Kendall Powell

nature.comAre salaries getting worse? Many scientists think soNature’s survey of almost 4,000 researchers shows that you’re not alone if you struggle to make ends meet or your last pay rise is a distant memory.

Although most scientists don't do it for the money, @nature.com's 2026 Global Job Satisfaction Survey shows that salaries are flat in many places while living costs rise. Reporting by @lindanordling.bsky.social Are salaries getting worse? Many scientists think so www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Are salaries getting worse? Many scientists think so www.nature.com/articles/d41... Our @nature.com 2026 satisfaction and salary survey found that a majority, or 57%, of global scientists earn less than US$50K per year and only one-fifth, or 22%, earn US $80K or more.

Also, for countries and regions with more than 100 responses, we analyzed science salaries by continent and career stage.

For 10% of scientists, their salary does not cover all basic living expenses. To make ends meet, 40% of those people cut back on essentials and 37% take on an extra job or work. Data analysis by @thinksinsight.bsky.social

nature.comTo heal sick cities, scientists and residents must work togetherTolullah Oni has developed a platform to transfer the intellectual capital of African diaspora scholars back to the continent.

In this Q&A with physician Tolullah Oni she explains why it's key to tap and channel African diaspora researchers' intellectual capital back to the continent. As told to @sarahemilywild.bsky.social To heal sick cities, scientists and residents must work together www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com‘Fiercely stubborn’: the US scientists continuing their research amid funding cutsResearchers working on climate change, diversity, transgender health and international aid have turned to lawsuits, private donors and alternative topics to keep their projects going.

A very apt headline 'Fiercely stubborn': These US researchers working in areas targeted by the Trump admin have kept their work afloat amid cuts, freezes, firings and lawsuits. Their stories and strategies as told to @virginiagewin.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Huge THX to elephant conservationist Josh Plotnik, CC and food researcher Eranga Galappaththi, CC researcher @relindsey.bsky.social @climate.us, HIV prevention researcher @sharonhillier.bsky.social, and health disparities researchers @michaeldgreen.phd and @cjstreed.bsky.social for bravely sharing.

nature.comWhat’s the secret sauce for happy scientists at work? These eight countries offer some cluesMeaningful work, flexibility and job security all matter more than salaries do, Nature’s job satisfaction survey shows.

In the 2026 @nature.com Satisfaction Survey, we asked nearly 4,000 researchers about their job satisfaction. Reporting by @lindanordling.bsky.social What’s the secret sauce for happy scientists at work? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Find out: -why Canada has the most satisfied researchers -why scientists in Brazil and India are optimistic -how salary plays a surprisingly tiny role

nature.comRising numbers of Asian and African PhD students choose to study in ChinaInternational students explain the advantages and challenges that come with pursuing a doctoral degree in China.

Been hearing about the rise of China as a science superpower - students from other Asian countries and Africa are moving to do their PhDs there. Xiaoying You reports on what attracts them. Rising numbers of Asian and African PhD students choose to study in China www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comWhy this neuroscientist is taking the plunge into science advocacyAs funding cuts reshape the US research landscape, Stefano Cataldi is turning towards policy and advocacy work to defend science.

10 Sept

"Defending science has become just as important as doing research." - kinda says it all for US research right now. Find tips and advice on how to be an effective science advocate in this Q&A with neuroscientist Stefano Cataldi. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comA call to celebrate your achievements — from dissertations to tenureThe pace of academia rarely slows, so researchers should make time to celebrate major career milestones.

1 Sept

Fun ways that scientists celebrate or commemorate their career milestones such as #PhDs and #tenure. Reported by @scattercushion.bsky.social A call to celebrate your achievements — from dissertations to tenure www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comResearcher, heal thyself: meet the scientists studying their own diseasesStudying a condition after being diagnosed with it can be rewarding but also presents some ethical and psychological challenges.

25 Aug

In this @nature.com Careers feature, @josiegz.bsky.social hears from researchers who decided to investigate their own rare diseases after diagnosis — and the plusses and pitfalls of doing so. Also, good motivation reminders for all biomedical researchers. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comDespite global turmoil, Gen Z researchers are not giving upFour researchers born after 1997 describe how they stay motivated and cultivate resilience during difficult times.

10 Aug

As a Gen X-er, I'm heartened to hear how and why these Gen Z researchers keep themselves motivated in their research careers. As one notes: 'To stay in science is to defend the value of inquiry.' Despite global turmoil, Gen Z researchers are not giving up www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comMy job interviews for industry positions are going nowhere. How do I make myself stand out?A postdoc researcher trying to move into an industry role wants help gaining traction and making it past the first interview stage.

4 Aug

ICYMI: Advice from @nature.com on how to handle multi-stage interviews required for science industry positions. (Hint: It's an obstacle course showcasing different skills!). Reporting by @sarahemilywild.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comHow I use statistics and my law degree to fight human-rights abusesSome 50 years after exposing gender discrimination in US academics’ retirement benefits, Mary Gray works as a statistician and social-justice campaigner.

4 Aug

I love a story about a researcher who is a force for good: @nature.com's Working Scientist profile of Mary Gray, statistician, mathematician and lawyer. As told to Rachel Crowell. How I use statistics and my law degree to fight human-rights abuses www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comI want to see a prison-to-PhD pipelineRyan Rising creates programmes that help people who have been incarcerated to access academic opportunities.

13 July

This @nature.com Q&A with Ryan Rising covers his own journey – and his work to help others – to get a PhD after being incarcerated. So easy to take for granted the raw power of higher education. As told to @virginiagewin.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comHow AI can crack open the ‘hidden curriculum’ for neurodivergent studentsMarisa Chrysochoou and Keivan Stassun argue that AI tools could help students to navigate academia’s unwritten rules.

30 June

Here's a use for AI that even skeptics like myself can get behind: Deploying AI tools to practice for the tough and necessary convos and scenarios that PhD training requires. How AI can crack open the ‘hidden curriculum’ for neurodivergent students www.nature.com/articles/d41...

22 June

Work in science? In need of a 15-minute procrastination break and want to help the @nature.com's Careers team focus their coverage on what's most important to you and your next career move? Take the 2026 Science Job Satisfaction Survey: survey.walr.com/VJoPga?lnt=1

16 June

Need a 15-min procrastination break? Take @nature.com's Science Job Satisfaction Survey and tell us what you love (and loathe) about your job as a working scientist. It's anonymous and you could win a $250 Amazon voucher.) Take it here: survey.walr.com/VJoPga?lnt=1

nature.comShare the highs and lows of your career in science: take Nature’s global surveyScience and society are undergoing rapid change. Nature wants to know how this is affecting careers, workplace culture and salaries.

10 June

ICYMI: Please tell @nature.com about your life as a working scientist! It really does only take 15 minutes and you could enter to win a $250 Amazon voucher (or local equivalent). Share the highs and lows of your career in science: take Nature’s global survey www.nature.com/articles/d41...

survey.walr.comData Collection - Walr

10 June

Direct survey link here: survey.walr.com/VJoPga?lnt=1

nature.comHow I eavesdrop on frog conversationsBillie Goolsby’s experience with hearing loss helped her to develop a robotic tadpole for deciphering the secret lives of amphibians.

25 May

Sometimes a #PhD project brings you fun you didn't know you were missing like a poison frog dad riding a robotic tadpole like a miniature rodeo star. @bcgoolsby.bsky.social shares how she cracks the code on frog communications. As told to @inkfish.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

25 May

You can read more about Goolsby's and her advisor Lauren O'Connell's research in @inkfish.bsky.social's new book: The Creatures’ Guide to Caring

nature.comHow we’re using AI tools to improve psychedelic-drug researchFélix Schoeller’s team built a realistic artificial-intelligence chatbot to train facilitators needed for research into psychoactive drugs — and, ultimately, to improve public health.

25 May

In this @nature.com QA, cognitive scientist Félix Schoeller explains how a creative use of AI might help better train human facilitators for psychedelic drug therapy and clinical trials. As told to @robinberghaus.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comMy English skills are hurting my chances in academic publishing — how can I improve?A non-fluent English speaker struggles to navigate language barriers in academic publishing.

12 May

In the latest "Dear @nature.com" advice column: A non-fluent English speaker seeks advice on how to improve his writing for academic publishing without paying for expensive editing services. Experts weigh in with @katarinazimmer.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comBest. Day. Ever. What does a good day in science look like?Struggling to remember why you picked a career in science? Here are some heart-warming tales to jog your memory.

11 May

The headline says it all. Reporting by @virginiagewin.bsky.social brings you some of the daily joys of a career in science from researchers around the world. Best. Day. Ever. What does a good day in science look like? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

11 May

We had so many great anecdotes, we're planning a Part 2. Get in touch directly with @virginiagewin.bsky.social if you have a story to share about your best day in science and what made it so.

nature.comUS faculty members report high levels of anxietySurveys show the importance of social, familial and structural support in lowering anxiety, particularly for people in health professions.

1 May

In the least surprising headlines category, a new report from @scattercushion.bsky.social on two large US faculty surveys about mental health. Read on for the ways faculty (and employers) can mitigate anxiety. US faculty members report high levels of anxiety www.nature.com/articles/d41...

1 May

Many thanks to @marinaholz.bsky.social and Anietie Andy for sharing their data with us (and @cgsgraded.bsky.social which brought us together).

nature.comKeeping the ‘fairy tale’ of the Marine Biological Laboratory aliveCell biologist Mark Terasaki will give US$25 million of his own money to preserve the legacy of a pioneering scientific institute in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

23 Apr

Cell biologist Mark Terasaki's gift of $25M is the largest personal donation to the @mblscience.bsky.social. Hear how such gifts might keep US research afloat, as told to @marissa-russo.bsky.social Keeping the ‘fairy tale’ of the Marine Biological Laboratory alive www.nature.com/articles/d41...

23 Apr

Help a @nature.com Careers reporter out? Looking for ways that you might 'upgrade' your lab group's regular meeting. Have any fun or recurring agenda items, ice breakers or group bonding traditions? Anything that livens it up? Contact Hannah @keepitonthehdl.bsky.social directly if so, thx!

Hannah@keepitonthehdl.bsky.social

Do you have any lab meeting "upgrades": traditions or recurring agenda items that help liven up the meeting, build skills, or just help members bond? I'm working on an article for Nature Careers @nature.com and want to hear from you! Contact form in bio (cc @kendallsciwrite.bsky.social)

nature.comA step-by-step guide to nailing your tenure promotion packageIt’s an important milestone in many academic careers, yet the tenure process is surprisingly nebulous. Here’s what it takes to succeed.

Are you coming up for tenure review in the next couple of years? See the @nature.com Careers team's advice for assembling a kick-ass tenure portfolio. Reporting by @scattercushion.bsky.social A step-by-step guide to nailing your tenure promotion package www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Special thanks to @jmijin.bsky.social, Deepa Das Acevedo, Crisóbal Rodriguez, @christinemle.bsky.social, @planetdr.bsky.social, David Baltrus, Ramon Alain Miranda-Quintana, and Kyle Davis for sharing their advice.

nature.comHow hidden contributions power modern researchThe people who work behind the scenes to keep research moving say that there should be more recognition for their roles.

Fantastic piece on the research support specialists who are the 'stagehands' of science - their names rarely 'in lights', but they make research work from behind the scenes. Great reporting by @shihabjamal.bsky.social How hidden contributions power modern research www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Special thanks to Frank Hemmings, Marten Schöle, Philippa Broadbent, Henry Biddle, and Fiona Lynch for sharing their stories and perspectives.

nature.com14 things our PhD supervisors got right and why it matteredPhD students reflect on how their supervisors made a meaningful difference — from quiet acts of kindness to career-shaping guidance.

13 Apr

In the last piece on @nature.com's 2025 Global PhD Survey, we give you great PhD supervisors and the kind, supportive and career-boosting things they did for their students. Yes! A feel-good read about PhDs from @lindanordling.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comEngaging the head and the heart: why scientists turn to poetrySome researchers use verse to visualize complex problems or translate the wonders of science for wider audiences.

7 Apr

In the midst of all the world events, it's nice to have a piece like this in @nature.com on scientists who write lyrical, moving poetry. Many thx to @josiegz.bsky.social for the wonderful pitch & piece. Engaging the head and the heart: why scientists turn to poetry www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comWhy I made a river my co-authorAnne Poelina gives first authorship to a source with deep knowledge about water — the river itself.

30 Mar

What does it mean to bring Indigenous knowledge to bear on scientific studies? Anne Poelina explains in this #WorkingScientist profile @nature.com. She made the river she studies a co-author on publications as a source of her expertise. By @ljevanso.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comI paused my PhD for 11 years to help save Madagascar’s seasMarine scientist Ando Rabearisoa creates sustainable, community-managed fisheries.

26 Mar

ICYMI: Excellent @nature.com Q&A with Ando Rabearisoa about why she took an 11-year break in her PhD studies to help establish locally managed marine conservation areas in #Madagascar. As told to Mark DeGraff. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comMy PhD student is stuck. How do I teach them perseverance and problem solving?A new principal investigator wants to help PhD students to develop resilience and creativity in the laboratory without hovering or doing the work for them.

9 Mar

(Oh, how I identified with this illo when I was a PhD student.) How should PI's teach perseverance when their grad students are stuck – without swooping in to rescue them? Next in the Dear @nature.com series. Reporting by @mnicolen.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comUncharted: Understanding women’s health across the bodyDisaggregating data by sex is a powerful way to help develop better diagnostics and treatments for women — but researchers say it’s not used enough.

How and why to filter men out of your data Did you know that women are significantly more likely to suffer severe side effects from cancer treatments? Disaggregating data by sex reveals life-saving differences and improves health care for – wait for it – everyone. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.comThe missing pieces of menopause scienceHormone therapy is back after decades in the shadows. But evidence gaps remain for treating perimenopause — often the most disruptive part of the menopause transition.

Might be my fave piece that I've edited so far this year! It was a pleasure to work through how best to present all the various missing pieces and evidence gaps in #menopause science with @lindanordling.bsky.social Plus fantastic art by Maria Corte. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Please share this far and wide with any woman in your life who is age 30-60. I learned a lot about what science does and doesn't say about the benefits and risks of menopause hormone therapy. This is anti-hype, evidenced-based and clearly written!

nature.comCracked, but still there: the glass ceiling persists for senior women in scienceTo mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, Mangala Srinivas reminds junior colleagues that career success won’t protect you from gender-based bias.

Leading in science as a woman doesn't mean smooth sailing through gender bias, unfortunately, writes @mangalasrinivas.bsky.social @nature.com. She gives practical advice for navigating the shards of the cracked glass ceiling (hint: there's no magic bullet). www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Fantastic photo illustration!

nature.com‘No one quite like her’: meet the female colleagues who inspire these award-winning women in scienceTo mark International Women’s Day, Nature asked winners of its awards programmes to nominate a colleague who brings out the best in them.

This weekend is International Women's Day. For the 2nd year, Nature Careers is celebrating by asking award-winning women to nominate the women who inspired them. As told to @scattercushion.bsky.social. www.nature.com/articles/d41...