Academic life

University managers must accept that business as usual is not an option for many university staff, says Petra Boynton

The shuttering of university campuses leaves security guards watching their screens for tumbleweeds, says George Bass

Coronavirus crisis may make institutions more eager to please to students, but ‘tensions’ already in evidence

ARC balances acknowledgement of disruptions with need to keep future funds flowing

The influence of Denise Bradley, an ‘intellectually courageous’ policy powerhouse, was steeped in personal experience

Sexism, unthinking managerialism and toxic ‘them and us’ attitudes are still pervasive within UK universities, according to an anonymous academic who found the dissonances between her values, career expectations and lived reality too much to bear

Colleagues’ doubts about whether he deserved a prize make Aymen Idris wish people did not see his achievement as tokenism

But vice-chancellor says UK sector is at ‘tipping point’ of culture change 

Abuse of anonymity is damaging for both academics and students. It should lead to serious consequences, says Stefan Cantore

Proposed definition could provide get-out-of-jail-free card for ‘rogue academics’, some claim

With a new show in the pipeline, academics have many suggestions for plot lines and pitfalls to avoid

Australian senate order could put an end to deadline clashes plaguing research grant applicants

Parting shot the privilege of the established, as precariously employed academics choose less risky departures, says anthropologist

Moving overseas is often the best way to further an academic career, but the transition to a new system and culture can be painful. Six academics recount their experiences and offer their tips

Both Beijing and Hong Kong must adjust their approaches and sensibilities to restore confidence and trust in HK universities, argues John Burns

Mary Beard’s recent admission that she is a ‘mug’ who works 100 hours a week caused a Twitter storm. But how hard is it reasonable for academics to work? Who should decide? And should the mugs be obliged to keep quiet? Seven academics have their say

Paper confirms that academics with permanent posts are on average more satisfied with their job than those on temporary contracts

Long after they have finally landed a full-time job, many academics still find themselves feeling insecure and guilty, says Rachel Moss

Excessive criticism reflects a dearth of research funding and space in top journals. But peers needn’t play ball, says an anonymous academic

Australia’s teaching and research relationships with China are becoming increasingly overshadowed by rising geopolitical tensions. But the long, deep personal links between academics in the two countries will not be easily broken. John Ross reports from Suzhou

A feudal approach to intellectual property has turned the academy into a modern police state, says Steve Fuller

With careers riding on young scientists’ position in author lists, friction is all too common. A snowballing initiative to list authors’ contributions aims to make sure credit is always given where it is due. But will it be enough to ease the angst? Jack Grove is first author

As the UK finally leaves the European Union after years of turmoil, Simon Usherwood says it is time for remain-supporting academics to focus on the future. But Tanja Bueltmann says that for EU academics the scars are too deep

Impostor phenomenon is real, but its ubiquitous, misnamed cousin invites accusations that it is a fad or fantasy, says Theresa Simpkin

Academics and researchers grapple with the latest challenge of a catastrophic summer

As universities help to shoulder the disaster response, experts say the ultimate outcomes from a tragic summer are hard to predict

Disaster entrenches universities’ function as community safe spaces

Anne-Kathrin Kreft tells Matthew Reisz how interviews with Colombian women’s activists left her mentally and physically exhausted – and ideologically transformed

From tackling racism to giving up chicken, academics are not short of ideas about how to improve their professional and personal lives at the dawn of the new decade 

Did they know it was Christmas? Research probes academic propensity for submitting work out of hours

Academics’ battles with impostor syndrome reflect the difficulty of becoming truly accepted into the cult of academia, says Michael Marinetto 

EPSRC and NERC executive chairs among those recognised

The season of goodwill is upon us once more. But in an era of hyper-competition, does academic kindness extend beyond passing round the nuts at the departmental Christmas party? Six scholars recount their own tales of collegiate benevolence

Irina Dumitrescu’s tips for ‘upward toxicity’ was THE’s most-read article of 2019. But it doesn’t have to be this way, says John Tregoning

You have spent three years thinking your life will be perfect after you submit your thesis. But it isn’t true, says Petra Boynton

Times Higher Education journalists name the academics and administrators who have shaped the debate in the past 12 months

Email also says staff should not work from home for general reasons for more than one or two days per semester

Reporting procedures were woefully inadequate, while senior managers frequently enabled intimidatory behaviour, says an anonymous UK academic

As concerns rise about mainstream universities’ affordability, social impact and working cultures, the UK’s Labour Party is mulling the idea of fostering cooperative, comprehensive universities. John Morgan travels to Manchester and Preston to examine some experiments that could point the way 

Would-be scholars confronted with academics’ tweets could be forgiven for running for the hills, worries Scott Rich 

Colleagues may judge those with regional accents more harshly, but poorer students respond to lecturers from similar backgrounds, says Ryan Coogan

At a time when stress and mental health issues are endemic within universities, Erin K. Wilson considers the small steps she is determined to take in order to be part of the solution

Universities preach meritocracy but, in reality, bend over backwards to protect toxic personalities, says Irina Dumitrescu

More account must be taken of pregnancy, assisted fertility and miscarriage, say Christina Hellmich and Marina Della Giusta

Conferences should be part of the open access debate, Tokyo researcher says

Delays in the name of political PR ‘forcing academics overseas’

Lincoln Allison makes the case for the revival of the old-style academic eccentric

University believes new criteria rewarding selfless behaviour will ‘focus minds’

Academics’ deep identification with their work means that the failure of a book proposal, grant application or promotion request can cut deeply. But in a competitive profession, such knock-backs are inevitable. Here, six academics recall their most traumatic rejection – and how they got over it

Constant checks on their presence and bureaucratic curbs on their movement leave international students feeling like security threats, says Alexander Mack

‘Monk mornings’, work sprints and withdrawal from social media helped Benedict Probst become hugely more productive

Steph Grohmann’s ‘revenge eviction’ gave her vivid, first-hand experience of the trials and consolations of occupying unused buildings, finds Matthew Reisz

The REF is a prime example of the sort of elaborate, burdensome process that potentially adds comparatively little value

Bureaucracy is the bane of every academic’s life. But who is to blame for its proliferation – and how can it be kept in check? Six academics have their say – while a registrar offers an equal and opposite reaction 

Researchers call for end to ‘pervasive illusion that scientists must be dispassionate observers’, and better emotional support

First analysis of economic cost of manuscript formatting highlights need for more flexibility from publishers, say authors

Almost half of international academics in country believe they are wanted on campus only to ‘increase quantitative indicators of internationalisation’

Spaces can energise or demotivate. Using them to nurture well-being should be seen as an investment not a cost, says Derek Clements-Croome

Academics need to be more aware of this most insidious form of bullying, say Bailey Sousa and Alex Clark

Caring duties and environmental responsibility do not signify a lack of commitment to scholarship, says Danielle George