Open Science and Mental Health
It’s world mental health day (10th October) and it feels like the perfect moment to discuss mental health in academia. We all know that academia can be challenging, so say the least. Between endless deadlines, tough competition, and the constant pressure of “publish or perish”, it’s no wonder so many researchers struggle with stress and…
15 tips on making your lab a better place for ECRs
Download as an infographic Academia can be an exceptional career path but it can also be tough, especially for Early Career Researchers (ECRs). Having navigated the world of academia myself, I know first-hand what a difference it makes when departments and labs consciously create a supportive environment for ECRs and the damage done when they…
What’s right with academia
The positives of an academic career – there are many! Work when you want…I mean flexibility! Don’t go to work — no one cares. In academia you don’t have to deal with customers or tight deadlines or anything external that demands you physically be at work all of the time. Yes you might have some…
What’s wrong with academia?
Ah, a question I ask myself almost daily. Now, don’t get me wrong I really do love my job — even if this particular career stage is one that I’m not exactly amazing at — but one of my areas of research is the academic culture. This means I spend more time than most thinking…
To the union! To the revolution!
There seems to be no shortage of academic horror stories of late (Sexual abuse (1,2), bullying (3,4), pensions (5), department redundancies (6)). Combined with the (apparent) mass-exodus (7) and difficulties in filling positions (8) you’d be forgiven for thinking that academia was facing a reckoning or awakening. The choice is simple. Either we take these…
One for all and all for one; community building in academia
Community; a social unit with commonality such as values, identity, norms, place or aim. In academia, a community is often a group with similar interests or goals. These could be societies, universities (or individual departments), similar career stages (NewPI slack, UK & EU pdoc slack), business-run (eLife Ambassadors) or those fighting for change (ASAPbio, preLights).…
Rippling Ideas 