Are politicians stealing our academic freedom? Is their fetish with open access publishing leading to a “pay to say” system for the rich? Will the trendy goal of making publicly financed research freely available skew the world of scholarship even more in the direction of the natural sciences? I don’t think so. But it took… Read More…
Traditional scientific communication directly threatens the quality of scientific research. Today’s system is unreliable — or worse! Our system of scholarly publishing reliably gives the highest status to research that is most likely to be wrong. This system determines the trajectory of scientific careers. The longer we stick with it, the more likely it will… Read More…
In Greek mythology, Icarus fatally disregards the advice of his father, soaring too high on his wings of wax and feathers and coming too close to the sun in his attempt to escape the island of Crete. The wax melts, the feathers float away, and Icarus plunges into the sea where he drowns. The metaphorical… Read More…
Universities have the potential to answer many of the most basic challenges faced by modern societies. We answer them through research – making new discoveries. We answer them through education – conveying previous discoveries. Research and education together move societies forward. Yet even though universities hold the key, those of us who work there don’t… Read More…
Why are you doing what you’re doing? What can you do that no one else can do? What gives you the greatest satisfaction? How can you have impact where you think it’s important? All these questions telescope into one: What’s next? I’ve been searching for answers recently because I’m in an elected position as part of… Read More…
The single most important success factor for increasing gender equality and gender balance in the workplace is engagement from top leadership. Usually, we think of this in terms of the top leadership of an organization, but in Norway we are fortunate to see engagement all the way to the top of the government. The Prime… Read More…
Dream jobs, 6 reasons science needs you and Profiles of women in science are just three of the areas on a website launched last year by the European Commission to encourage teenage girls to consider science as a career — a website called Science: It’s a girl thing! The EC’s campaign gave me the opportunity to try out an idea… Read More…
Open Evaluation will improve science. Researchers constantly evaluate each other — when we submit our results for publication, when we apply for grants, and when we apply for new jobs or promotions. Peer evaluation is our quality assurance strategy. And it needs to be better. Here are thirteen suggestions to include in a new system of Open Evaluation. Click here to read more…
The career earnings of a man exceed those of a woman by an amount equal to the average cost of two houses. This is the gender pay gap. And we know now that negotiation alone isn’t the explanation. At the current rate, it will take women another 38 years before their paychecks match those of their… Read More…
“Around the world, men occupy the highest ranks of society. They rise to become CEOs more often than women, they are more likely to reach the highest positions in government, and they are paid more than women in the labor market.” That’s how economists Andreas Leibbrandt and John A. List start an article in which they confront… Read More…
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