Diversity in Science: Brake or Accelerator?
Professor Dr. Ulrich Dirnagl, member of the Steering Committee 3 - Advancing Research Quality and Value of the Berlin University Alliance, Director of QUEST, BIH Center for Responsible Research at the Berlin Institute for Health Research at Charité (BIH) and Scientific Secretary of the Einstein Foundation Award, has written an essay for the special supplement of the Tagesspiegel on Berlin Science Week 2023, published on 11.10.2023.
News from Oct 18, 2023
In his text, Professor Dirnagl argues for a broad understanding of diversity that is not exclusively limited to the issue of gender parity in science, but includes aspects such as ethnicity, age, skills, cultural or socioeconomic background, 'atypical' career paths, and so on. He sheds light on structural preconditions of a lack of diversity in science and describes the harmful consequences of keeping existing and overly homogeneous structures in science.
Last but not least, he addresses the assumed potential of diversity for science and its quality. Here, he points out the need for a stable empirical basis in order to adequately counter potentially unintended negative effects of a change in the status quo.
The full essay can also be found on the website of the Einstein Foundation Berlin.
The Impact of Diversity on Research Quality: Exploring the Knowledge Gap
These and other questions will also be the subject of a panel discussion during Berlin Science Week on November 3, 2023 at the Museum für Naturkunde, organized by the Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research, the BIH QUEST Center for Responsible Research, the Berlin University Alliance, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.