By SORTEE | October 25, 2021
[SORTEE member voices is a weekly Q&A with a different SORTEE member]
Name: Markus Eichhorn.
Date: 02 July 2021.
Position: Lecturer.
Research and/or work interests: I am interested in forest ecology.
What do you see as the greatest challenge facing the open / reliable / transparent science movement at large or specifically in ecology and evolutionary biology?
In ecology there are a number of groups who control access to large global databases which, while ostensibly available to all, are often closed, in that access is determined by gatekeepers who determine who can use the data, the uses to which it is put, and the credit that derives from their use. Often the gatekeepers play only a limited role in obtaining the data itself, relying instead on networks of contributors whose work is inadequately recognised. Even more problematic is that these databases are held by researchers based in Global North countries, even while they extract data from the Global South. This is not merely a problem for open data but is an example of colonial practices in modern science.
What do you now know about the way science gets done that you would have found surprising before you started your training as a scientist?
The most successful scientists, in terms of the ones who attract the greatest acclaim and reach the highest status positions, are not necessarily the best researchers or the ones with the most innovative ideas, but those who can obtain the greatest amount of research funding. Differential success in academic careers is driven more by access to resources than ability.
Where to find you online?:
www.Treesinspace.com
Twitter: @markus_eichhorn
