Each year the release of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings generates a great deal of interest, excitement – and debate. This year all eyes are on China which, according to the 2018 rankings, “steps up its ascent” as “East closes in on West”. China’s Tsinghua University in 22nd place has overtaken all of its other […] … learn more→

University rankings can be highly influential. They can help prospective students to narrow down their choice of institution and, of course, they also give universities something to brag about. The UK’s elite institutions, Oxford and Cambridge, continue to occupy the top two posts in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings And many other UK universities […] … learn more→

The backlash against the University of Manchester students who recently overwrote a mural of Kipling’s If, once voted the UK’s favourite poem, with the civil rights activist Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise was predictably fierce. “Liberal fascism” and “outrageous cultural vandalism” were some of the more pointed attacks on this latest incarnation of the drive […] … learn more→

My friend Tim’s PhD had been four years in the making when he finally dropped out. His decision followed a meeting with his supervisor: the culmination of almost six months of work preparing a further draft chapter of his thesis. Only at this point did he learn that his supervisor did not approve of the […] … learn more→

Decades ago, we sat in the library as graduate students, staring at shelves of books and thinking: “If only we understood all the knowledge sitting on just one shelf, what power that would be.” Today, we try to convince ourselves that such daydreaming was not naive. Of course, there are people who love to learn, […] … learn more→

One of the most difficult things I’ve had to deal with whilst working on my PhD is managing the expectations of my university. In the end, I realised we were working towards two different goals. While we both wanted me to complete the PhD, our relationship was more complicated than that. My Graduate School and […] … learn more→

Does everyone keep telling you that the key to a successful career is to have great networks? Well, I hate to be the one to say it again, but it’s true. Having great networks makes working life – and research life in particular – much, much easier and more fun. Where I diverge from much […] … learn more→

At many schools, faculty face tremendous pressure to pass students, even if those students never demonstrate understanding of the material…even if they ever even show up. I’ve certainly been at places where I felt I needed permission to fail students, both from the student and from admin. Every single time there’s been a problem with […] … learn more→

Allowing anyone who wishes to attend the courses of the most prestigious universities, without prior diploma and from all over the world, this is the attractive prospect opened up by the rise of massive open online courses (MOOC) in From 2012. To support the institutions in the design of these online programs, the Ministry of Higher Education launched in […] … learn more→

There are many things men aren’t particularly good at, or even suited for. Lactating is as good an example as any. Yes, you can totally have a male lactate from medical conditions or drugs. It’s not even sexist to ask women not to lactate at work, since men can do it as well (our court […] … learn more→