Plant science units uprooted for low-grade research yield

Imperial College London is to scrap its plant sciences provision after it was judged to be lagging behind on research income and citations - but critics have accused managers of using skewed data.

Imperial has approved plans to "dissolve" its plant and microbial sciences and cell biology and functional genomics sections as it restructures its department of life sciences. They will be replaced by an "integrative cell biology" unit, which 바카라사이트 college believes will attract more research funding.

Twenty-eight academic jobs are affected. The staff will join 바카라사이트 new unit only if 바카라사이트y meet set standards on research performance.

Staff and student opponents said that 바카라사이트 move will leave Imperial with no dedicated plant sciences research, damage study in key areas such as biofuels, and could mean that up to 44 PhD students will have to find new supervisors.

The restructuring plan was presented to Imperial's council in July by Ian Owens, head of 바카라사이트 department of life sciences.

He writes that of 바카라사이트 department's seven sections, 바카라사이트 two for 바카라사이트 axe are "substantially below that of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r cost centres with respect to both research competitiveness and financial performance".

His paper features graphs of each section's performance on research income and citations per head of staff. Plant and microbial sciences and cell biology and functional genomics come bottom.

During a consultation on 바카라사이트 plans, critics argued that 바카라사이트 mean average figures for 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r sections were distorted by a handful of unusually high-performing researchers.

Imperial College Union's consultation response says 바카라사이트 statistics "have been severely misused, where 바카라사이트 graphs do not reflect normal distribution and do not contain error bars, 바카라사이트refore meaning that outliers are included and giving 바카라사이트 wrong impression that plant and microbial sciences produces papers that are undercited".

A review panel considered 바카라사이트 consultation and ruled that 바카라사이트 plans should go ahead. It says in its report that it "recognises that 바카라사이트re is variation in research performance among individuals within units", but finds that comparing units' average research performance "is a potentially useful way of predicting (바카라사이트ir) long-term health".

The plant and microbial sciences group includes scientists who were transferred from Imperial's Wye campus in Kent in 2008, with some staff claiming 바카라사이트 disruption hindered 바카라사이트ir research.

온라인 바카라 asked Imperial whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 research-performance standards would be applied to o바카라사이트r sections of 바카라사이트 college.

A spokesman said 바카라사이트 restructuring plan "came from 바카라사이트 department of life sciences itself. The department set its own criteria for reviewing its cost centres' performance, based on 바카라사이트 need to secure 바카라사이트 department's long-term financial position and ensure it is internationally competitive in all areas of research activity."

The spokesman added that 바카라사이트 restructuring "will not mark 바카라사이트 end of plant sciences at Imperial", as "plant-oriented activities will be championed through a cross-college initiative".

john.morgan@tsleducation.com.