University senior management are really good at some things — like evading responsibility for monumental cock-ups (see Dundee University here) or awarding each other big pay rises (see Stirling University here). And cover-ups. The home of the cover-up is Oxbridge. Read more…
Some of the most vulnerable people in the desolate landscape of UK universities are postdocs. Nowadays, few independent research fellowships are available. Instead, many postdoctoral positions are project-related, supported by a grant obtained by the Principal Investigator (PI) Postdoctoral research Read more…
The Staff Culture Survey at Cambridge University is not just restricted to bullying and harassment, prevalent though these are in academic life. It also asked questions about career progression. And this revealed another shocker of a statistic. I think there Read more…
In January 2024, Cambridge University carried out a Staff Culture Survey. All academics, professional service staff, researchers and technical support were canvassed and invited to respond to questions on work-life balance, bullying, discrimination, mental health and flexible working There has Read more…
(Image Credit: Simon Walker, licensed under Creative Commons) Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University, has offered up ‘Six Tips to Flourish as a Leader‘ in the Times here “1. Don’t let other people frame your agenda. Everyone will try, Read more…
In October 2023, Oxford University and College Union (UCU) published a report on the effects of casualisation at the University. They found over 66% of academics employed by Oxford University are on fixed-term contracts. Similarly, Cambridge’s UCU branch found that Read more…
The Royal Society elected Elon Musk into a Fellowship in 2018. Musk was honoured for his work in technology and engineering, particularly in the fields of space exploration and sustainable energy, This has become a controversial election. Musk’s reputation in Read more…
A Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) is a formal request made by an individual (the “data subject”) to an organization, asking to access the personal data the organization holds about them. This request is a key right under data protection Read more…
From 1 September 2023, the Vice Chancellor of Cardiff University has been the New Zealander, Prof Wendy Larner. During Larner’s tenure as Provost at Victoria University of Wellington (2015–2023), the university faced financial challenges that led to “strategic decisions”. In Read more…
Papermilling is a dubious research practice. It refers to situations in which research processes or findings are conducted in a way that is questionable, misleading or lacking integrity. This includes unethical practices, exploitation of students and postdocs, plagiarism, deliberate manipulation of Read more…