The first time I sat down in a café with Yusef [1], a man I had met a couple of years back while volunteering, there was an awkward moment when I turned on the recorder app on my phone. Yusef was born “in the Horn of Africa”, as he said, but moved to Italy more than […] … learn more→

I’m an introverted researcher. I’m uncomfortable with attending social events to meet new people, which can be problematic when it comes to expanding my network. I know networks are really important for a career, and I know how much of an issue networking can be for me, so I try to be considered and prepared […] … learn more→

In France, although free and secular education is enshrined in the 1946 Constitution as a “duty of the State”, a growing number of exceptions allow higher education institutions to set tuition fees of several thousands of euros. They now concern a fifth of students , and should quickly expand with the drastic (+1 600%) and generalized increase in […] … learn more→

Can we conduct activist research in universities? This is one of the questions that invites us to take a closer look at the controversy launched by the Minister of Higher Education, asking the National Assembly on February 16 that “a review of all the research” be launched. which take place at the university, in order to distinguish “what […] … learn more→

On the 18th of July 2018, I got a message, through the contact form on my website, from Richard Phillips who had a University of Sheffield email address. The message was brief, and said: “Dear Helen, I would like to explore the possibility of involving you in a workshop on creative writing and social research, and […] … learn more→

There was a poem published by Damian Barr in the midst of the pandemic that contained a line that resonated with many: We are not all in the same boat. We are in the same storm. Our research suggests this is true for academia, too. Over the past six months the De Gruyter insights team […] … learn more→

The molecular biologist Margarita Salas , one of the most important Spanish scientists of all time, said that there was a time when, despite having already started her scientific career, some colleagues referred to her as ‘Eladio’s wife’. “I knew what it was to be discriminated against or, what’s more, to be invisible,” she declared. Something that, although it […] … learn more→

In this review, I will evaluate the current literature on microRNAs or other non-coding RNAs and ovarian cancer in males. Wait a minute. Ovarian cancer in males? That’s ludicrous, you say. Well, I can cite not one but two “peer-reviewed” articles that identify among their patients (detailed in tables) numerous males with ovarian cancer. Both […] … learn more→

  Most academics regularly submit papers and compete for grants and promotions. These endeavours are necessary for their success but often end in rejection. Responses to rejection in academia have typically been individually focused. Most discussions of the topic describe what academics themselves can do to cope with rejection. For example, in a watershed tweet […] … learn more→

  Had someone asked, when I defended my PhD, what my biggest aspiration was, my answer would have been “to get a professorship”. To get there, however, I had to survive my “transitional years” and build a profile. Everyone told me how important it was to show a successful funding track-record and publish well. Accordingly, […] … learn more→