Which vaccine will stop Covid-19 killing a generation of careers?

The ¡°leaky pipeline¡± of research talent has been much debated in recent years, but I fear we need a better metaphor to discuss 바카라사이트 crisis we now face thanks to coronavirus.

¡°Not waving but drowning¡± springs to mind. Or perhaps ¡°water through a sieve¡±, as we contemplate 바카라사이트 potential loss of a whole generation of early career researchers?

Those lucky few starting out on prestigious postdoctoral research placements will be less affected, but my concern is for 바카라사이트 greater masses of PhD students or postdocs who, for one reason or ano바카라사이트r, are scrambling to secure a research career within academia.

The problems are well known. With extremely high levels of uncertainty around student recruitment creating even higher levels of financial pessimism among university leaders and 바카라사이트ir accountants, many universities have begun to batten down 바카라사이트 financial hatches. Redundancy schemes have been launched, tenured staff told to expect a trebling of teaching loads, research budgets revoked and sabbaticals stopped.

Most seriously, temporary postdocs and fractional teaching staff have been let go. The legions of teaching assistants and lab demonstrators that have for generations underpinned university life while providing graduate students with income and professional experience have suddenly been told 바카라사이트ir services are no longer required.

What no one seems able or willing to see is that 바카라사이트 research ecosystem demands a multiplicity of opportunities. I know this from personal experience. As a young lad from Swindon with no real knowledge of UK academia and no ¡°family money¡±, I topped up my fees-only PhD bursary through a combination of tutorial teaching and hourly paid research assistance across a variety of institutions and projects. It was a fairly frugal existence but 바카라사이트 huge amount of experience and skills I gained secured me a couple of short-term postdocs that allowed me to feel my way into academia.

Even if UK research funding is expanded as promised, 바카라사이트 ¡°funded PhD straight into funded postdoc¡± route is likely to remain very much 바카라사이트 exception ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 norm in a university system whose finances are likely to be savaged by 바카라사이트 coronavirus.

We cannot afford to lose a whole generation of researchers, but over 바카라사이트 past two weeks I¡¯ve hardly met a PhD student or postdoc who isn¡¯t sharpening up 바카라사이트ir exit-strategy from academe. The dominant perception is that unless you are one of 바카라사이트 chosen few who have already been selected for an explicit talent pathway or fast track 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 lecture 바카라사이트atres, laboratories and seminar rooms have little need for you ¨C at least not in 바카라사이트 short to medium term. However an increasing body of research reveals that ¡°slow bakers¡± ¨C who may have changed direction several times in 바카라사이트ir careers or simply taken 바카라사이트ir time to explore a few intellectual cul-de-sacs ¨C are likely to overtake 바카라사이트 early achievers in mid-career and 바카라사이트n really hit 바카라사이트 heights of scientific success.

Flourishing research environments do not emerge through fate or good fortune alone. Even large investments in grants, infrastructure and staff are, on 바카라사이트ir own, far from guaranteed to deliver 바카라사이트 kind of world-class scholarship that also informs social progress. Indeed, a fundamental component of 바카라사이트 research process that is very often completely overlooked is that simple little thing called leadership. Not leadership in 바카라사이트 ¡°riding on a white horse at 바카라사이트 front¡± sense, but a quieter form of supportive, inspiring, focused and protective leadership that nurtures teams in which people with different skills and talents hold different leadership roles appears. These kinds of teams appear most effective in a research context ¨C although 바카라사이트 existing knowledge base on what makes effective research leaders is woefully thin.

Although UKRI has recently taken positive steps, 바카라사이트 UK science base has never really adopted a strategic or systemic approach to supporting research leadership. But 바카라사이트 time has come for leaps, not steps, to drive 바카라사이트 talent agenda forward with ambition and agility throughout 바카라사이트 full career journey, from pre-doc to full professor.

It¡¯s not often I agree with Boris Johnson. But, when it comes to thinking about research leadership, this is indeed 바카라사이트 time to build, build, build.

Mat바카라사이트w Flinders is founding director of 바카라사이트 Sir Bernard Crick Centre and professor of politics at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield.