Nature commentary: universities must stop protecting academic bullies or lose more scientists
skoularidou · x · 2026-09-20
- Researcher Maria Skoularidou advises junior researchers to work with the nicest, not the most famous PIs/colleagues — a combination she notes is rare in the field — citing the impact on both careers and mental health.
- She links a new Nature World View commentary by Morteza Mahmoudi arguing that universities letting powerful academics off the hook while punishing their victims signals that abuse is acceptable in academia.
- Mahmoudi, who quit a faculty job over bullying in 2019, co-founded the Academic Parity Movement to support researchers failed by their institutions.
Related event: Researchers: Choose Kind Mentors Over Famous Ones(3 posts)→
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