Author Archives: Stephen

This is not my Brexit day

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Stephen

It is 31st January 2020 and as of 11 pm tonight the UK will no longer be a member of the European Union. We have arrived at Brexit day. But this is not my Brexit. I did not want it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Science & Politics | 9 Comments

2019 in 31 photographs

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Stephen

My computer tells me I took over 3,700 photographs in 2019. Yikes! However, I have winnowed them down to just 31, should you care to take a look. I have been fortunate this year to travel far and wide – or … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Scientific Life, Travel | 2 Comments

Books read in 2019

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Stephen

In a kinder, happier age, when I used to write regularly for the Guardian’s science blog network, I would post summaries of the books I had read at the end of each year. Since the network closed in 2018 I … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review | Comments Off on Books read in 2019

My carbon bootprint

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Stephen

What was your carbon footprint for 2019? Mine was more of a bootprint, almost entirely because of flying. International travel has long been considered one of the perks of academic life, something that lifted the job out of the ordinary … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Scientific Life, Travel | 10 Comments

Time for reflection

Posted on December 15, 2019 by Stephen

I think of Sunday as the last day of the week, not the first. Today, at the end of a hard week on political and personal fronts (though why the political and personal should be seen as separate I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Science & Politics, Scientific Life | 1 Comment

Berlin Debate – Who owns science?

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Stephen

Yesterday I had the privilege of participating in the 14th Berlin Debate on Science and Science Policy, which is hosted by the Robert Bosch Foundation. This year the invited participants discussed “Who owns science? Reshaping the Scientific Value Chain in … Continue reading →

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First impressions: the DORA-HHMI meeting on research assessment reform

Posted on October 27, 2019 by Stephen

My feet have hardly touched the ground since I got back from the DORA-HHMI meeting on “Driving Institutional Change for Research Assessment Reform” in Washington DC last week, but I wanted to log a few first impressions. I can’t hope … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Comments Off on First impressions: the DORA-HHMI meeting on research assessment reform

I told myself…

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Stephen

I am on holiday – in Mauritius, a tiny tropical island in the Indian Ocean. And when I go on holiday, I make ridiculous plans.  I told myself I’d start running again. I’d get up early every morning, slip out … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Scientific Life | 2 Comments

The unsustainable goal of university ranking

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Stephen

Ranking organisations are seeking to diversify the measures use to evaluate universities. But without addressing the fundamental flaws in their methods, they will crush rather than embrace the rich complexity of our institutions of higher learning When the Times Higher … Continue reading →

Posted in Research Assessment, Science & Politics, Scientific Life | 1 Comment

How to value what cannot be measured?

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Stephen

This post is a transcript of my opening remarks at the a Great Debate held earlier today at the European Geosciences Union 2019 meeting in Vienna. The debate asked us to consider the question: What value should we place on contributions … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic publishing, Open Access, Science, Science & Politics | 2 Comments

Thinking globally about research evaluation – LIS-Bibliometrics talk

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Stephen

Last Tuesday I attended the 2019 LIS-Bibliometrics meeting which focused on open metrics and measuring openness. I was part of a panel that discussed the topic “Thinking globally about research evaluation: common challenges, common solutions”. Chaired by Lizzie Gadd from Loughborough University, … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Comments Off on Thinking globally about research evaluation – LIS-Bibliometrics talk

Endings and Beginnings

Posted on December 29, 2018 by Stephen

New Year’s Eve is almost upon us, so here we are again at the close of one long year and the start of another. Personally, it has been a year of endings and beginnings. Readers of this blog would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Scientific Life | 4 Comments