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Tagged With: academia

What is an alternative to impact factors?

Rebecca Nesbit MRSB has put together videos of advice from Nobel Laureates speaking at Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative events. Impact factors are flawed – we all know that, we all agree. But where do we go from here? They are a simple way to judge a researcher, and this is very welcome if you are comparing lots of applicants for … Continue reading »

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Make your job applications stand out

By Rebecca Nesbit Many early-career researchers are haunted by fears about their future of employment. The stats aren’t reassuring – fewer than 1 in 200 science PhD students become professors. But there are exciting next steps to be found, and here are some ways for aspiring academics to increase their chances of success. For a … Continue reading »

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You’re not alone in hating impact factors

By Rebecca Nesbit Hands up who hates impact factors. Everyone? Then why do we still use them? I believe one of the reasons is that we think the people at the top use them. There is no doubt some truth in this, though I was relieved to discover that many influential people are willing to … Continue reading »

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The academic gender gap isn’t going away

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Jess Devonport, marketing and communications officer, and Barbara Knowles, senior science policy advisor at the Society of Biology, discuss the recent report, Women in Scientific Careers. There has been continued conversation over recent years about the gender gap in STEM careers, particularly in academia and senior roles, and if the … Continue reading »

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MPs’ thoughts on academic career paths

by Rebecca Nesbit, Society of Biology From a potential ban on neonicotinoids to the importance of the EU, there were some provocative questions at last week’s Voice of the Future. There were many times when I had my preconceptions challenged by the MPs’ answers, and many issues I hadn’t stopped to consider. This Storify (below) … Continue reading »

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A career in industry – the pros and cons

Guest blogger Avika Ruparell describes her experience of working for industry following her PhD I finished a PhD in molecular microbiology at The University of Nottingham at the end of last year and I’ve been working as a microbiologist for Unilever for just over 4 months now. In between the post-thesis submission and viva, I was … Continue reading »

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On postgraduate education – James Lush

I recently stumbled upon an article from the February 9th, 1952 edition (guess why?) of Nature, in which the Vice Chancellor of the University of Leeds was reported holding forth on ‘Postgraduate Studies in the Universities’. Said VC, Mr C.R. Morris, was reportedly adamant that “young men and women do not… sufficiently realise the importance, … Continue reading »

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