospects

Seven academic leaders share their experiences at the departmental helm along with their tips on how to squeeze the best out of sceptical staff and meagre budgets – and still find time for research

Despite the economic downturn following the last recession, a real-terms fall in pay at UK universities since 2010-11 was still surprising, writes Simon Baker

Agnes Bäker and Amanda Goodall have found that academics who are happiest at work have a head of department who is a distinguished researcher. How can such people be encouraged into management?

While not all student-supervisor relationships end in disaster, permitting them infringes women’s right to education, participation and a safe work environment, say five female academics 

We discuss realising what it means to be black in the UK, dealing with insomnia, and institutional racism in the academy, with the renowned race and black identity scholar

Scholars with working-class backgrounds are ideally placed to change how academics are perceived, says Stefanie Stiles

Political scientist at Arizona State University thought to have taken his own life

Mackleen Desravines uses film to show that not all academics ‘have nice offices and fabulous lifestyles’

Satirical take on sector also has serious message for university leaders, says author

The former leader of the House of Lords talks inequality, widening access to higher education and keeping on top of technology

Study finds that employees at universities’ overseas outposts feel less supported than their home campus colleagues

Sir Anthony Seldon on why he chose to gather leaders from smaller colleges across the world to engage in 'deep-level' thinking

The former Archbishop of Canterbury discusses religious leaders’ obligation to promote equality, the challenges of meeting controversial heads of state, and concerns about the growth of populism

A haberdasher who has never heard of a handkerchief is indicative of a whole world catching a cold, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

What should have been a straightforward application for leave to remain in the UK turned into a Kafkaesque nightmare for University of St Andrews’ lecturer Emily Michelson, whose research trip to Italy proved too much for visa administrators to handle

The noted theatre director talks about dispelling drama school preconceptions, reducing tuition fees and negotiating with local gangs

Research shows that women perform better than men on four out of five traits of effective leaders, says Øyvind Martinsen

The eminent philosopher talks of academics’ vanity, the place of philosophy in a ‘post-truth’ world and her reservations about the TEF

Three-quarters of respondents are dissatisfied with the people running their institutions

Matthew Reisz discusses the preliminary results of the National Senior Management Survey

The suicide of a student on campus made Steven A. Miller realise that his students didn’t need a philosophy class to remind them of their impending deaths 

Applying for an academic job has become such a disengaged process that it is difficult to bring anything to your application to make it stand out, says John Brinnamoor

We talk misconceptions about quantum physics, the importance of global research collaboration and Nobel prize aspirations with the award-winning Canadian physicist

With academics reluctant to take sick leave, universities must become more aware of the dangers of ‘presenteeism’, says Gail Kinman

While learning to work quickly is a useful life skill, a greater gift to students is permitting unhurried excursions and digressions, says Shahidha Bari

Tim Ingold and colleagues at the University of Aberdeen have created a manifesto that they hope will preserve higher education's true values

The fashion designer talks about treating a university education like a nine-to-five job, the importance of student interaction and defying graduation clothing convention

Former president of the British Psychological Society remembered

US researcher claims that white academics are given more time to study and write

Canadian scholar urges universities to back off from policing what people do in private

The comics researcher discusses ‘Mickey Mouse’ degree accusations, lessons on wartime alliances and the perils of eating cheese before bedtime

When the US primary season threw up numerous examples of weak and fallacious argument, Michael Ventimiglia thought his time had come. But subsequent events left him grappling with his discipline’s apparent impotence

To mark International Women’s Day, academics and administrators reflect on leadership challenges

Thinktank conflates THE online opinion survey with separate data, John Morgan writes

Duke University’s Valerie Ashby says institutions must be more ‘intentional’ about finding ethnic minority PhD candidates

The author of The Entrepreneurial State discusses misconceptions surrounding innovation, rethinking the role of the public sector and her aims as founder of a new innovation institute at UCL

Scholars report higher levels of depressive symptoms and social withdrawal

Horror films and even video games may influence the way many people think about universities, new book says

We talk to psychiatrist Vikram Patel about delivering healthcare in low-resources communities, how academics can learn from acting, and the hippy lifestyle of Goa

New document sets 'benchmark' for others to follow, according to research policy expert

Relentless celebration is diluting genuine achievement, affecting students and staff in different ways, writes Peter Larcombe

Black scholars progress in careers only through endorsement from white colleagues, warns professor

Researchers on large-scale projects would receive less credit under proposed scheme

Does Nigel Piercy textbook case study stem from his experience at Swansea University? 

The acclaimed novelist and distinguished writer-in-residence at the University of Surrey talks about teaching, researching her novels and why she skipped all her lectures

While right-wing politicians have been found to be more attractive than left-wing politicians, this trend may not hold true in the world of scholarship

Academics enjoy teaching. What they don’t like is the lack of preparation time, bureaucratic burdens, unprepared students – and the TEF. Jack Grove reports

Thousands of France’s most educated minds are now based abroad – luring them back could be a boon for its ambitious plans for higher education, Jack Grove writes

Proportion of Royal Society scientists associated with Oxbridge is lower than expected, researcher says

Adrian Furnham makes his case for a discerning approach to philanthropy

Mathematical model works by trying to remove skewing of results in group funding decisions

New study into medieval universities describes how paupers studied alongside the elite despite financial barriers

Can punk scholars bring together their conflicting identities without compromise?

Birmingham City University’s new chancellor talks about his experiences as a mature student, how education is a right, and why the British public rock