Diversity in Research Podcast

Open data has been a recurring theme on the podcast - for better or worse.

Every year, Digital Science and Springer Nature publish a report on the status of open science, so we thought this year's report was a good occasion to take stock and have a good discussion not only on the status of open status but also on where it's going, how and why.
To help us, we invited one of the report's authors, Mark Hahnel from Digital Science, to the podcast to discuss the report titled 'Bridging Policy and Practice in Data Sharing.'

We cover the importance of open data in research, the dynamics between global north and south, and the need for ethical standards and education in data practices. The discussion also touches on the enthusiasm of Ethiopian researchers for open data and the challenges of ensuring equitable access and utilisation of data across different regions. As always we cover issues of identity and security when it comes to diversity.

And if you can't wait for next year's report - Mark gives us a prediction for the conclusions in the 2025 report at the end of the conversation.

You can find the report her: https://www.digital-science.com/state-of-open-data-report-2024/
You can follow Mark on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhahnel/
You can follow Mark on Bluesky at: https://bsky.app/profile/hahnel.org

The presenting sponsor of this episode is Digital Science.
The episode is produced and edited by Peter Xiong.

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

As two cis-gendered men without children, talking about motherhood in academia isn't really our forte. So, with Lachlan travelling, we took the opportunity to invite Hélène Draux from Digitial Science as guest co-host with Jakob for a conversation about motherhood in academia with Lisette Espín-Noboa and the role it plays in the gender gap. Lisette is a postdoc at the Complexity Science Hub and Central European University.

We discuss the structural issues within academic institutions that disproportionately affect mothers and offer recommendations for creating a more supportive environment for women researchers. We also touch on the role of fathers in sharing parental responsibilities and the positive aspects of motherhood that can enhance academic productivity.  We end the conversation with a chat about actionable steps that can be taken to improve conditions for parents in academia, including better childcare options, flexible contracts, and the need for role models.


The presenting sponsor if this episode is Digital Science.
It's produced and edited by Peter Xiong.

You can find Lisette and Hélène here:

• Lisette's website: https://www.lisetteespin.info/
• Lisette at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisetteespin/
• Hélène at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/h%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne-draux-4059233a/

Organisations mentioned in the episode

• Mothers in Science | @mothersinsci. Global non-profit organization that advocates for mothers in STEMM and creates evidence-based solutions to promote workplace equity & inclusion of caregivers. mothersinscience.com. 
• Parenthood in Academica (@parenthood_ns) 

Selected articles and resources mentioned in the episode:

• Anne Sophie Lassen, and Ria Ivandić. "Parenthood and Academic Career Trajectories." In American Economic Association (AEA) Papers and Proceedings, 2024.
• Stephanie D. Cheng "Careers versus children: How childcare affects the academic tenure-track gender gap." Working Paper (2020).
• Scott Daewon Kim & Petra Moser. “BOOM, BABY. WOMEN IN SCIENCE LESSONS FROM THE BABY BOOM." (2020).
• Gemma Derrick, E., Pei-Ying Chen, Thed van Leeuwen, Vincent Larivière, and Cassidy R. Sugimoto. "The relationship between parenting engagement and academic performance." Scientific Reports 12, no. 1 (2022): 22300.
• Allison C. Morgan, Samuel F. Way, Michael JD Hoefer, Daniel B. Larremore, Mirta Galesic, and Aaron Clauset. "The unequal impact of parenthood in academia." Science Advances 7, no. 9 (2021): eabd1996.

• A Simple Act of Defiance Can Improve Science for Women
• Researcher parents are paying a high price for conference travel — here’s how to fix it (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01571-x) 
• Lindsey Smith Taillie “​​Being a parent is a hidden scientific superpower — here’s why” Nature (2024)
• Kendall Powell “The parenting penalties faced by scientist mothers”
• Cecilie Steenbuch Traberg “I had three children during my PhD: here’s what I learnt” Nature (2024)

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

 There is no doubt that AI has thrown a lot of our conceptions of science—or at least how we work in and with science—up in the air. Digital Science has written a report about it: “Research Transformation: Change in the Era of AI, open and Impact: voices from the Academic Community.” We invited two of the authors, Suze Kundu and Simon Porter, on the podcast to chat about where this transformation leaves EDI and minorities. 

We explore the evolving landscape of research practices, the importance of open research, and the need for metrics that reflect inclusivity and holistic impact. The conversation also addresses the challenges of trust and security for minority groups in research, emphasising the need for collaboration and a shift in measuring research success. 

But we also wanted to push them on the challenges in research transformation, particularly focusing on data sharing, trust-building with communities, the role of AI, and the importance of upskilling researchers. While we perhaps can’t avoid this transformation—it can happen in a number of different ways—we must pay attention to who pays the price. 

You can read the report at: http://www.digital-science.com/academic-research-transformation?utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=academic_research_transformation&utm_term=digitalsci 

Or watch a short video presenting the report here:  https://youtu.be/ZSxKTDZHwuQ?feature=shared 

You can follow Suze here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzekundu/ 

You can follow Simon here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-porter-9828471/ 

The episode is sponsored by Digital Science 

The episode is edited and produced by Peter Xiong. 

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

Many of us tend to forget that all research institutions are not big, comprehensive universities. Actually, quite a few are smaller institutions either because they are fairly new, specialize in a single discipline, or are based in more rural areas where there isn’t the population needed for a big research-intensive university. 

But how do you navigate international collaborations in a setting like that? And diversity, if you’re a small, almost mono-cultural institution? Should it be up to the perhaps two or three black persons or gay persons to change that?

To figure this out, we invited our friend Rachel Persad on the pod. Rachel is head of research policy at GuildHE (a representative body that supports 67 institutions in UK Higher Education). We talk about her role at GuildHE, their new strategy and how GuildHE is supporting their members before we venture into the topics of internationalisation and diversity. 

We talk about allyship, the role of early career researchers, co-creation, Brexit and its impact on smaller institutions, REF, the need for policy flexibility and finally we discuss research culture. 

Rachel’s positive attitude, joy and commitment really come through in the chat, and we hope it will inspire you all as it did us.

The episode is sponsored by: Digital Science
The episode is produced and edited by: Peter Xiong.

You can learn more:

You can learn more about GuildHE here: https://guildhe.ac.uk/

You can read more about the EDI and anti-racism initiative here: https://guildhe.ac.uk/guildhe-anti-racism-project/

You can connect with Rachel here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelbrockhurst/

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

We often discuss researchers and research managers on the podcast, but publishers are also key players in the research ecosystem. So, we invited SpingerNature to discuss their report “Insights into diversity, equity and inclusion in the global research community.” 

Sowmya Swaminathan, their director of DEI, Research who also directs Springer Nature's DEI Program in Research Publishing and serves on the Springer Nature Group DEI Council, joined us for a chat about DEI in the global research community and the importance of publishers taking action in promoting DEI. We talk about how geographical diversity is often undervalued, how early career researchers have specific needs and how generational differences are shaping research values. 

It's a great conversation combining data, reflections and practical advice for everybody in the research ecosystem. 

You can learn more at: 

• Springer Nature’s annual Sustainable Business Report: https://sustainablebusiness.springernature.com/2023/
• Springer Nature’s DEI webpage: https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/taking-responsibility/diversity-equity-inclusion
• The ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Research Publishing’ webpage containing many of the reports and resources Sowmya mentions during the discussion: https://www.springernature.com/gp/editors/resources-tools/dei-for-editors
• Editor diversity at Springer Nature journals report: https://stories.springernature.com/journal-editor-diversity/index.html
• The state of DEI in the global research community report: https://www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/campaigns/dei-insights
• Nature’s approach to inclusion and ethics in global research collaboration: https://www.springernature.com/gp/advancing-discovery/springboard/blog/blogposts-sustainability-inclusion/nature-portfolio-inclusion-and-ethics-guidance/23110194

The episode is sponsored by Digital Science.
It is produced and edited by Peter Xiong. 

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

Welcome back to Laura Heath-Stout - our first return guest on the podcast!

Laura is a postdoctoral fellow in archaeology at Stanford University. She has a new book out: 'Identity, Oppression, and Diversity in Archaeology.', so we wanted her back on the podcast for a chat about it. And while we aren't all archaeologists the peculiar dimensions of archaeology, such as excavations, rights to data, etc., perhaps make them a canary in the academic coal mine. 

It is a very personal book where she reflects on her personal experiences, the importance of feminist practices in archaeology, and the challenges faced by marginalized groups within the field. Our discussion also touches on the political dimensions of gender and identity in archaeology, the dynamics of fieldwork, and the impact of current societal issues on archaeological discourse.

And with the US elections only one month away we of course, also touched on the political dimensions of the issue. 

We always enjoy talking to Laura and can only recommend her book. 

The episode is sponsored by Digital Science. 
It is produced and edited by Peter Xiong.

 

You can buy Laura's book at:: https://www.routledge.com/Identity-Oppression-and-Diversity-in-Archaeology-Career-Arcs/Heath-Stout/p/book/9780367744212 

You can read more about Laura at her Stanford profile: https://profiles.stanford.edu/laura-heath-stout 

Or at  her personal website: https://www.lauraheathstout.com/ 

And follow her on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/lheathstout.bsky.social 

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

Gender equality in academia and research has been a topic for decades. And between that and the #metoo movement, one would think we had solved the problems. 

Yet, here we are. While we usually say that diversity is more than gender, it's also gender. So we invited Marcela Linkova from the GenderSAFE project on the podcast to discuss the project and their mid-way report and for a broader discussion about gender and how we advance the agenda. 

We discussed the project, what gender-based violence means, the complexity of intersectionality, power, internationalisation, and the precariat, the term "institutional betrayal," and how research managers can help advance gender equality. 

This episode is sponsored by Digital Science.
It is produced and edited by Peter Xiong.

You can learn more about Marcela and the GenderSAFE project at:

• You can follow Marcela at LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcela-linkova-a5ba9156/
• You can read more about Marcela at her home university: https://www.soc.cas.cz/en/staff/marcela-linkova
• You can follow the GenderSAFE project at LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gendersafe-gbv/posts/?feedView=all
• You can read more about the GenderSAFE at the project website: https://gendersafe.eu/
• You can find the report we discussed here: https://zenodo.org/records/13380368
• The UniSAFE toolkit can be found at: https://unisafe-toolkit.eu/
• You can find Centre for Institutional Courage at: https://www.institutionalcourage.org/

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

Creating equitable research collaborations between the Global North and Global South has been a struggle for many years. How do you create equitability when there is a structural imbalance in the core element of research: funding? And how do you balance the need for global collaboration with differences in values on diversity issues like gender, race, LGTBQ+ issues, etc.?

These are not easy questions, but the Guild of Research Intensive Universities (The Guild) and African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) are trying to navigate these challenges through the Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence (CoRE). We chatted with Sean Rowlands, senior policy advisor at The Guild, about the initiative, the role of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda moving forward, and how they intend to work with diversity. 

It was a great chat about bottom-up initiatives and top-down policies, insisting on equity, funding, building trust and learning from each other. 

We hope you’ll all follow the CoRE project and see how they work with equity, which the rest of us can learn from.

The episode is edited and produced by Peter Xiong.

It is sponsored by Digital Science.

To learn more:

Learn more about the Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence initiative, led by The Guild and ARUA here: https://www.the-guild.eu/africa-europe-core/ 

African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA): https://arua.org/about/ 

The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities: https://www.the-guild.eu/about/

You can connect with Sean Rowlands on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-rowlands/ 

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

A core element of our work is to make research managers key promoters of diversity in research and research management. But sometimes, we felt a little alone with this agenda. Then, along came Kris and Joey. Kris A. Monahan is the President of NCURA (National Council of University Research Administrators), and Joey Gaynor is chair of NCURA's International Region. We had a great conversation at a conference and decided to move to the podcast. 

The conversation explores their experiences promoting equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in research management in the US and internationally through NCURA. The US context is characterised by political polarisation and state-level bans on EDI initiatives, which impact research institutions. The conversation highlights the importance of having conversations and creating safe spaces to discuss EDI and the need for organisations like NCURA to provide education and training on EDI as well. Balancing global EDI standards with local customs and traditions is a complex task, but organisations can play a role in facilitating these discussions and promoting change. The conversation emphasises the importance of embedding EDI in the research management profession and moving beyond tokenistic approaches.

We love the work NCURA have done so far. Will we try to push them further? Certainly. 

The episode is produced and edited by Peter Xiong. 

Learn more:
You can learn more about NCURA here: www.ncura.edu
You can find the part of the website here: https://www.ncura.edu/DEI.aspx
You can follow Kris here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-monahan-ph-d-9a14a817/
You can follow Joey here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-gaynor-452937211/

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.

Join us in this conversation with Robin van Kessel, a health policy researcher at the London School of Economics, as we explore the intricate dynamics of health data, digital health technologies, and AI in healthcare. Robin shares his expertise on health data poverty, the challenges of ensuring inclusive health datasets, and the importance of nuanced policymaking in addressing these issues.

We discuss the concept of health data poverty, its implications, and its impact on the inclusivity and accuracy of health research. Robin highlights the catch-22 of building tools for underrepresented communities without adequate data representation.

To improve health data inclusivity, Robin emphasizes the importance of culturally and linguistically appropriate promotional materials and trust-building measures with minoritized communities. We also explore the benefits and limitations of AI in healthcare, the risks of algorithmic bias, and strategies to mitigate these risks, ensuring AI tools are beneficial and inclusive.

Balancing privacy and data utility is another key topic, with Robin discussing technologies like zero-knowledge cryptography and federated learning to protect privacy while enabling valuable data use. He stresses the importance of fostering trust in data collection and usage practices.

Finally, we talk about the problem of "info noise" in policymaking and the need for clear, valuable information. He advocates for encouraging bottom-up innovation and the inclusion of diverse perspectives, suggesting the potential of citizen advisory boards in research. In his final thoughts, Robin addresses the duality of data-related harms, emphasizing the need to embrace new technologies and inclusive practices in policymaking and research.

The episode is edited and produced by Peter Xiong.

You can learn more about Robin here:

You can read more about Robin at his LSE page: https://www.lse.ac.uk/lse-health/people/robin-van-kessel

You can follow him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-van-kessel/

The three articles mentioned in the interview can be found here:

-https://doi.org/10.2196/33819
-https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2022-071913
-https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landig/article/PIIS2589-7500(20)30317-4

Thanks for listening. Please share, rate, review and follow us on Twitter @Divrespod .

If you're interested in our work with diversity and internationalisation in research, please visit www.diversiunity.com.