Opinion

The work of 500 scientists transformed the 20th century. Universities and funders must do more to make certain that the flow of groundbreaking discoveries continues, says Donald Braben 

The Naylor report will test the willingness of Justin Trudeau’s government to overhaul research support, writes Creso Sá

While some fear a dystopian outcome in which private innovators bypass the university, others are more sanguine about the potential threats to the sector

Some aspects of university reform – including parts of the TEF – could ‘turn to dust’, says Nick Hillman

John Morgan looks at how the HE Bill's future, the impact of Brexit and Labour's fee plans are all election issues for universities

Sir Keith Burnett returns from Australia with some astute observations on two far-from-perfect higher education systems

Sir Anthony Seldon on why he chose to gather leaders from smaller colleges across the world to engage in 'deep-level' thinking

Jessa Rogers looks at the disappointing picture for Indigenous scholars in the academy

Supervisors should be trained to spot the first sign of a problem, says Chris Havergal

Data, and the increasingly sophisticated way it is martialled, has enabled remarkable improvements in graduation rates and quality of education

The American-Hungarian institution proves that learning through diversity is not an impossible dream, says Marvin Lazerson

While universities in parts of the West worry about immigration crackdowns, favourable political winds are allowing Canada’s institutions to flourish

It's not just about papers. Running a university in Papua New Guinea has cast academic impact in a more exotic light for John Warren

A haberdasher who has never heard of a handkerchief is indicative of a whole world catching a cold, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

University of Gibraltar vice-chancellor Daniella Tilbury reflects on how Brexit negotiations are awakening old insecurities

The world is dotted with institutions that have strong US links, but they often have domestic opponents, who may be watching the case of CEU closely

Are university ‘bias response teams’ jeopardising free speech on campus? asks Jemimah Steinfeld

Promoting social responsibility among students should be key to universities’ missions in the modern age, says Timothy W. Tong

Horizon 2020 could have more success getting technologies off the ground if it does not neglect the basic work that sparks breakthroughs, say Geert de Snoo, Floor Frederiks, Peter Lievens and Katrien Maes

US academics might find a warm word for the president if he forces universities to become financially disciplined and sustainable, say Jose Garcia, Don Barwick and Joseph Garcia

The decline of a once-lucrative indoor market shows how job losses at Heriot-Watt could signal big trouble ahead for the sector, says Helga Drummond

Recognising the dominant role of intelligence in academic performance is key to ending the underperformance of poor and minority students, says Richard J. Haier

Excellence in an institution is measured by the value of its research and the quality of its teaching, not by the height of the ivy on its walls

Rainer Klump on his 14-year-old institution’s enthusiasm for international partnerships and its leading role in the Grand Duchy’s transformation

Newer universities are a diverse group, says Peter Coaldrake, but their fresh thinking can inspire institutions of all vintages

Building a world-class institution from scratch is easier said than done, warns Jamil Salmi

Massive investment in campus infrastructure gives Australia an advantage in the battle to recruit international students, writes Jack Grove from the Young Universities Summit in Brisbane

Susan Michie calls for a radical upgrade in the use of social science to tackle poor public health

New institutions across the world believe that they can compete with big-name universities that are stuck in the past, explains Jack Grove

Research shows that women perform better than men on four out of five traits of effective leaders, says Øyvind Martinsen

Matthew Reisz discusses the preliminary results of the National Senior Management Survey

Richard Garner explores the tactics that communications teams need in a changing media landscape

Universities must play a major part in the emergence of the new technical education sector envisaged in the chancellor’s recent Budget, says Andy Westwood

The suicide of a student on campus made Steven A. Miller realise that his students didn’t need a philosophy class to remind them of their impending deaths 

Prostitutes need the help of economists to argue for the rights and protections that other workers take for granted, says Victoria Bateman

In a unique but under-pressure university system, there is still cause for optimism, as the new Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings show

Applying for an academic job has become such a disengaged process that it is difficult to bring anything to your application to make it stand out, says John Brinnamoor

Ka Ho Mok and Han Xiao have been speaking to Chinese students about their experiences in UK higher education

John Morgan finds sector statements on ‘momentous day’ taste a little bland

Article 50 offers institutions across Europe the opportunity for universities to connect and engage with society, says Martin Paul

Larissa Shamseer and David Moher have taken a close look at what it is that sets dodgy journals apart from the rest

Evidence for the harm done by including students in net migration figures is clear, says Huw Owen

Challenger to Merkel is popular, despite attacks on his educational record

Universities in the UK have developed a range of different approaches to governance, and there’s no sign that the trend will stop, says Michael Shattock

Without more conservative perspectives in the academy, lawmakers will increasingly ignore and potentially defund social science, says Musa al-Gharbi

Setting pre-seen exams can bring out previously unsuspected abilities among students, say Nicholas Morton and Natasha Hodgson

While learning to work quickly is a useful life skill, a greater gift to students is permitting unhurried excursions and digressions, says Shahidha Bari

Higher education funding from US state governments has always been volatile, but reforms to healthcare could put public universities’ income under even greater pressure, says Will Doyle

How do you solve a problem like REF selection? Research-active status may be defined by formal or informal means, but is there a realistic alternative?

Military might and border walls are of more importance than compassion in Trump’s America, says John Fea

Tim Ingold and colleagues at the University of Aberdeen have created a manifesto that they hope will preserve higher education's true values

We must make it clearer to UK-based European scholars that the UK higher education sector wishes to remain open, says Sir Keith Burnett

If the outcomes of ‘active learning’ are so much better than those for traditional lectures, why stick with the old format? asks Simone Buitendijk

Groundbreaking photographer David Goldblatt’s archive should stay in South Africa, where it belongs, writes Martin Hall

Nele Feldmann and Katherine Miller on the importance of helping displaced Syrians on to higher education courses

Life science is a big part of the UK government’s industrial strategy, but neglecting basic research will drive top researchers abroad and threaten the flow of translatable discoveries, says Philippe Froguel

Universities should consider building ‘families’ of schools and colleges to facilitate easy transfer between different levels of education, says David Phoenix

South Sudan may be racked by famine, civil war and corruption, but the probity and effectiveness of its largely Western-educated vice-chancellors are providing the rest of the public sector with considerable food for thought, says Kuyok Abol Kuyok

There is a growing recognition in Australia that the future of higher education must be considered alongside what happens to its struggling technical and further education sector.

Tertiary education must be considered as a whole if governments are to prepare the workforce they need