Campus by Times Higher Education

Campus by Times Higher Education
Campus by Times Higher Education

Advice, insights and solutions for the challenges facing higher education from academics, faculty and staff at institutions around the world. Hear teaching tips, writing pointers, discussions on the big issues, forecasts and first-hand experiences from university leaders.

  1. 10 JUL

    Campus podcast: University libraries – and librarians – that are leading the change

    We discuss the changing role of the university library, and librarian, and learn how these often iconic institutions are not just responding to change but actively seeking out new opportunities to improve their services and ensure access to valuable information. Hear about the efforts of US librarians to protect valuable public data and government records from the sudden erasure by the Trump administration. Plus, a UK vice-chancellor describes a pioneering project which saw his university partner with the local council to create a joint library that is open to anyone. Lynda Kellam is the Snyder-Granader director of research data and digital scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania. She has held previous data librarian roles at Cornell University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She serves as secretary of the International Association for Social Science Information Service and Technology (IASSIST) and is a past president of the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT). Independently of her role at Penn, she is a leading figure in the Data Rescue Project, which is coordinating efforts to protect US public data at risk of deletion or mismanagement. David Green is the vice-chancellor of the University of Worcester. A Cambridge-educated economist with a career-long commitment to education and social equality, he was instrumental in establishing The Hive, which is the only fully integrated university-public library in Europe, in partnership with the Worcestershire County Council. Before joining Worcester in 2003, he held senior academic posts at London South Bank University, Leeds Metropolitan University and the University of West London, and worked as a researcher and consultant in the private sector and for UK homeless campaign SHELTER. In 2019, he was awarded a CBE for his services to higher education.  You'll find more advice and insight on how university libraries can optimise their services for students, academics and the public in our latest spotlight guide.

    1h 15m
  2. 26 JUN

    Campus podcast: What does it take to successfully commercialise research?

    A technology transfer expert and biotech spin-out founder explain the steps involved in moving discoveries from the lab to the market. Most academics want their work to have an impact and one route to achieving this is by commercialising their findings. By partnering with an existing company to bring a product to market or by establishing a new spin-out enterprise, scholars can develop technologies, products and solutions that can revolutionise whole sectors, whether in healthcare, construction, farming and more. But this is a far from easy or simple process requiring tenacity, adaptability, collaboration and high level problem solving. For this week’s podcast, we speak to two people with extensive experience in what it takes to commercialise research and become an academic entrepreneur. Mairi Gibbs is CEO of Oxford University Innovation – the university’s technology transfer unit - where she has worked since 2002. With extensive practical experience in partnership management, formation of spinout companies, licensing and patent portfolio management, she explains the initial steps to commercialisation, what investors look for and what can be done at an institutional level to support more spin out activity. Andrew Hammond is co-founder and head of R&D at Biocentis – an Imperial College London spin out founded in 2022. With a background in molecular biology, Andrew’s 10-year academic career at both Imperial and Johns Hopkins University involved advancing gene editing technology for use in insects. The resulted in the development of gene drive technology designed for use on malaria mosquitos and the later development of Biocentis. For more advice and insight on this topic, read our spotlight guide on how to work well with industry.

    57 min
  3. 12 JUN

    Campus podcast: Actions that make a real difference in the fight against climate change

    As complex organisations, universities need to examine their many and varied functions when seeking to reduce their carbon footprint and advance sustainability. For many, the easier changes have been made so, looking ahead, institutions need to get smarter about how they transform their practices and policies to halt future global warming. In this episode, we speak to two women focused upon driving positive change and reducing emissions in two very different but equally important arenas of university work. Ellen Quigley is principal research associate at the University of Cambridge. She is also co-director of finance for environmental and social systemic change and special adviser in responsible investment to the university’s chief financial officer. Her own award-winning research focuses on the mitigation of climate change and inequality through the investment policies and practices of institutional investors. Drawing on the example of Jesus College, Cambridge, she explains how universities can use their power as investors to influence and press for environmental change across multiple sectors – and work against funding for fossil fuel extraction. Jenna Lowe is the laboratory sustainability officer at the University of Liverpool. She manages the university’s Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) and is a member of the sustainability team. She was shortlisted in the Outstanding Technician of the Year category in the 2024 THE Awards. She discusses how seemingly small adaptations in lab practices can have a huge impact in reducing emissions and waste. You can find more advice and insight on how universities can work towards achieving net zero in our latest spotlight guide here: Higher education’s bumpy road to net zero | THE Campus Learn, Share, Connect

    57 min
  4. 17 APR

    Campus podcast: How to look after yourself in higher education

    For this episode, we asked academics and university staff from around the world to share their own strategies for staying positive, healthy and maintaining balance in a sector in which stress and overwork are commonplace. At a time when higher education feels under attack in many countries, in more ways than one, it is important for those working in the sector to find coping strategies that work for them and build collective support. Thank you to all who contributed their personal wisdom: Lucas Lixinski is a law professor and associate dean at UNSW Sydney, which he joined after completing a postgraduate fellowship at the University of Texas School of Law. Maha Bali is a professor of practice at the Center for Learning and Teaching at The American University in Cairo (AUC).  Doune Macdonald is an emerita professor at the University of Queensland and a visiting professor at the University of Sydney. Debbie Riby is a professor of developmental psychology and associate pro-vice chancellor for postgraduate research students at Durham University Bhawana Shrestha is a research fellow at the Learning Institute for Future Excellence at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Chris Wright is a senior lecturer and co-ordinator of the Drawing Centre at De Montfort University. Chin Moi Chow is an associate professor of sleep and well-being in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. Pippa Caterall is a professor of history and policy at the University of Westminster. Patrice Sewou is an associate professor of learning and teaching and the director of the Centre for the Advancement of Racial Equality at the University of Northampton. Aster Cosmos is a learning designer at Monash University. For more insight and advice on protecting the well-being of those working and studying in universities, take a look at our latest spotlight guide on making mental health a priority in higher education.

    27 min
  5. 3 APR

    Campus podcast: How to achieve research excellence – and protect it

    The delivery of quality research is central to the mission of most universities. But there is more to research excellence than headline-grabbing “ground-breaking” discoveries. This podcast episode explores what good research looks like, how it can be supported at an institutional level, and what feeds into a healthy research ecosystem that enables robust studies of all types, at all stages to be carried out and knowledge advanced. We also delve into research security to find out how such scholarly work can be protected from misuse or being weaponised amid ever-changing geopolitical power struggles. You will hear from: Marcus Munafò, who is currently associate pro vice-chancellor for research culture and professor of biological psychology at the University of Bristol, but will, in May, take up the post of deputy vice-chancellor and provost at the University of Bath. He is co-founder of the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) and leads a major project funded by Research England to accelerate the uptake of open research practices across UK higher education sector. Jacqueline Littlewood, director of research security at the University of Alberta in Canada. She took up this role leading the university’s safeguarding research office in 2023 after a 20-year career in government as a policy analyst and adviser, including working with Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. For more advice on this topic, check out our resources offering insight on delivering top quality research, including a spotlight collection on how to demonstrate research excellence.

    58 min
4.1
out of 5
15 Ratings

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Advice, insights and solutions for the challenges facing higher education from academics, faculty and staff at institutions around the world. Hear teaching tips, writing pointers, discussions on the big issues, forecasts and first-hand experiences from university leaders.

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