Featured
-
-
Career Feature |
Why the US border remains ‘a place of terror’ for Chinese researchers
Two years after the end of the controversial China Initiative, academics describe being treated like spies, a loss of talent and a chilling atmosphere that is stifling science.
- Virginia Gewin
-
Career Q&A |
I help researchers build fantastic funding proposals — here’s how
Glòria García-Negredo supports scientists who are writing grant applications, and creates links between research groups.
- Miles Lizak
-
Career News |
‘This is exclusion’: Florida law restricts hiring of researchers from seven countries
Policy that prohibits partnerships between state universities and ‘countries of concern’, including China, will erode competitiveness, faculty members say.
- Amanda Heidt
-
News Feature |
How to find meaning in your science career: six expert tips
Philosophers, social scientists and a Nobel-prizewinning economist on how researchers can get satisfaction from their work — and make a difference to the world.
- Helen Pearson
-
Career Feature |
What’s the sign for ‘centrifuge’? How we added scientific terms to Indian Sign Language
Molecular biologist Alka Rao brought together her research group and sign-language specialists to broaden access to science for deaf students in India.
- Deepa Padmanaban
-
World View |
How to boost your research: take a sabbatical in policy
Academic researchers have a unique opportunity to benefit society — and their research — by spending time in government.
- Jordan Dworkin
-
Career Column |
Structural biology for researchers with low vision
Scientists seek to analyse biomolecules at the highest level of resolution. We developed and adapted assistive technologies to help those who are blind to do the same.
- Olivia Shaw
- , Cynthia Yurkovich
- & Jodi Hadden-Perilla
-
Nature Careers Podcast |
Building robots to get kids hooked on STEM subjects
Robotics are a key part of the Fundi Bots education program and its aim to excite children about science and technology.
- Dom Byrne
-
News |
Just 5 women have won a top maths prize in the past 90 years
Prestigious awards such as the Fields Medal, Abel Prize and Breakthrough Prize have been awarded predominantly to men.
- Sarah Wild
-
Where I Work |
I listen to the sounds this remote wetland makes to learn its rhythms
Peter Chatanga uses weeks-long audio recordings to build a picture of biodiversity in Lesotho’s crucial wetlands.
- Linda Nordling
-
Career Feature |
I run a physics lab — and thousands of kilometres a year
In 2023, Jenny Hoffman ran across the United States in 47 days, smashing the women’s world record. But she still found time to lead a research team.
- Sara Reardon
-
Career News |
Postdocs celebrate 24% pay boost in one of the world’s most expensive cities
Starting salaries at New York’s Icahn School of Medicine rise to $72,500 as part of a deal led by unionized researchers.
- Laurie Udesky
-
Career Q&A |
A researcher-exchange programme made me a better doctor at home and abroad
Caleb Skipper describes how global health collaborations bring valuable transfers of knowledge to both sides of the Atlantic.
- Christopher Bendana
-
Career Q&A |
I took my case to Nepal’s highest court to improve conservation
After seeing an endangered-animal pelt displayed on television, Kumar Paudel embarked on a five-year legal battle, advocating for equitable enforcement of wildlife laws.
- Saugat Bolakhe
-
Nature Careers Podcast |
‘It reflects the society we live in where a young person does not feel life is worth living’
With youth suicide rates rising, it’s vital that mental health forms part of global well-being targets, says Shekhar Saxena.
- Dom Byrne
-
Career Feature |
Could roving researchers help address the challenge of taking parental leave?
Institutions are taking notice of a handful of programmes designed to address the issues scientists face when choosing to take a long-term absence.
- Amy Coombs
-
Career Column |
How my academic sabbatical offered a chance to hit the restart button on my career
Time away from his daily responsibilities taught Brandon Brown that he is replaceable — and that’s a good thing.
- Brandon Brown
-
World View |
Why the mental cost of a STEM career can be too high for women and people of colour
Under-represented groups face chronic barriers, creating psychological — and physical — effects. The scientific community must ease this burden.
- Jean King
-
Career News |
Economists count the cost of ‘risky’ science
A survey seeks to define risk in research and how academics approach it in their work.
- Chris Woolston
-
Where I Work |
I started fossil hunting in my 60s — now I have more than 2,000 pieces
Heather Middleton trawls England’s Jurassic Coast for specimens that might lead to a deeper understanding of palaeontology.
- Rachael Pells
-
Career Column |
‘Obviously ChatGPT’ — how reviewers accused me of scientific fraud
A journal reviewer accused Lizzie Wolkovich of using ChatGPT to write a manuscript. She hadn’t — but her paper was rejected anyway.
- E. M. Wolkovich
-
Nature Careers Podcast |
‘Blue foods’ to tackle hidden hunger and improve nutrition
Aquatic foods have been overlooked in moves to end food insecurity. That needs to change, says Christopher Golden.
- Dom Byrne
-
Career Column |
How to enhance lab-team efficiency with tools from the tech industry
Using freely available software can help to maximize productivity and avoid collaboration pain points.
- Lathan Liou
- & Akshay Swaminathan
-
Career Q&A |
Passion, curiosity and perseverance: my mission to capture women in science on camera
Genetics researcher Elisabetta Citterio explains why she felt compelled to photograph 57 women who work in STEM fields.
- Josie Glausiusz
-
Career Q&A |
From a pocketful of rocks to scientific director of palaeontological research
PhD candidate Dirley Cortés says that it takes grit and guts to navigate the challenges of being a Latin American woman in palaeontology.
- Efrain Rincon
-
World View |
Academia needs radical change — mothers are ready to pave the way
The research system must lose its overly rigid attitude towards career progression — and mothers are uniting to make that happen.
- Fernanda Staniscuaski
-
News |
How to make academic hiring fair: database lists innovative policies
Reformscape is designed to inspire university leaders by collecting examples of responsible career assessment.
- Brian Owens
-
Where I Work |
Therapy dog spreads paws-itivity at cancer hospital
Marguerite Nicodeme works with Snoopy the dog to bring moments of cheerful relief to patients and their carers.
- Benjamin Plackett
-
Career Feature |
How co-working labs reduce costs and accelerate progress for biotech start-ups
Shared lab spaces provide a streamlined launchpad, offering benches as well as a diverse network of industry mentors.
- Rachel Brazil
-
Nature Careers Podcast |
Why we should think about more than cash when seeking to eradicate poverty
Catherine Thomas’s research explores different approaches to alleviating poverty, including cash transfers and psychosocial programs.
- Dom Byrne
-
Career Column |
How I learnt to write research papers as a non-native English speaker
Leaving blanks, studying others and paying careful attention to figures all helped Sri Lankan chemist Nuwan Bandara to hone his skills.
- Nuwan Bandara
-
Where I Work |
How I make stretchy electronics for medicine
Mahmoud Tavakoli works on wearable electronic devices that are less invasive than standard equipment.
- Patricia Maia Noronha
-
Career Feature |
The open-science movement for sharing laboratory materials gains momentum
Many researchers support open science, but how can they translate this view into behaviours to boost sharing?
- Andy Tay
-
Career Feature |
A crime-busting path to planetary science
Andrew Lincowski was a police officer before undertaking a PhD in astronomy and astrobiology. For a while, his career spanned both roles, before he moved into teaching.
- Anne Gulland
-
Career Column |
How a peer network made my worst day as a grad student bearable
Anxiety and depression affect nearly half of all early-career researchers. Strengthening our communities from within can provide relief, says Taylor Tibbs.
- Taylor Tibbs
-
Career Column |
Organize your –80 °C freezer to save time and prevent frozen fingertips
Start the new year by sorting out your lab’s cold storage, to simplify purchasing, improve experiment planning and reduce the frequency of lost samples.
- Kelsey Alexandra Woodruff
- & Christina Marie Termini
-
Where I Work |
Giving thanks for a glovebox: helping to make medicines from natural substances
Richmond Sarpong wishes more people had access to the nitrogen-regulated device.
- James Mitchell Crow
-
Career Feature |
Insights from four female scientists caught at the early-career crossroads
Facing challenges including parenthood, mental-health strain and financial pressures, these researchers give advice for navigating the uncertain paths before them.
- Lesley Evans Ogden
-
Career Column |
Breaking the menstruation taboo to make fieldwork more inclusive
We need to talk about periods when planning routine fieldwork trips, say ecologist Sarah E. Dalrymple and glaciologist Timothy P. Lane.
- Sarah Dalrymple
- & Timothy Lane
-
Career Feature |
In Brazil, one in two female researchers has faced sexual harassment
A survey by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences bolsters calls to tackle the problem.
- Meghie Rodrigues
-
Where I Work |
How I fuse Western science with Traditional Knowledge
Indigenous Canadian ecologist Jennifer Grenz abandons colonial restoration dogma to reshape land systems according to community needs.
- Virginia Gewin
-
Career Column |
Start 2024 by asking: ‘Why do science?’
Step back from the usual lab-meeting format, and ask yourself and your colleagues why you all do what you do, say Mirko Treccani and Laura Veschetti.
- Mirko Treccani
- & Laura Veschetti
-
Correspondence |
New UK immigration rules threaten academic mobility
- Alexander C. Lees
- & Ben C. Sheldon
-
Where I Work |
How badly does climate change affect coral? I dive to find out
By putting on my scuba suit and keeping track of corals in French Polynesia, I hope to determine how much stress they’re under.
- Patricia Maia Noronha
-
Career Feature |
How sharing your science in an opinion piece can boost your career
Don’t rely solely on academic papers to raise your professional profile. General readers are interested in your opinions, too.
- Jane Palmer
-
Career Column |
How an AI-powered lion became a teaching tool
The mascot for King’s College London helped Andrés Gvirtz to teach a class, with a little help from generative artificial intelligence.
- Andrés Gvirtz
-
Nature Index |
How research managers are using AI to get ahead
For those at the interface of funding organizations and the scientific community, platforms such as ChatGPT can tackle menial tasks and free up time for relationship-building work such as coaching and mentoring.
- Linda Nordling
-
Spotlight |
Why 2023 was a bittersweet year for Brazilian science
Expectations were high after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the presidency. But some scientists are frustrated at the slow pace of change.
- Meghie Rodrigues
-
World View |
The postdoc experience is broken. Funders such as the NIH must help to reimagine it
Postdoctoral woes, especially in biomedical research, are symptomatic of a wider problem. Funding bodies have an opportunity to spearhead a cultural shift.
- Ubadah Sabbagh