Chair of Commons Select Committee on Science & Technology addresses UCL academics

Dr Ian Gibson - MP for Norwich North and Chair of the Commons Select Committee on Science & Technology - expressed his concerns about government higher education policy on a recent visit to UCL.

Organised by UCL's Association for University Teachers (AUT), Dr Gibson's talk was attended by more than 150 UCL academics on 19 May.

Previously head of a cancer research laboratory at the University of East Anglia, Dr Gibson was sympathetic to the employment conditions of contract research staff today, and proposed that universities could maintain a fund from which long term contract researchers could be offered permanent employment.

Dr Gibson also felt that the Research Assessment Exercise system will lead to departments focusing on activities designed to raise their score, rather than improving the quality of research. Finally, he emphasised the importance of university staff voicing their concerns and opinions in order to change government policies they do not agree with.

To find out more about Dr Gibson's talk use this link.