Cactus Foundation works to understand what brings researchers joy and what causes them immense stress in their work life

7.8 million researchers are working on humanity's most pressing problems, yet they often do so in highly competitive environments, where three-fourths of faculty positions have no job security (https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/10/12/about-three-quarters-all-faculty-positions-are-tenure-track-according-new-aaup); only 1 in 8 grant applications makes the cut (https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/failed-horizon-2020-bids-cost-european-universities-ps6-billion); and scientific curiosity and career progression scarce find a middle ground. Unsurprisingly, academics are reported to be six times more likely to experience anxiety and depression (https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2018/03/graduate-students-need-more-mental-health-support-new-study-highlights) than the general population!

What about you as a researcher? Does your work environment motivate you? How do you manage your work and personal life? Do you receive enough support from your supervisors? What would you want to see changed in your current environment?

Cactus Communications (a global scholarly communications company) invites researchers globally to participate in a large-scale survey that aims to shed light on joy and stress triggers and overall mental health in academia. And the International Society of Computational Biology has partnered with them on this initiative.

The results of this survey are expected to push universities and research institutions worldwide to work towards addressing the problem of mental health in academia and creating a more positive research culture and a more nurturing work environment in which researchers can thrive. Click here to take the survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/cactus-mental-health-survey-ISCB).
URL: https://www.cactusglobal.com/mental-health-survey/

Contact Person: Andrea Hayward (mentalhealthsurvey@cactusglobal.com)