Inside out

Back page gossip from the 28 September issue of Research Europe

Small mercies Are you, like too many researchers, familiar with the strain of working an unhealthy number of hours? Help is at hand from Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia, which has reported that, among “creative R&D employees”, the more work carried out in the workplace itself, the more tired the employee. So the next time you have to work on an evening or weekend, at least you have a reason for doing it in bed or from the comfort of your sofa, rather than at your bench.

Practise what you preach We tend not to report on university league tables, thinking them of limited value. Hence, a press release from the UK’s University of Huddersfield highlighting a speech by one of its academics had us nodding in agreement. Economist Jill Johnes told the 2017 meeting of the Economics of Education Association that she doubted rankings served any meaningful purpose, the university said. But what did we find in the email footer? “The University of Huddersfield […] is currently number one in England for the proportion of staff with teaching qualifications.”