📯Call for help from our Warwick colleagues researching #academicfailure @johnmacartney.bsky.social wants to speak with UK based academics (any career stage, contract, or department) about their experiences of "failure" or non-success in research. Most of us have experienced this, so please help!

💡Our @statesofprecarity.bsky.social project has been covered in @sciencebusiness.net. 'Fixed-term academic contracts discourage ‘radical’ research' sciencebusiness.net/news/r-d-fun... Thank you @davidmjourno.bsky.social for reaching out to the team

Today, we are featured in Science|Business, promoting our #precarity findings to European policymakers, research funders, companies and universities. Article: sciencebusiness.net/node/60789/p...

Our report is cited in the Times Higher Education today. Thanks again to everyone involved in the project. #EndPrecarity www.timeshighereducation.com/news/use-fix...

Thank you to our incredible speakers, Lekan Adekola, Gillian Rose, Matilda Fitzmaurice and Jay Todd, who really made our report launch event. Thanks too, to everyone who attended and contributed. Stay tuned for next steps.

Today we launch States of Precarity in UK HE Geography. Thank you to the 364 colleagues whose experiences shaped this work. Download the report, share widely, and join us in advocating for change. Launch event (1:00-2:30GMT): www.rgs.org/events/upcom... Read report: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

TOMORROW: Report Launch and Discussion 1:00-2:30PM GMT Guest Speakers: Matilda Fitzmaurice (@matildaf.bsky.social) Jay Todd (@jaytoddgla.bsky.social) Lekan Adekola Gillian Rose (@profgillian.bsky.social) Register: www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

Cuts, mergers, and redundancies risk hollowing out the discipline and eroding its interdisciplinary core. Geography’s future depends on confronting precarity head-on. Join us for our launch event on Wednesday! www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

Precarity isn’t just contractual. It’s about whether academic work allows people to live fulfilling, stable lives. Join us for our report launch event on Wednesday. Speakers: Gillian Rose, Lekan Adekola, Matilda Fitzmaurice, Jay Todd Register👇 www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

Why this report matters now: A collapsing HE funding model is deepening insecurity. Our findings show how precarity is reshaping the discipline. Report: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

Register: www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

Join us for our report launch event next Wednesday, 1pm-2.30pm [Online] Guest speakers: Prof. Gillian Rose, Lekan Adekola, Matilda Fitzmaurice, Jay Todd Register 👇 www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

Precarity is shaping what kinds of knowledge get produced. Risk-taking, interdisciplinarity, and radical research are increasingly difficult under insecurity. Read more: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

Happy New Year everyone - we have one week to go until the launch event for States of Precarity in UK HE Geography! Join us to discuss the findings, their implications, and routes for action. Register: www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

Signing off for Christmas now - Join us in January for our report launch event. www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

Precarity is having serious effects on the future of geography, with many PhD students facing a challenging job market. Intersectional pressures make a big difference. Students from minoritized backgrounds reported further structural and cultural barriers. Read more: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

43.8% of PhD respondents were unsure about staying in academia; 14.6% had already decided not to. The reason? Insecurity, mobility expectations, and an oversaturated job market.

PhD researchers told us that expectations of 4–10 years of insecurity shape how they experience their doctorates. Anticipated precarity affects wellbeing long before the first academic job. #StatesOfPrecarity

We have created a series of shareable posters and template letters to help colleagues advocate for change in their institutions. Access all resources here: www.statesofprecarity.co.uk/resources

Probation periods have (unsurprisingly?) emerged as a major contributor to academic precarity, with many colleagues experiencing extensions, unclear expectations, and pressure to over-perform. Full details: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

The psychological impacts of academic precarity linger long after permanent employment is secured. Find out more about precarity's long term effects here: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

Departments can make a difference to experiences of academic #precarity. Transparency in contract use, clear mentoring structures, workload mapping, and inclusion of FTC staff in decision-making are key first steps. Download our Action Plans to reduce precarity here: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

Thank you for your ongoing support of the @statesofprecarity.bsky.social project, @profgillian.bsky.social. Project report & action plans: www.rgs.org/research/hig... Project launch event, online (14 Jan): www.rgs.org/events/upcom... Project blog post: blog.geographydirections.com/2025/11/21/s...

71.7% of permanent staff who previously held FTCs still feel the long-term effects. Many describe ongoing anxiety, disrupted personal lives, and slower career progression. Learn more: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

I’ve moved four times in seven years. It’s exhausting. I don’t know if I can keep doing this.’ — FTC participant #StatesofPrecarity Read our report and recommendations 👇 www.rgs.org/research/hig...

The wellbeing impacts are stark: 84.9% of FTC colleagues reported negative effects on their mental health. Stress, anxiety, burnout, and chronic worry recur across responses. Full details: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

Whilst one wheel cannot capture the complexities of academic privilege, this is a useful tool for thinking about where it lies. We suggest a new spoke on contract status be added to signal that this as a key issue that intersects with every other indicator of privilege. www.rgs.org/research/hig...

How is precarity shaping the future of geography and the lives of colleagues in the discipline? The States of Precarity team discuss this in a new Geography Directions blog post. 📝 Check it out here 👇 https://ow.ly/IL8h50XvGBo

Over half of colleagues on fixed-term contracts cannot plan for their future. A further 37.6% say FTCs limit their ability to plan. #StatesOfPrecarity

Our report includes Best Practice Action Plans for institutions, departments, and Heads of School. These are practical, implementable steps for change. #StatesofPrecarity Download them: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

International colleagues on visas are particularly vulnerable—precarity of employment intersects with immigration insecurity. This needs far greater institutional recognition. More in the report: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

Precarity is often presented as something that only effects early career researchers or people on fixed term contracts. Our report found that 45% of geographers on permanent contracts feel precarious. The implications for the discipline are wide ranging. Read more 👇 www.rgs.org/research/hig...

Have you ever tried to negotiate your contract for an academic job? Tell us what worked and what didn't below! We are putting together a toolkit for early career and precarious workers and want your experiences! #StatesofPrecarity

Precarity is not a niche issue. One-third of academic Geographers in the UK are on fixed-term contracts. Our report shows the profound personal, professional, and disciplinary impacts of this. #StatesofPrecarity Full report: www.rgs.org/research/hig...

Today, we’re starting a countdown to the launch event for our States of Precarity in UK HE Geography report. Based on 364 responses from across the discipline, it maps how precarity is shaping academic lives. #StatesofPrecarity Follow along as we share the findings week by week. Register below👉

ARE you a UK #geographer? OR have you previously worked in a UK geography department? If so, please join a focus group to refine a set of best-practice guidelines aiming to improve #precarious employment. We have multiple dates open - sign up using the link below.

🚨 NEW DATES! If you are a UK #geographer (or have previously worked in a UK geography department) and are concerned about #precarious employment, please contribute to a focus group and help us develop a set of best-practice guidelines. We have multiple dates open - sign up using the link below.

Calling all PERMANENT colleagues working in a UK #geography department! We are developing best-practice guidelines for addressing #precarious employment within geography departments. Join a focus group below to contribute your insights! forms.office.com/e/ec5ywgjhXm

🚨 Calling all current UK #geography #PhD students! We are developing best-practice guidelines for addressing #precarious employment within geography departments. Join a focus group below to contribute your insights! forms.office.com/e/ec5ywgjhXm

🚨 Calling all colleagues who have previously worked in a UK #geography department, but no longer do. We are developing best-practice guidelines for addressing #precarious employment within geography departments. Join a focus group below to contribute your insights! forms.office.com/e/ec5ywgjhXm

"[colleagues] were often unaware or ignorant of the extensive use of fixed term contracts and the wide-ranging personal and professional implications of those contractual terms." Check out our new Geography Directions blog post for early project findings and info on our free #precarity resources.

Where’s the best place to put your free #precarity awareness posters? I’ve gone for the honeypot - or coffeepot - approach!

We are pleased to announce the launch of a series of precarity awareness posters based on the findings from the survey. Free to download and print - please circulate online and put them up in your departments. Thanks to @zjayres for the design! www.statesofprecarity.co.uk/resources

Precarity and health have complex interactions. How might they affect academic productivity and the health of the discipline?

We are focusing on a UK context, but #academicprecarity is not a UK only issue. We hope our examples of best practice will have international value when released. In solidarity ✊

Our survey of experiences of #precarity within UK higher education #geography departments was completed by 11.4% of geographers working in the UK today. For a more detailed break down of our sample, check out the survey page on our website www.statesofprecarity.co.uk/the-survey

Our new website has been launched. Watch this space for updates on the project www.statesofprecarity.co.uk