Nothing sums up how the UK Establishment works better than this glittering gemstone from ‘Yes, Minster’. Sir Arnold is stepping down as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service. He will not be idle in his retirement. The long list of Sir Arnold’s new jobs include “Chairman of the Read more…
Professor Wendy Thomson, Vice Chancellor of the University of London, has been suspended. This followed a unanimous decision by the University’s Board of Trustees on 21 May 2025. This action was taken in response to allegations of bullying and poor leadership, as reported by the Evening Standard here. A group of Read more…
The candidates for the Chancellorship of Cambridge University have now been announced. They are Dr Ayham Ammora, Mr Ali Azeem, Mr Tony Booth, Lord (John) Browne, Dr Mohamed El-Erian, Dr Mark Mann, Mrs Gina Miller, Lord (Chris) Smith and Ms Sandi Toksvig as well as myself (Professor Wyn Evans). They Read more…
UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) is the United Kingdom’s main public funding body for research and innovation. It was established in April 2018 and is sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. All is not well. An internal staff survey conducted in 2024 revealed that 7% of UKRI employees reported experiencing bullying Read more…
Appointment committees are a common arena in which bullying can occur in academic life. In hiring, scholarly excellence competes with baser emotions like: “He’s my collaborator,” or “She laughed at my conference talk in 2019.” or “He has never cited my influential papers”. In many universities, the Head of Department Read more…
A high profile case is unfolding which may cause reputational damage to one of the world’s great universities. The case has already excited substantial media interest in Varsity, the Daily Telegraph, the Times and WONKHE. It’s the subject of a YouTube video. The case of Jacob Meagher v. University of Cambridge centres Read more…
Thanks to everyone who nominated me for the Chancellorship of Cambridge University The application was delivered in time with over 100 nominations (more than double the required amount). This should at least persuade those who run Cambridge University that there are some substantial problems in its culture & management that Read more…
A common problem for our Heads of Houses in Oxbridge is the little mistakes that unaccountably slip into their curriculum vitae or press releases. How it happens, no-one really knows — simple clerical errors by their PAs, enthusiastic auto-correction by the computer, or maybe their cat trampled over the keyboard Read more…
There’s been a spectacular smash-up by the Human Resources department at the University of Edinburgh. The recent case involving Professor Roya Sheikholeslami and the University concluded with an emphatic ruling in her favour and a huge award. After a protracted legal battle spanning over a decade, an employment tribunal awarded Read more…
The Fellows of St Judas College are electing a new Master. The choice has almost been made. It is Kerris Bowles-Ottery, a distinguished scientist. His smooth ways charmed the Fellows, especially the ones who look like elderly crocodiles. He’s an FRS. He has Friends of the Right Sort. The Bowles-Ottery Read more…