Collections
Research culture
In this collection we explore fostering a positive research culture and scientific practices, covering topics such as reproducibility, open science, diversity and inclusion, leadership and mentorship, career instability, discrimination, misconduct and the evolving landscape of research ethics and integrity.
Leadership
What’s wrong with research culture?
A knotty mess of problems affects people doing academic research in the UK. Rachel Brazil tries to untie the tangle
How to improve research culture
Five ways to make chemistry departments better places to work
How EPSRC fosters inclusion
The pandemic has provided valuable lessons for funders to rethink research culture
Support and wellbeing
Act now to support early-career researchers
The Covid-19 pandemic has further highlighted long-existing issues that leaders need to take a stance on
Mental wellbeing in academia
Not enough has been done to support students during the pandemic
Science and research ‘are dead’ in Afghanistan
Afghan researchers and scholars flee or go into hiding as the Taliban’s return to power sees the science academy and universities closed
UKRI response to Black female academics on funding decisions called inadequate
Pledge to improve understanding and monitoring of inequality comes a year after open letter was first published
Diverse cultures
In situ with Tebello Nyokong
The influential chemist on nurturing confidence in students and taking inspiration from the humanities
The science of team science
Researchers and funders are exploring ways to make large collaborative projects more successful
Science faction
Taking inspiration from nerd culture
Science as a product of culture
The role of background beliefs and assumptions in the development of science
Change at the top
Improving research culture requires effort – but it’s worth it
Impact of Covid-19
Let it go
We have to accept that we can’t catch up on time lost in lockdown
How Covid-19 has changed us
While the pandemic has introduced more efficient and global ways of working, researchers and educators still have challenges to overcome
Pandemic continues to disrupt and depress UK researchers, survey finds
Researchers reported spending more time on peer-review activities, teaching and writing
Leading a lab through pandemic-induced uncertainty
Emphathy is vital to support mentees effectively
Publishing
Depositing hope for the future
The rise of ChemRxiv might mean that chemists can tackle thornier cultural problems
Australian Research Council’s ban on preprints in grants prompts outcry
Move derided as ‘hopelessly outdated’ and a setback for open science by researchers
Chemists react to UK umbrella funding body’s new open access mandate
Agency aligns itself with principles of Plan S by insisting on immediate open access
Four years of chemistry preprints
Nina Notman takes stock of how preprint severs have settled into the chemistry community
OpinionFaraday’s laboratory manual and the isolation of benzene
Instruction on how to be as much at home in the lab as was the man himself
FeatureThe young female astronomer who worked out what the sun is made of
100 years ago, Cecilia Payne deduced that the sun is mainly made of hydrogen – but was encouraged to downplay her findings by her PhD supervisor. Mike Sutton takes up the story
CareersChoosing the right mentor
Taking part in a mentoring programme can provide you with the support you need for career success
NewsCollection of Alan Turing’s papers sells for a record £465,400
Items included a personal letter from his mother and an original copy of his only chemistry paper
OpinionWhat the smell of benzene tells us about the world
A philosophical discussion about how much we can trust our senses
ResearchPortable device detects poisonous pigment in books
St Andrews librarians and physicists partner to create sensor that can detect the spectrum of toxic green colourant
OpinionBenzene’s 200-year legacy of transformation
As we celebrate the anniversary of benzene’s isolation, we must remember that scientific centenaries carry additional agendas
OpinionWhy I returned the Faraday prize to the Royal Society
Andrea Sella explains how inaction over Elon Musk’s membership motivated him to act
ResearchFirst-generation graduate chemists face challenges throughout their entire academic lifetime
Study highlights need for mentorship and more inclusive networks
OpinionNurturing socioeconomic inclusion for a brighter tomorrow
Understanding why individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are underrepresented in the chemical sciences
BusinessRNA as a replacement for chemical pesticides
Argentinian start-up Apolo Biotech is teaching plants to fight infections
ResearchAncient ‘Egyptian Blue’ pigment recipes recreated
Work could aid conservation of Egyptian artefacts
OpinionWay’s electric light and flashes of brilliance
The continuing adventures of John Thomas Way under the mercury-powered spotlight
OpinionSafety is everyone’s responsibility
Maintaining culture and investment is key, especially in the absence of incidents
NewsAlan Turing papers expected to sell for thousands after narrowly missing the shredder
Collection includes personal copy of Turing’s sole chemistry paper
NewsUniversity of Akron calls off plan to merge chemistry-related programmes
‘Retrenchment’ strategy to combine polymer science with chemical engineering and chemistry is averted, following voluntary layoffs
OpinionNormalising huge substrate scopes worsens wellbeing
And holds up the pace of scientific progress
OpinionCan scientific curiosity and pressure to work long hours be balanced with well-being?
Younger researchers must beware the trap that sees their scientific fervour take over their lives
NewsCampaign launched to get Lego periodic table playset out there
Spanish scientist wants people to vote for his spiral table to get Lego to bring it to life
NewsA year on from the announcement of the dichloromethane ban, US research labs brace for change
Trump administration appears to be backing the Biden rule so universities are moving to comply
FeatureFixing medicine’s gender gap
For centuries, the default subject in medicine research and training has been the male. Julia Robinson talks to the scientists and clinicians trying to improve things for the other 51% of humanity
OpinionThe women-led health projects doing things differently
Innovative approaches to awareness and participation
OpinionHow feminist bioethics can improve women’s health
From correcting research imbalances to placing value on lived experiences