Featured
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Editorial |
Changemakers — Nature’s new series celebrates champions of inclusion in science
All around the world, people are pushing back against racism, gender bias and other forms of discrimination to make a positive difference. Our series will tell their stories and highlight their achievements.
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Career Q&A |
I had my white colleagues walk in a Black student’s shoes for a day
Freeman Hrabowski learnt the power of bold actions when he marched for civil rights in his youth. Since then, he has encouraged others to question the status quo — and affirm Black student success in the sciences.
- Virginia Gewin
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Where I Work |
I study artefacts left in prehistoric caves
Basran Burhan helped to date the oldest piece of figurative art discovered so far.
- James Mitchell Crow
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Career Column |
Researcher parents are paying a high price for conference travel — here’s how to fix it
Three scientist mothers call for a change in how conference childcare costs are reimbursed, drawing on their personal experiences.
- Laura Carter
- , Laura Wolz
- & Laura J. Pallett
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Nature Careers Podcast |
How artificial intelligence is helping to identify global inequalities
Machine learning tools are helping researchers understand how income is distributed and progress towards reducing inequality.
- Dom Byrne
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Career Feature |
How researchers in remote regions handle the isolation
Recruitment challenges and limited resources are among the challenges faced by scientists who live and work off the beaten track.
- Chris Woolston
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Career Feature |
What steps to take when funding starts to run out
Although researchers often face uncertainty when grants expire with no replacement in sight, there are creative ways to ease the dry spell.
- Neil Savage
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Career News |
Brazil’s plummeting graduate enrolments hint at declining interest in academic science careers
The total number of individuals entering master’s and doctoral programmes dropped 12% between 2019 and 2022, reaching the lowest level in nearly a decade.
- Rodrigo de Oliveira Andrade
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Where I Work |
How my research is putting blue crab on the menu in Croatia
Neven Iveša investigates the invasive species in the Adriatic Sea, and works out how to lessen its impact.
- Jack Leeming
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Career Column |
How to set up your new lab space
An empty room can be intimidating. But with some thoughtful planning, you can create a thriving scientific community.
- Marissa Coppola
- & Jessica W. Tsai
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Career Feature |
How religious scientists balance work and faith
Researchers find ways to interweave faith and science, from discussing Ramadan fasts with colleagues to applying religious parables to lab work.
- Anne Marie Conlon
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Career Feature |
I’m worried I’ve been contacted by a predatory publisher — how do I find out?
Researchers frequently receive invitations to publish in journals that they might not have heard of. Nature asked two scientists how they would check whether a publication is legitimate.
- Nikki Forrester
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Where I Work |
Why my heart beats for Nigeria’s endangered bats
Iroro Tanshi works to better understand a number of threatened species.
- Linda Nordling
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Nature Careers Podcast |
Decent work for all: why multinationals need a helping hand
Moses Ngoze explains why the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises in Africa are key to achieving global economic growth.
- Dom Byrne
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Career Feature |
How I fled bombed Aleppo to continue my career in science
Aref Kyyaly’s quest to find a safe place, away from Syria, to do research taught him perseverance. Don’t give up, is his advice.
- Benjamin Plackett
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Career Feature |
Illuminating ‘the ugly side of science’: fresh incentives for reporting negative results
New data repositories and alternative journals and workshops offer routes for sharing negative results — which could help to solve the reproducibility crisis and give machine learning a boost.
- Rachel Brazil
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Nature Careers Podcast |
How artificial intelligence is helping Ghana plan for a renewable energy future
The technology is helping the West African nation to invest wisely in infrastructure, prioritising energy and food security, but also human health.
- Dom Byrne
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Where I Work |
I make 3D models of conifer needles to explore their climate effects
Jan Pisek seeks a better understanding of how forests absorb sunlight, carbon and heat.
- Nic Fleming
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Career Feature |
Hunger on campus: why US PhD students are fighting over food
Graduate students are relying on donated and discounted food in the struggle to make ends meet.
- Laurie Udesky
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Career News |
US National Academies report outlines barriers and solutions for scientist carers
Carers need better support from employers, such as paid parental leave, subsidized childcare and relief for other types of caregiving. But is there will among institutions to provide it?
- Amanda Heidt
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Career Feature |
My PI yelled at me and I’m devastated. What do I do?
It can be hard when junior scientists feel unsupported. Nature asked three scientists for their advice on how to respond.
- Nikki Forrester
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Spotlight |
How I’m supporting other researchers who have moved to Lithuania
Biochemist Stephen Knox Jones chose a role in the Baltic country over other faculty positions in Denmark and the United States. He explains why.
- Jacqui Thornton
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Spotlight |
I fell out of love with the lab, and in love with business
The COVID-19 pandemic changed Karolina Makovskytė’s career ambitions, propelling her to a business development role in her home nation of Lithuania.
- Jacqui Thornton
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Spotlight |
How bioinformatics led one scientist home to Lithuania
Juozas Gordevičius founded a data-science company in the United States before returning to Vilnius.
- Jacqui Thornton
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Spotlight |
A snapshot of Lithuania’s life-sciences landscape
Nature examines the Baltic country’s research ambitions as it marks 20 years of European Union membership.
- Jacqui Thornton
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Career Feature |
Want to make a difference? Try working at an environmental non-profit organization
Moving to non-profit work requires researchers to shift their mindset to focus on applied science for policymaking and conservation practice.
- Natasha Gilbert
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Career Feature |
Scientists urged to collect royalties from the ‘magic money tree’
By joining a collecting society, researchers can ensure they are paid when copyrighted book content and papers are reproduced.
- Oscar Allan
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News |
NIH pay rise for postdocs and PhD students could have US ripple effect
Salary increases for the 17,000-plus recipients of an NIH research award could lead to increases in other academic settings.
- Amanda Heidt
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Career Feature |
Breaking ice, and helicopter drops: winning photos of working scientists
Nature’s annual photography competition attracted stunning images from around the world, including two very different shots featuring the Polarstern research vessel.
- Jack Leeming
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Career News |
Londoners see what a scientist looks like up close in 50 photographs
Nature’s Where I Work images are being exhibited in the UK capital until June.
- Jack Leeming
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Spotlight |
Deadly diseases and inflatable suits: how I found my niche in virology research
Virologist Hulda Jónsdóttir studies some of the world’s most pathogenic viruses at the Spiez Laboratory in Switzerland.
- Nikki Forrester
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Spotlight |
How young people benefit from Swiss apprenticeships
Computational biologist Jitao David Zhang says that the country’s vocational training programme teaches key work and life skills.
- Jitao David Zhang
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Spotlight |
I dive for fish in the longest freshwater lake in the world
Biologist Carolin Sommer-Trembo describes her fascination for fish and why she enjoys doing science in Switzerland.
- Nikki Forrester
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Career Feature |
Shrouded in secrecy: how science is harmed by the bullying and harassment rumour mill
Academics are calling for greater transparency in harassment cases. But do the benefits outweigh the risks?
- Sarah Wild
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Where I Work |
Acid test: why the chemistry of this unique crater lake matters
Hanik Humaida monitors the activity of Indonesia’s volcanoes to help protect the public.
- James Mitchell Crow
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Nature Careers Podcast |
How a young physicist’s job move helped Argentina join the ATLAS collaboration
A stint at CERN exposed María Teresa Dova to longstanding collaborators and mentors, culminating in a successful bid to join a landmark project.
- Julie Gould
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Career Q&A |
‘Shrugging off failure is hard’: the $400-million grant setback that shaped the Smithsonian lead scientist’s career
Planetary scientist Ellen Stofan thought about leaving research after a funding bid was rejected. But new opportunities emerged.
- Anne Gulland
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Comment |
Citizenship privilege harms science
Researchers from the global south face often-distressing immigration bureaucracy that most from the global north do not. Six steps can begin to counteract this inequity.
- Mayank Chugh
- & Tiffany Joseph
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Career Column |
How I harnessed media engagement to supercharge my research career
My initial exposure to the world’s media was serendipitous, but I’ve learnt to be proactive about it — and reaped the benefits.
- Ben Singh
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Where I Work |
Digging in: last chance to save a native forest
Dario Sandrini hikes, plants and digs to save a threatened and diminishing ecosystem.
- James Mitchell Crow
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Nature Careers Podcast |
How to plug the female mentoring gap in Latin American science
Female academics who are keen to advance their careers need to see other women in leadership positions. Social stereotyping prevents that, argues Vanessa Gottifredi.
- Julie Gould
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Career Column |
How we landed job interviews for professorships straight out of our PhD programmes
Follow these tips for an uber-organized (and successful) job hunt.
- Violeta Rodriguez
- & Qimin Liu
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Career Column |
Three ways ChatGPT helps me in my academic writing
Generative AI can be a valuable aid in writing, editing and peer review – if you use it responsibly, says Dritjon Gruda.
- Dritjon Gruda
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Career Column |
How two PhD students overcame the odds to snag tenure-track jobs
Between us, we got several offers to lead labs before we had finished our PhDs.
- Violeta Rodriguez
- & Qimin Liu
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Career Feature |
Ready or not, AI is coming to science education — and students have opinions
As educators debate whether it’s even possible to use AI safely in research and education, students are taking a role in shaping its responsible use.
- Sarah Wells
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World View |
Impact factors are outdated, but new research assessments still fail scientists
A move away from narrow assessment metrics such as publication records is welcome. Now planning and consultation is needed to make sure that replacements work better.
- Kelly Cobey
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Career Feature |
Africa’s postdoc workforce is on the rise — but at what cost?
Will a growth in postdoctoral positions across Africa cause bottlenecks, replicating the career-progression challenges faced by scientists elsewhere?
- Linda Nordling
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Where I Work |
How I use tide gauges to develop geospatial maps
Geographer Muh Aris Marfai collects reference data for Indonesia’s coastal areas to prepare for the impacts of climate change.
- Nikki Forrester
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Career Feature |
How scientists are making the most of Reddit
As X wanes, researchers are turning to Reddit for insights and data, and to better connect with the public.
- Hannah Docter-Loeb