“Bizarre” linguistics paper claiming ancient Greeks forbade reference to water as “H₂O” retracted by Springer Nature journal amid disbelief “rambling” and “methodologically weak” article was ever published www.timeshighereducation.com/news/bizarre... via @jgro-the.bsky.social

Breaking: REF 2029 downgrades research culture weighting, reinstates five outputs per academic limit www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ref-202... via @jgro-the.bsky.social #REF2029

We're hiring at @timeshighered.bsky.social! A great opportunity to join us as a reporter and to lead our coverage of European higher education. Closing date 23 November careers.timeshighereducation.com/jobs/6737419... #journalistjob #journojob

An article from a year ago but still extremely relevant www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/it-tim...

"At the recent Labour Party conference, we were told to expect “clarity and coherence”. It is only a slight exaggeration to say, when it comes to the provision of skills, that the White Paper is more likely to create confusion and complexity," says Nick Hillman @timeshighered.bsky.social

"The OfS will now have greater authority to intervene where courses are deemed to offer poor value – raising questions about whether the regulator is truly equipped to make such judgements, especially after recent criticisms of its own poor performance", says Diana Beech. @timeshighered.bsky.social

Will superuniversities save UK HE? Six experts share their views www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/will-s...

Where now for the REF? Five very different views on how radical the changes should be www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/where-...

Opinion: The three-month pause in the Research Excellence Framework to re-examine the assessment of ‘people, culture and environment’ could prelude a welcome reversal, says Alice Sullivan #academicsky #REF

Another bombshell REF announcement: radical change of direction at UKRI re research funding seems on the cards www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...

At UUK conference Patrick Vallance announces 3-month pause in REF process to make sure it is ‘properly aligned’ to national priorities. Still on for 2029 but want to avoid it measuring the wrong things. Story soon at @timeshighered.bsky.social

IoT also a great advert for academia. See this 2017 interview we did with Melvyn Bragg: "I just wanted to talk to academics on one subject and see what happens”. www.timeshighereducation.com/features/nev...

Academic Rachael Gunn one year on from the Olympics: “Things settle down and then some other crazy thing happens. I’m the number two Halloween costume in the world, or everyone’s wearing a T-shirt with my face on it. I live in a totally different reality” www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/raygun...

"The HO’s behaviour and policies make it obvious that the UK no longer wants even legal skilled migrants. And the constant recalibration required to stay compliant with shifting regulations leads to perpetual uncertainty and fatigue." @timeshighered.bsky.social

I am pretty sure those are the lyrics of a Talking Heads song.

Where would ‪@retractionwatch.com‬ be without the late Tom Lehrer's advice for academics? Plagiarize! Let no one else's work evade your eyes Remember why the good Lord made your eyes So don't shade your eyes But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize Only be sure always to call it please "research"

But is that focus inevitable when the research budget is defended by sector lobbyists on the basis of its industrial upshots?

How can a research grant proposal get an A grade from the ERC, but get marked down by a local funder? European researchers are left confused www.timeshighereducation.com/news/researc...

In light of Grok's latest far-right outbursts, see this recent piece on its previous failings - and how academics should be empowered to help ensure there are no repeats www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/huma... @timeshighered.bsky.social

"We have heard that ECRs or redundant staff should be protected or have portability, however while this is attractive, it is just not possible where there is no reliable indicator or way of knowing who these individuals are.”

Universities in England and NI lost £5.4bn on research last year, and £1.7bn on teaching domestic students - but made a £3.2bn surplus on teaching international students, official analysis shows www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers... via @patrickjack.bsky.social

"At last, a thoughtful and nuanced assessment of the use of AI." @timeshighered.bsky.social

Interesting take

Could generative AI improve the Research Excellence Framework? Writers including @oldnorthroad.bsky.social @heroicendeavour.bsky.social offer their views (with some brilliant illustrations, too, which AI has been nowhere near) www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/could-...

Opinion: The effort of staying compliant with fluctuating regulations diminishes the mental space for teaching, research and building belonging ✍️ Zahra Sharifonnasabi, Fleura Bardhi and Laetitia Mimoun #AcademicSky #EduSky

Could AI ease the burden of reading and rating the thousands of outputs submitted to the UK’s Research Excellence Framework – or would its use undermine the whole point of REF panels? As @jisc.bsky.social consults on that question, four writers offer their views #AcademicSky #EduSky

Opinion: US society must reject the false dichotomy between supporting American interests and welcoming international contributors, says Fernando Reimers #AcademicSky #EduSky

America cannot long remain free, nor first among nations, if it becomes the kind of place where universities are dismantled because they don't align politically with the current head of the government.

A federal judge has halted the Trump administration's ban on Harvard's ability to enroll international students

Donald Trump's move to bar international students from @harvard.edu will 'trash US soft power', scholars warn www.timeshighereducation.com/news/barring... via @patrickjack.bsky.social

AHRC head on PhD awards: "We have taken a long-overdue decision to balance our portfolio while retaining a commitment to PhD funding as a high proportion of our budget. We have also removed the need for an expensive competition to allocate a reducing number of awards and avoided creating cold spots"

Interesting reading for US scientists thinking of taking up one of the Royal Society's new fellowships to escape Trump www.timeshighereducation.com/news/fund-at...

"A career is meant to be something you grow into – layered with experience, trust and time, but in academia these days, you’re uprooted before anything can truly take hold. The opportunities to stay put and flourish are so often dependent on whim and circumstance." @timeshighered.bsky.social

UK government will “miss a real opportunity” to drive economic growth if it fails to act fast on visas for US scientists, says House of Lords Science and Technology Committee www.timeshighereducation.com/news/reduce-... via @helenpacker.bsky.social

Will UK university department mergers boost interdisciplinarity – or just cut costs? @julietterowsell.bsky.social investigates www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/will-u...

Last year, US campuses were engulfed by protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. Yet now, as the Trump administration cracks down on universities’ freedoms and funding, students are largely silent. What has changed? asks @patrickjack.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/why-ar...

Opinion: We finally have a mechanism to overthrow the UK’s neo-feudal system of academic gatekeeping, say Krzysztof Nawratek and Lakshmi Priya Rajendran #AcademicSky

A particularly timely piece in the week that the US government attempts to take down Harvard.

Bluesky has overtaken its flailing rival X in hosting posts related to new academic research, indicating the platform is fast becoming the go-to place for scholars to share their work, reports @patrickjack.bsky.social #AcademicSky

Ministers have confirmed that UK Research and Innovation will receive a flat cash settlement in the next financial year, handing it an overall budget of £8.8 billion #highered #EduSky

Opinion: “I predict that the next 10 years in higher education globally will see an effort to bring curriculum development into line with work-based opportunities and assessment into closer lockstep with employers’ mastery requirement,” writes Kathleen deLaski #highered #EduSky

Opinion: “In Australia politics and society tend to shun the extremes. We don’t believe in miracles and we don’t believe in devils. We believe in a fair go.” Australia must avoid a US-style culture war over EDI, writes Merlin Crossley #highered #EduSky

Discussions about the shape of Horizon Europe's successor are already under way. But the European Commission’s deafening silence is stoking fears that it wants to refocus research funding on short-term industrial competitiveness www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/sun-se...

A £585k fine issued by the OfS to the University of Sussex has prompted a huge row: “The way the OfS has conducted this investigation has been completely unacceptable, its findings are egregious and concocted,” said v-c Sasha Roseneil www.timeshighereducation.com/news/sussex-...

"At this stage, we should communicate our support to our American partner universities and strengthen our collaborations with them where possible. Drawing their talented scientists away will not help them." @timeshighered.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/it-t...

With Dundee debacle boosting view Scottish universities are in even deeper financial hole than English counterparts, is it time to break tuition fee taboo? Long read from newly appointed @timeshighered.bsky.social news editor @twilliamsthe.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/will-r...

"On my analysis, the marginal graduate premium disappeared a full two decades ago, when the UK went above 30 per cent participation. It’s just that we haven’t noticed – perhaps because the only figure being reported is the overall average graduate premium." @timeshighered.bsky.social

"Academics tend to abuse [freedom to choose titles] by being “cute” or obscure or silly-clever, by implying their tiny topic is far...more significant than it really is, or by stuffing in unnecessary references. It's as if [they have] one bizarre shot at self-expression." @timeshighered.bsky.social

My latest @timeshighered.bsky.social piece on the unintended (or perhaps entirely intended) consequences for academia and research of a seemingly laudable terror financing tax bill… #AcademicSky 📚

It’s clear that university execs and academics have different views on QR. from academic side, this is a large amount money that is supposed to be spent for research but just disappears into void of fragile uni finances. I’m all for universities publishing what they do with QR money! 1/n