What can PhD students and postdocs do to counter inequalities?

From the outside, scientific research might seem like a realm where everyone is assessed solely based on their merits, free from discrimination resulting from inequalities. From the inside, however, we notice that this is not the case. Discrimination and inequality exist in academia because it is part of larger society where these harms are intrinsic or entrenched. While principal investigators (PIs) and decision-makers possess the capacity to effect substantial changes to improve academia, we, as early-stage researchers (ESRs), may feel powerless, not having yet a permanent position and, consequently, being less influential within our institutions. Can we do something about it?

Raising awareness and tackling harassment

ESRs can effectively address inequalities (in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, disability, belief, etc.) in academia by raising awareness through various means, such as engaging in informal discussions with fellow colleagues and even suggesting changes to the academic community in job-offer language. Publishing opinion letters in academic magazines can also be impactful in highlighting examples of discriminatory practices and offering solutions. It is crucial for ESRs to share their insights and experiences with fellow colleagues to promote equity and inclusivity. Tackling harassment in academia requires commitment from ESRs. Sometimes, universities do not have guidance counselors and, even if they do, junior researchers might not know how to reach them, or they might not share the same language. Speaking with PIs might be burdensome and ESRs can act as a bridge, by taking initiatives like promoting the use of distinctive door tags to signal approachability and providing an informal safe person to talk to. Indeed, for vulnerable people it may be easier to talk first to a colleague rather than an official counselor. ESRs can also advocate for the presence of neutral parties like gender-equality committees with specialized workers, conducting educational workshops and training sessions to establish clear guidelines for acceptable behavior to foster a culture of respect and inclusion.

Supporting students from diverse social backgrounds

It is widely acknowledged that individuals from socially privileged backgrounds, especially those who are not the first generation at university, are the ones predominantly able to access university degrees. Hence, it is imperative to ensure that individuals from different social backgrounds also receive adequate financial support to pursue further academic milestones. Although ESRs may not typically possess the means to provide direct funding, they can still make an impact through small yet significant gestures. For instance, if a student looking for PhD funding struggles to pursue their ambition due to economic reasons, then, as ESRs, we can share comprehensive information about available grants or university courses that offer a salary, referring the students to the financial aid office. As part of the system, we possess more information than newcomers. During this process, ESRs might also provide emotional support, taking the role of a compassionate mentor, ready to assist and guide students, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds.

Citing and recommending equitably

Another context where inequalities emerge is in scientific literature. Scholars tend to cite papers from researchers who they already know. These researchers are often from Western universities, where it is easier to make their work known through conference presentations, social media attention, outreach magazines, and collaborations. It has been shown that researchers from minorities, underrepresented groups, and non-Western countries are cited less frequently. Despite the thousands of new articles released daily, ESRs can contribute to breaking this cycle with a small effort. For example, they can search for conferences in their field held outside Europe and the US, as well as looking for non-Western speakers and their relevant papers. ESRs can also try collaborating with groups in developing countries conducting similar research so that they can share their literature. The same types of discrimination occur at the moment of recommending experts for peer review or committees. ESRs can contribute towards equality by giving women and researchers from other underrepresented categories a chance to contribute with their insights to peer review, committees, or conferences.

Advocating for accessible publications

For researchers in developing countries, it is not just challenging to publish in high-impact journals, but the high subscription fees are often not affordable for their institutions. This makes any paper which is not open access potentially inaccessible for those researchers. Of course, ESRs cannot tackle on their own the mechanisms caused by for-profit scientific publishers, but there are concrete actions that we can take. We can make our publications accessible by using open-access preprint servers like arXiv, bioRxiv, and ChemRxiv, and update the preprints after the publication process. This way we can guarantee access to every scholar, independent of the institution they are affiliated with. Another action towards accessible publication is to make papers clear and readable for scholars who are color-blind, by choosing appropriate color scales and thorough caption descriptions. Those actions can be easily implemented by ESRs, who can also discuss and advocate for these practices at department meetings or informally with colleagues.

Overall, we want to draw attention to the discrimination, racism, inequalities, and gender imbalance rooted in the academic environment. We acknowledge that change takes time, and such problems will not disappear overnight. We are aware that many of the issues mentioned here extend beyond the purely academic sphere and are societal problems, too. Nevertheless, even though we recognize that injustices exist in many other contexts, we believe that it is necessary to attempt at least to change our environment.

For instance, let us consider representation of LGBTQIA+ people in academia and contemplate whether an inclusive and safe environment is actually fostered for them. Our intention is not to provide a solution or a definitive list of actions to solve discrimination resulting from inequalities, but rather to start a debate and show that, regardless of the academic role, everyone can take action.

We encourage members of the academic community to reach out to us and continue this discussion of ways to counter discrimination and inequality. We hope that concrete actions will emerge and spread to address these matters. We, as individuals, cannot transform the entire academic environment today, but we can take impactful steps to pave the way for future generations.

Lorena Ballesteros Ferraz, Université de Lorraine; Carolina Charalambous, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Sébastien R. Mouchet, University of Namur, Belgium, and University of Exeter, UK; Riccardo Muolo, Tokyo Institute of Technology.