COVID-19 comes with a set of pressing social challenges. These include environmental catastrophes such as the Australian droughts and bushfires, and the impending crisis of global warming. Social and health issues – include debilitating poverty, racial and income inequality, and chronic diseases – also loom large. In this turbulent environment, universities have an important role […] … learn more→

When I was awarded my PhD in medical research in 1991, going into business was not on my agenda. My aim was to make discoveries that would contribute to a body of knowledge on human health. Put simply, I wanted to make people’s lives better. I regarded the academic research environment, full of smart, inquisitive […] … learn more→

The greater prominence enjoyed by scientists during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to some individuals gaining a high profile – with the attendant praise and demonisation that this can bring. But these public figures are just the visible tip of a huge iceberg of effort taking place to combat the pandemic. To convert one bright […] … learn more→

In this time of hoaxes and false news we miss ideas. The “good ideas” arise from knowledge, from reflection, from argumentation and from counter-argumentation. This is why cooperative and shared knowledge is so important. The concept of interdisciplinary refers to the study or activity that is carried out with the cooperation of various disciplines . The cooperation between different disciplines allows analyzing […] … learn more→

Since February 2020 I have conducted Zoom conversations with eight early career researchers about their experiences. They all completed Humanities and Social Sciences PhDs from Australian universities in the last five years, and are citizens and/or residents of four different countries (Australia, Canada, Indonesia and the USA). Some are working as academics in universities, but […] … learn more→

I haven’t taught research methods for a year or so. But right now I do wish I still was. I’m not asking for additional workload. Not at all. It’s just that there is so much potential for learning in the current pandemic. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m pretty unhappy with the kind of […] … learn more→

As world leaders met for the annual World Health Assembly online on 18 May, more than 140 prominent figures, including current and former premiers, had signed an open letter calling on governments to unite behind a people’s vaccine against Covid-19. Among other things, this calls for any vaccine to be “patent-free”. A notable absentee from […] … learn more→

Ice shelves, massive floating bodies of ice, are well-known for their buffering effect on land-based ice sheets as they slow their flow towards the sea. This buffering effect plays an important role in moderating global sea level rise. The Antarctic Peninsula has been experiencing high levels of change during the last 30 years due to atmospheric and […] … learn more→

In the past two decades, much has been made in academic circles about global rankings of educational institutions. Bodies such as Times Higher Education and Webometrics regularly rank universities based on a set of criteria. These include internationalisation of faculty and students, cited research publications and awards won by scholars. This ranking phenomenon has increased the pressure on academics and researchers […] … learn more→

On the floor of the U.S. Senate, Congressman Adam Schiff recently referred to Robert Kennedy’s writings on the rarity of moral courage. My husband demonstrated moral courage when, as director of a microscopy imaging center at a public university, he observed, proved and reported scientific fraud in the Vice President for Research’s laboratory.  The Vice […] … learn more→