Research engagement is a government priority in many countries. While the requirements differ, there is a growing body of research and practice that can help inform how we respond. In June 2019, I visited eight universities in Canada and the USA and met with 65 managers and academics to find out what  how research engagement was […] … learn more→

Rat brains to understand Parkinson’s disease. Drones to detect plastic landmines. Social media to predict acts of terrorism. These are just a few potentially lifesaving research projects that students have undertaken in recent years at universities in New York and Maryland. While each project is interesting by itself, there’s something different about these particular research […] … learn more→

I use Twitter a lot. I have used it across my various professional faces for over ten years now. I get invited by other institutions to give masterclasses and invited workshops about creating and managing digital identities. I teach workshops about ‘researchers and social media’ every semester. I’ve written quite a few blogposts about social […] … learn more→

Finally, the message came. Friends had warned you but you couldn’t help feeling disappointed when the request finally arrived. The dean of your school has asked you (and everyone else) to apply for external funding in the next few months. You have nowhere to hide – stress and sleepless nights loom ahead. Maybe if you […] … learn more→

I am looking at a flyer for an amazing opportunity to hear one of my intellectual heroes speaking. Registration for the symposium costs $100. In my head, I do the calculations: $100 for registration, an hour to get there and back and probably two hours if I just stay for one talk, so that’s four […] … learn more→

Reports of research misconduct have been prominent recently and probably reflect wider problems of relying on dated integrity protections. The recent reports are from Retraction Watch, which is a blog that reports on the withdrawal of articles by academic journals. The site’s database reports that journals have withdrawn a total of 247 papers with an Australian author going back to […] … learn more→

At universities in Australia, we get used to knowing one another’s salaries (in rough terms). Every university uses the same basic salary structure, and has relatively comparable pay rates within that structure. So, if someone is a Professor or a Lecturer, you know roughly how much they earn. This familiarity means that we often forget […] … learn more→

Things in my life have been a little heavy and stressful lately so I thought it would be good for my heart and soul to write a post focused on the fun and ridiculous elements of the academic internets and beyond. Working on Research Whisperer through the years, I’ve been more aware of the ways […] … learn more→

Recently on Twitter, a debate took place over advice from Professor Jim Al-Khalili, professor of physics and public engagement in science at the University of Surrey, that a practising scientist should establish themselves before aiming to go too far down the road in communicating science. While much of the debate was based on just a […] … learn more→

What is an Instagram Challenge? An Instagram Challenge is when a group of people commit to daily posts on Instagram for a specific period of time (usually 1 month). You receive a daily prompt to inspire you to create a post for your Instagram feed. The prompts are open to interpretation adding fun and diversity […] … learn more→