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
OpinionHow sketching and painting have enhanced my scientific practice
A visual approach to chemistry aids discovery and communication
CareersHow Thuc-Quyen Nguyen’s dreams of capturing the sun led her to organic electronics
Organic solar cell windows will enable the buildings of the future to be energy-neutral, she says
NewsRecord-breaking chemistry experiments: from giant crystals to lemon batteries
School science staples that have set Guinness World Records
OpinionHarrison’s bimetallic strip and the problems with temperature control
Making thermostats possible – now we need to learn how to use them correctly
CareersFinding a home in the workshop
Departmental workshops provide support for researchers in more ways than one
NewsNational scientific organisations consistently underrepresent women within their membership
Change is happening slowly but institutional processes continue to stymie the progression of women
OpinionIs that a fact, or your opinion?
When experts are sidelined or undermined, the truth needs all the allies it can get
OpinionChemistry has always been women’s business
Female chemists played essential roles in developing chemical practice
OpinionAs a first-generation student, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing
And that brought challenges and unexpected opportunites
NewsRoyal Society asks for help as it unveils interactive UK map charting memorialisation of women in science
Locations, landmarks and monuments dotted throughout the UK highlight the contributions of women
NewsThe need for science diplomacy in a fragmenting world
After receiving a US science diplomacy prize, Chemistry World talks to Martyn Poliakoff and Richard Catlow about global scientific challenges, their love of technicians and being astounded by children’s questions
News‘Ukrainians are a strong nation – we persevere’: Four years on scientists remain resilient in face of adversity
Researchers in Ukraine hold on to hope and plan for a future after the war ends
OpinionVeronica Vaida: ‘Some Harvard faculty expressed puzzlement at having a woman colleague’
The renowned physical chemist and environmental scientist on growing up in Romania and forging her career as a woman in the US in the 1970s
OpinionHow to grow an enormous single crystal
Top tips from David Boyce and his class, who have cultivated a 3kg single copper sulfate crystal
CareersIs work polygamy a new trend or the daily norm for researchers?
While many academics balance more than one role, some take on entirely separate jobs that allow them to explore different careers
NewsPFAS waxes found on skis and snowboards lead to three Olympic disqualifications
Athletes excluded for first time for materials doping with ‘forever chemicals’ since the prohibition took effect three years ago
OpinionWhen we ate whales for breakfast
A reminder that technological developments aren’t sufficient to solve environmental problems
PodcastAlphaGenome & the RNA world hypothesis
In this episode, we discuss Google DeepMind’s latest deep learning model AlphaGenome, dissect the origins of life from chemicals to complex lifeforms, and hear the latest headlines.
OpinionHow bird photography made me a better chemist
Payal Joshi draws inspiration for organic mechanisms from graceful avian poses
BusinessDow to cut 4500 jobs in productivity drive
Firm claims AI and automation will help revive growth during sustained industrial downturn
NewsCollaborating with a Nobel laureate may actually hinder chances of winning a Nobel prize
Research suggest that those who work alongside laureates may not be seen as original thinkers
BusinessIndia–EU trade deal will cut tariffs and enable economic migration
India has also set out framework for trade agreement with US
ResearchEmbodying polymer chemistry with a purpose by upcycling plastics and trapping PFAS
For Frank Leibfarth, focussing on reactivity and selectivity helps him bridge the gap between fundamental and applied research