The early and mid-career researchers who bear most of the teaching and research workload are exhausted and underpaid. Many won’t survive the funding squeeze, but Australia can’t afford to lose them.
Researchers are central to any country’s science preparedness, especially in the face of pandemics.
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While there are various good reasons for doing research and funding research, the chief reason is that research provides essential insurance against catastrophic events.
Dr Gildas Hounmanou with his colleagues at the University of Copenhagen. Hounmanou, from Benin, studied in Denmark.
Danida Fellowship Centre/Vibeke Quaade
Global research funding, such as that offered by Denmark’s government, can open doors for African researchers to study abroad and then take their skills home.
Australia’s top scientist Alan Finkel says too many poor quality research papers are being published in Australia, and the system may inadvertently encourage academics to behave badly.
Scientists are working with artificial intelligence in hopes of being able to better detect cancer.
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As we celebrate the nation’s founding, it’s a good time to note the heroism of George Washington. The British were a pain, to be sure, but what really caused him trouble were his teeth.
The shockwaves of this cut will be felt for years to come at Australian universities.
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Money always seems tight for university scientists. A sociologist conducted hundreds of interviews to see how they think about funding sources and profit motives for basic and applied research.
Homeless people in India wait to receive a free meal in Kolkata in 2011.
EPA/PIYAL ADHIKARY
Africa has recorded a tremendous growth in its output of academic engineering research over the past 20 years. Greater collaboration can increase this growth even more.
It’s good for scientists to work in glass laboratories.
Len Rubenstein
Science isn’t cold, hard facts uncovered by emotionless robots. Acknowledging how and where values play a role promotes a more realistic view and can advance science’s reputation for reliability.
The National Research Foundation doesn’t have enough money for the growing number of researchers who qualify for “incentive” funding.
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South Africa’s National Research Foundation will dramatically scale back “incentive” funding to rated researchers, both those who already have a rating and those who will be rated in the future.
The famous “faceless fish”, which garnered worldwide headlines when it was collected by the expedition.
Rob Zugaro
Surveying the bottom of the ocean turns out to be far from easy. But there was something wonderful about seeing animals we have only read about in old books.
What happens to their credibility when scientists take to the streets? February 2017 Stand Up for Science rally in Boston.
Adam Salsman
The research community tends to assume advocacy doesn’t mix with objectivity. One study suggests there’s room for scientists to make real-world recommendations without compromising their trusted status.
Previous Vice President of the Academy of Science of South Africa and DSI-NRF SARChI chair in Fungal Genomics, Professor in Genetics, University of Pretoria, University of Pretoria