Postgraduate and early career
Opacity and double standards are infuriating, but the blessings of an academic career are present at all ranks, says Adrian Furnham
As a union steps up the fight in the UK, wide variation in the treatment of PhD candidates continues around the world
Interviewing for a job is not a skill we’re trained for in academia, so here are a few tips from a professor who has been on both sides of the interview divide
Australian university limits journals accepted for doctorates amid mounting concern among academics
Senior scientists say severe shortage of junior scientists from European Union threatens quality of UK research
New project shines light on the discrimination and inequalities faced by precariously employed researchers at UK universities
NIH data hint at the extent of bullying and emotional abuse, but barriers to tackling the issue remain high, says Joanna Buscemi
UCU says postgraduate researchers should be given terms and conditions ‘comparable’ with employees
Josie Jolley, who had previously been homeless and allegedly sexually assaulted, described as ‘most talented postgraduate who has ever come through the geography department at the University of Sussex’
Postgraduate loans appeared to narrow gap between working class students and others but Sutton Trust warns that increased costs could wipe out this progress
Oxford emails reveal efforts to block publication of DPhil thesis that was deposited almost six years after her viva
Young researchers forced to interact online ‘do not feel part of a team’ and may leave sector, educationalist tells summit
Scholars, fed up with decades of living from contract to contract, force government to remove video that seemed to celebrate insecurity
Nationwide survey shows overall gains in capacity, enrolment and gender balance
Report author says increasing funding would only lead to more insecurity, and culture shift is needed instead
Talking to lab members is not very revealing when they are habituated into an abusive culture, says Joana Vieira
Embattled university president in staunchly conservative state sees business-world allies valuing benefits of under-fire course
University retreats under pressure by pausing graduation plans for critic of pro-Trump insurrectionists
Hiroshi Amano expresses concern about poor representation of postgraduate degree holders in corporations
Entry ban compounded by lack of flexibility on degree time limits, publishing requirements and accreditation transfer
Legal bills for claim could reach £120,000, says theatre director
Attacker got help with doctoral degree while victim was told to find new career, she claims
Waleed Salem has been unable to leave home country after being jailed during research
Prisoners offer exceptionally honest answers to doctoral student serving with them in a US prison
Downgrading doctoral candidates to a master’s track raises questions about admissions and supervision standards, says Zhang Ruomei
New study by elite university group says open-ended contracts, not rolling one-year deals, should become ‘norm’ for UK research staff
Expert warns pandemic could exacerbate stresses on PhD mental health
Lack of transparency in examinations under spotlight as US feminist’s dissertation finally lodged in Bodleian
Tao Li to leave amid ongoing investigations into 2019 death of Huixiang Chen
Nearly one in five surveyed students find overlap between their master’s and doctoral training
A failure of imagination and aversion to networking is preventing doctoral students finding rewarding careers outside academia, says Max Horder
Poor incentives and oversight mean too many doctoral supervisors are unqualified or negligent, say Mehvish Riaz and Muhammad Rizwan Riaz
Legislators push for change to be adopted nationally
Formal contracts guaranteeing regular meetings, money for conferences, and space to work in are seen as way to mitigate unbalanced power dynamic
Anonymising applications and reserving studentships and starter grants for Black researchers would go a long way, says Daniel Akinbosede
Experts warn that diverting cash to pay for Horizon Europe association would exert a heavy toll on early career scholars
Government concern has not yielded concrete steps to address chronic faculty shortages and adjunctification, says Pushkar
At the Future of Humanity Institute, early career researchers are given two years to work out which questions are really worth asking
Union claims new career framework could result in academics being dismissed if they do not make senior lecturer within five years, but university says sanctions will be used rarely
Controversy-hit author’s dissertation still not available six years after it was examined
It is precisely by getting their priorities straight that established academics can, and must, set a better example, say Fleur Jongepier and Mathijs van de Sande
‘I’m the first author, you’re just et al,’ raps Jakub Kubecka on his way to £2,000 prize
Covid disruption highlights need to standardise ‘writing-up fees’ charged to those who submit thesis late, says scientist
John McKendrick has recently concluded that we are letting down unsuccessful job applicants by not providing full and constructive feedback
Toll on younger scientists highlights lack of research-specific pandemic aid
Major UK survey finds established staff much more likely to have confidence in university over progression issues
UK Research and Innovation announces additional £11 million for UK doctoral students but rejects plea for blanket six-month extensions
Pausing the assessment timetable for tenure and promotion may seem helpful, but it will actually deepen disparities on campus, says Jennifer Greenfield
Due to the 2008 global financial crisis, a long shadow loomed over me and my cohort. Over the medium term, though, most of us made it, says Lucas Lixinski
Webinar hears that postdocs are being ‘deprofessionalised’ and encouraged to win grants on behalf of principal investigators
Concern tempered by applications and deferrals suggesting post-Covid recovery
With more candidates than ever applying for research roles, some scholars are reassessing how they engage with unsuccessful applicants
Staff who enter higher education in mid-career without a PhD are academia’s ‘proletariat’, not ‘privileged’ young researchers, says paper
Warnings that some universities could become master’s-free zones overlook progress during the pandemic, vice-chancellors say
The idea that the First Lady’s doctor of education degree is any less worthy than a PhD or MD is utterly misguided, says Vipul Sharma
Doctoral degrees urgently need to become more diverse, more student-centred and more public-facing, argue authors of new book
Trend could be linked to boost in demand from India, data suggest
Ambiguous status of postgraduate research students in lockdown has underlined why they should be treated as staff, says Rebecca Teague
Doctoral glut seen as especially bad in nation that does too little research
Concerns raised over potential lack of opt-out and charging regime
