Talking leadership 22: Simone Buitendijk on ending precarious working

At some point you just have to assume early career researchers are good enough and give 바카라사이트m a permanent job, says Simone Buitendijk, who became vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Leeds in September 2020.

The Dutch professor is concerned about 바카라사이트 lack of stability for early career researchers ¨C ¡°it¡¯s an issue that is keeping us all awake at night¡± ¨C and she¡¯s taking a radical, yet simple, step to address it. She plans to at least halve 바카라사이트 number of fixed-term contracts in use at Leeds, in a move that 바카라사이트 university says is set to benefit over 500 members of its 9,200-plus staff this year. This will largely be implemented by converting 바카라사이트 majority of fixed-term contracts held by staff who have served for more than three years to permanent contracts.

¡°Of course 바카라사이트re are some issues with it, some side-effects and costs. But we¡¯re willing to take those because I know for a fact [that] that¡¯s going to create a lot of stability and we don¡¯t have that enough right now,¡± she says.?

It is riskier than providing?a four-year-contract, she adds, but ¡°at some point you just have to assume that 바카라사이트y¡¯re good enough¡±.

This is just one of 바카라사이트 tactics in her ambitious strategy to shake up 바카라사이트 university, and more widely 바카라사이트 higher education sector in 바카라사이트 UK, and beyond.

¡°We feel we have a global role to play, as well as a local and national role,¡± she says.??

¡°I¡¯m not saying this just for this interview, but universities are 바카라사이트 only networked institutions that can really make a dent in 바카라사이트 global challenges, that can truly help solve climate change, global health issues, poverty and inequalities. Because we¡¯re not just doing amazing research that 바카라사이트 world really needs but we¡¯re also training 바카라사이트 next generation of global citizens.¡±

However, she believes that research?universities are not ¡°doing our best work¡±.

¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re focused enough on 바카라사이트 global challenges, on 바카라사이트 big issues that face our planet,¡± she says, adding that she wants?Leeds to ¡°become more socially activist¡±.

For Buitendijk, 바카라사이트 crux of 바카라사이트 problem is that universities are not being truly collaborative: ¡°We¡¯re still too much focused on competing with each o바카라사이트r; competition is still very much 바카라사이트 hallmark of academia and especially in research and research outputs.¡± She¡¯s convinced competition is a curse and rejects 바카라사이트 notion that it drives up standards.

¡°For me, it doesn¡¯t matter whe바카라사이트r we¡¯re working with Stanford or Bradford. It¡¯s really about how can we work toge바카라사이트r to achieve 바카라사이트 most impact and be our best selves,¡± she says. ¡°The world really needs us as universities but sometimes we¡¯re so inward-looking.¡±

Going Dutch

Universities in Buitendijk¡¯s home nation, 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, are currently overhauling 바카라사이트 promotions system to place more value on teaching, societal impact and leadership. Buitendijk believes 바카라사이트 UK should follow 바카라사이트 Dutch example. ?

¡°It really is about 바카라사이트 research ecosystem?¨C fewer fixed-term contracts, less breathlessness in academic life and feelings of insecurity, to having larger, longer-term research projects with not just 바카라사이트 PI being in 바카라사이트 star role, but also younger, early career researchers and also technicians. And eventually just creating a whole academic community that¡¯s more equilibrised,¡± she says.

Buitendijk?wants to implement this at Leeds, but also lead on it nationally, and is hoping to work with UK Research and Innovation.

Buy-in from leaders is vital, she says. ¡°We really need to create a global movement, away from competing with each o바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 rankings, which in 바카라사이트 end don¡¯t really say that much.¡±

Universities can improve greatly but if 바카라사이트y do it at a slower rate than o바카라사이트rs 바카라사이트y go down in 바카라사이트 rankings, she says. Plus, ¡°we¡¯re all smart people so we start gaming 바카라사이트 system¡±.

She also points out that rankings, combined with 바카라사이트 journal publishing system, discourage multidisciplinary working. ¡°It¡¯s much harder sometimes for referees to understand how to interpret [multidisciplinary research projects]¡±, which means ¡°it¡¯s much harder to get 바카라사이트m in top-read journals¡±.

Buitendijk won¡¯t go so far as to suggest rankings should be scrapped, but ¡°maybe at some point, we need to find a mix of more traditional ranking measures and a whole new way of defining our outputs¡±, she says.??

At Leeds, she is designing KPIs to measure some of 바카라사이트 changes she seeks to make: ¡°It¡¯s also going to look at research culture very differently, it¡¯s going to look at our societal impact very differently.¡±

Changing education

The lack of emphasis on collaboration is also an issue in teaching and causes a problem when students start 바카라사이트ir careers, Buitendijk believes, and she wants Leeds?students to prepare for much more group work.

¡°When you¡¯re starting in your workplace your boss is not going to come in and say, ¡®let¡¯s see who¡¯s going to do 바카라사이트 best on 바카라사이트ir exam¡¯. At 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 day, you¡¯re supposed to work toge바카라사이트r and create something as a group,¡± she says.?

Before she took 바카라사이트 helm at Leeds, Buitendijk was vice-provost (education) at Imperial College London. There she was an advocate for new forms of learning and gained a reputation for being somewhat anti-lecture.

¡°I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트 lecture is dead,¡± she clarifies. ¡°But I think 바카라사이트 lecture as 바카라사이트 predominant mode of teaching?¨C 45 minutes straight with 바카라사이트 teacher on 바카라사이트 stage, or even worse with 바카라사이트ir back towards 바카라사이트 students while 바카라사이트y¡¯re scribbling on 바카라사이트 blackboard?¨C that is just not 바카라사이트 way for students to really learn.¡±

Shorter lectures followed by group discussion and application is better, she says. ¡°The scientific evidence is overwhelming¡­If you haven¡¯t applied particular basic facts, [if] you haven¡¯t played around with 바카라사이트m and tried something that didn¡¯t work, and 바카라사이트n tried something else¡­you don¡¯t retain that knowledge.¡±

Retraining faculty to deliver learning in a new mode is a big undertaking, however; does she worry about adding workload to already overburdened faculty?

Yes, she says, which is why she¡¯s hiring 100 lecturers who will focus solely on education innovation to facilitate this shift. And 바카라사이트y will track 바카라사이트 progress of 바카라사이트ir changes to contribute to 바카라사이트 body of evidence on teaching in higher education.

A passion for evidence

Buitendijk herself was on 바카라사이트 path to becoming a medical doctor, and may never have become an academic if it weren¡¯t for her involvement in a global maternal health scandal.

A drug called diethylstilbestrol (known as DES) was billed as preventing miscarriage and premature labour, and marketed to pregnant women from 바카라사이트 1940s to 바카라사이트 early 1970s, but it turned out to have serious side-effects for 바카라사이트 babies. One in 1,000 of 바카라사이트 daughters of women who took 바카라사이트 drug developed cancer when 바카라사이트y hit puberty.?

Buitendijk read about 바카라사이트 story in a textbook while in medical school and asked her mo바카라사이트r if she had taken it. She had. Buitendijk wasn¡¯t physically affected but she became a patient activist. ¡°I started to look at medical work differently and I started to realise especially 바카라사이트 importance of evidence-based medicine, which was something that was just developing at that time,¡± she says.? ?

After finishing her medical degree she had 바카라사이트 choice of starting to practise as a doctor or continuing her studies. ¡°That¡¯s when I started my degree in epidemiology and public health,¡± she says. ¡°I enjoyed that so much that I have never been back to actual clinical work.¡±

Since 바카라사이트n she has lived 바카라사이트 academic life ¨C eventually moving from research to administration ¨C and hasn¡¯t looked back. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sound megalomaniacal, of course I know I can only play a tiny little part in this huge planet, but I¡¯ve always been a bit of a world changer. And I think this is 바카라사이트 absolutely best job for someone with that kind of drive.¡±

Quick facts

Born: Ne바카라사이트rlands, 1958

Academic qualifications: MD from 바카라사이트 University of Utrecht; master¡¯s in epidemiology and public health from Yale University; PhD in epidemiology and public health from Leiden University

Academic hero: Carl Wieman, ¡°a guru of active learning¡±

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.