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Category: Communication

Description: Presentation for the NRIN Annual Symposium 2024 (‘Shaping a positive Research Culture at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) - needs, opportunities and challenges’) In today’s academic landscape, a set of overlapping crises underscores the significant inefficiencies and sustainability challenges within scientific practices. These crises span from the reliability of research findings through problems with the publication and peer review system to the precarious nature of researchers’ careers. To foster healthier research cultures in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), we need to recognize these issues as a complex web of interconnected challenges. I will illustrate some segments of this complexity through my research on the interplay between psychological and environmental factors in academia, with a specific focus on PhD candidates and the supervision system. By examining tangible examples, we can identify initiatives and best practices already implemented in some institutions. These include utilizing peer networks, setting up presentations and trainings about a range of topics such as mental health, (un)professional conduct, and workplace incivility, as well as transparent communication about norms and expectations. However, these localized efforts often address symptoms rather than the root causes. To improve research cultures in meaningful, sustainable ways, we need a systemic, holistic approach. Without a joint effort of coordination and system-level thinking, even the best initiatives can become merely reactive, combatting the symptoms instead of reimagining academia. Only through this collective effort and implementing a system perspective can we thrive, and not just survive.