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
OpinionSarah O’Connor: ‘There’s nothing that matches that thrill of discovery’
The natural product chemist talks growing up in New York, her dad’s late pursuit of a PhD, and her journey to plant chemistry and to Germany
CareersHow to write thesis acknowledgements
Tips for deciding who and how to thank those who have supported you through your PhD or dissertation
News30 US universities ordered to audit foreign research partnerships
Pentagon says review must be finished by the end of August to maintain federal funding
OpinionChemistry contains multitudes
There’s room (and need) for all the various subspecies of chemical scientists
WebinarBoron: in search of the real fifth element
What makes boron so extraordinary? Find out on 21 October with author Stephen Mansell
PodcastUK science department abolished & Ireland’s crumbling concrete
What does a new prime minister mean for UK science? Plus, why are thousands of Irish buildings falling apart?
NewsChemistry can feel inaccessible to British Asian students, survey finds
Interviews with current students revealed recurring concerns about a lack of representation, difficulties reporting racism and challenges fitting in with peers
CareersHow Robert Crapnell carved out a new role between technician and academic
The research technical manager at Manchester Metropolitan University was awarded this year’s RSC Technical Excellence Prize
BusinessCombining AI with experiments to solve real-world materials problems
CuspAI’s Materials Foundry partner network includes 45 technology, data and materials chemistry companies to make and test its predictions
BusinessPfizer’s green chemistry team turns 25
What began as a grassroots initiative has become embedded across Pfizer’s research and manufacturing operations, helping reshape processes from Viagra to Paxlovid
OpinionMessy megamergers
Rumoured merger between AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb has collapsed, and that’s probably a good thing
ResearchIs this painting of a Roman emperor a lost Leonardo da Vinci?
Pigment analysis sheds light on Renaissance painting mystery
Feature150 years of Gibbs’ phase rule
In 1876, Josiah Willard Gibbs published an equation that would transform chemistry – yet barely anyone noticed at the time. The story of his phase rule is one of delayed recognition, mathematical abstraction and enduring scientific legacy
NewsThe genius narrative isn’t inspiring – science biographies for children may send a demotivating message
Analysis of over 400 children’s books finds ideas around early interest in science and innate ability could turn young readers away from science
CareersThe art of the pivot, or how to fail yourself to happiness
As Mike Tyson once said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face
NewsWhy are buildings cracking-up in Ireland?
The chemistry behind an epidemic that is destroying concrete in houses, hospitals and schools
ResearchPolymer sponge could save stars of the silver screen from ‘vinegar syndrome’ destruction
Material that mops up acetic acid could slow degradation of old movie reels
OpinionDNA on the Shroud of Turin reveals plant, animal and human contaminants
Peanuts, chickens and a researcher are among those who have left their mark on the cloth
WebinarWorking safely through pregnancy: a conversation for chemists and lab leaders
How safe is the lab when you’re pregnant? Join our conversation on 9 September
CareersHow a university opened its doors to neurodivergent employees
From all-around support to tailored recruitment, a University of Nottingham initiative offers a blueprint for improving neuro-inclusion in the technical workforce
Podcast50 years after Seveso & changing the way we separate hydrocarbons
What have we learned 50 years on from the Seveso accident? And we discuss three promising membrane strategies that could replace fractional distillation in crude oil refineries.
OpinionEarly lessons from the Garden Grove chemical incident
A runaway polymerisation raises questions about safety measures and their backups
NewsChemistry Nobel laureate Rudy Marcus passes away just before turning 103
Theoretical chemist who came up with one of his most important ideas in a just month also mentored more than 100 young researchers
Opinion‘Science felt like a level playing field’: in situ with Anthony Cheetham
The materials chemist on being a scientific contrarian, his love of cricket, and what AI might mean for materials science