The Culture of Science in Academia Is Overdue for Change

Abstract

Academic science is becoming increasingly recognized for fostering a toxic workplace culture. A growing number of studies show that hierarchical structure, intense competition, excessive workload expectations, and lack of adequate financial support create an unhealthy work environment (Stephan, 2012; Callier and Vanderford, 2014; Hall, 2023). Science in academia is flooded with underpaid and underappreciated students and postdocs, and sadly, academic institutions are not adequately addressing the urgent need to fix this unsustainable structure (Stephan, 2012; Callier and Vanderford, 2014). This article is our plea to academic science: it is time to change the culture of our workplace and better support the next generation of scientists.