Liberation theology
Sarah Coakley is outspoken about theology’s relevance and determined not to allow it to wither in a dusty campus corner. She tells Matthew Reisz how it can illuminate contemporary issues such as...

Sarah Coakley is outspoken about theology’s relevance and determined not to allow it to wither in a dusty campus corner. She tells Matthew Reisz how it can illuminate contemporary issues such as...

Sarah Coakley, Cambridge professor of divinity, discusses how theology throws light on evolution, gender and other issues
Academic career prospects for PhD holders are dismal, so why are those who seek external employment viewed as failures?
I fear that if we move to the gold open-access model, it will be disproportionately harmful to researchers outside large groups and to more junior members of staff who are less able to afford the...
LHC maintenance crew turn into zombies in film by Cern-based student. Matthew Reisz reports
Weekly transmissions from the blogosphere
Another paper authored by University of Manchester professor Sylvia Bulfone-Paus has been retracted – but this one does not feature the Russian postdoctoral researchers blamed for misconduct that led...
Unpaid research posts represent the latest step in the 'proletarianisation' of the academy, argues Ross Perlin

How does a tiny institution create such outsized impact?
Short-term contracts and a lack of permanent openings risk causing long-term damage to UK academic science, a report prepared for David Willetts warns.

Is there an optimum size for research labs? Are larger labs more prone to research misconduct and harder to manage? Paul Jump investigates

I recently found myself chatting to Mike Duff, a string theorist at Imperial College London, at a physics dinner. As you might expect, Duff was concerned about the introduction of impact statements...

Ministry bows to academic pressure and reverses stricter post-study rules. Clea Caulcutt reports
Research malpractice'Inadequate role model'A prominent researcher who spends 20 per cent of her time at the University of Manchester has been reprimanded by the German Research Foundation (the DFG)...
I read with interest "Making other plans" (14 June), which provided an overview of the need for many with higher degrees to accept and prepare for careers beyond the academy.At my institution, the...