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
OpinionThe complicated legacy of J Craig Venter
By attempting to commercialise parts of the human genome, he sped up the development of gene sequencing technologies
OpinionBreaking a priceless chemistry artefact didn’t make the best first impression
But I found something precious in the department archives that will last for generations
NewsUC Berkeley chemistry professor accused of sexual harassment
Almost 800 current and former students, graduate researchers and faculty are calling for change following claims by former grad student
PodcastVanadium-based medicines & sustainable labs
Vanadium-based medicines? We discuss the 23rd element’s little-known potential in pharmaceuticals. Plus, how labs across the UK are making achievable changes to increase their sustainability.
OpinionHow much history should there be in science education?
Understanding how previous shifts in scientific understanding occurred affects how we view current theories
ResearchUsing light to push stereochemistry uphill
While chemistry usually follows the downhill pull of thermodynamics, Alison Wendlandt is creating higher‑energy stereoisomers in the final stages of synthesis
CareersHow chemists are making laboratories more sustainable
A collection of articles sharing tips from researchers who reduced their environmental impact with support from the RSC’s Sustainable Laboratories grants
CareersSustainable laboratories: Reducing plastics
When to reuse plastic pipette tips and how to overcome psychological barriers to recyling single-use items
CareersSustainable laboratories: Reducing water
How to adapt water cooling for water-stressed regions and investigate the carbon footprint of different circulation options
CareersSustainable laboratories: Reducing energy
How to identify an efficient heating mechanism and implement energy-saving measures across the lab
CareersSustainable laboratories: Cleaner solvents and substrates
How to identify greener replacements for DMF and recover ITO from glass substrates
CareersSustainable laboratories: Recovering metals
How to scavenge platinum group metals from laboratory waste
CareersSustainable laboratories: Best lab practice
How to encourage better environmental practices across a department and influence the next generation of researchers
WebinarDiscovering the elements: no simple stories
Join us on 10 June to discover the true nature of scientific discovery
NewsThree chemistry Nobel laureates shared their failures – and how they overcame them
Laureates talk about how they faced frustration and self-doubt over whether they were cut out for chemistry before they finally triumphed
CareersMeet the researchers who are making bonds outside of the lab
There are many benefits to participating in extracurricular activities with colleagues
WebinarHow and why soap works: the science behind the suds
Join us on 25 June to discover the chemistry behind our favourite household cleaner
PodcastInert materials & the Mary Celeste
In this episode, we discuss how to ensure experimental instruments are truly inert, chemistry’s answer to the fate of the Mary Celeste, and hear the latest headlines.
OpinionThe scientific career clock in China
Age limits on funding and recruitment programmes place unhelpful pressures on early-career researchers
BusinessBursting bubbles break down PFAS
Mantisonix is using ultrasound to destroy fluorochemical pollutants in water
OpinionHow my master’s reshaped my view on higher education chemistry
After three relentless undergraduate years, the fourth year provided space to immerse myself in the subject
OpinionAlfred Wilm and the hardening of metals
How do you prepare for a so-called accidental discovery?
NewsWomen and early-career researchers bore the burden of NIH’s funding disruptions
Almost 58% of the studies the US National Institutes of Health suddenly cancelled last year were female-led