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Englands Regulierungsbehörde für Hochschulbildung muss das Vertrauen des problematischen Sektors nach einer Reihe von Fehltritten unter der vorherigen Führung wiederherstellen. • In seiner kurzen und unglücklichen Existenz wurde das Office for Students (OfS) mit einer Reihe von Herausforderungen konfrontiert, denen es größtenteils nicht gewachsen war. • Diese Woche wurde die jüngste und peinlichste dieser Herausforderungen bekannt, als das High Court die Versuche der Aufsichtsbehörde für Hochschulbildung entschieden zurückwies, die University of Sussex mit einer Geldstrafe von mehr als 500.000 £ für regulatorische Versäumnisse im Zusammenhang mit der Zeit von Kathleen Stock als Akademikerin in Sussex zu belegen. • Stock verließ Sussex 2021 mit der Begründung, sie fühle sich aufgrund ihrer Ansichten zu Genderidentität und Transrechten ausgegrenzt und angegriffen. • Dies war der prominenteste Testfall, mit dem das OfS konfrontiert war: ein Thema von enormer Kontroverse und Sensibilität, bei dem es um zentrale Fragen der akademischen Freiheit und der Redefreiheit ging. • Doch wie wir nun aus dem Urteil von Mrs Justice Lieven wissen, hat das OfS in seinem Eifer einzugreifen seine eigenen Füße über die eigenen Schnürsenkel gebracht.

Das Urteil ist ein Schlag für das Office for Students, nachdem dieses eine Geldstrafe aufgrund des Umgangs mit Protesten gegen die Ansichten einer Professorin zu Transrechten verhängt hatte. Die University of Sussex hat eine Geldstrafe in Höhe von 585.000 £ der englischen Hochschulaufsichtsbehörde aufgehoben, nachdem das High Court die Behauptungen zurückgewiesen hatte, die Universität habe gegen Redefreiheitsbestimmungen im Zusammenhang mit ihrer ehemaligen Professorin Kathleen Stock verstoßen. Das Urteil ist ein schwerer Schlag für die Glaubwürdigkeit und das Management des Office for Students, nachdem das Gericht die langwierigen Untersuchungen der Regulierungsbehörde über den Umgang von Sussex mit den Protesten gegen Stock aufgrund ihrer Ansichten zu Transgender-Rechten und ihrem anschließenden Rücktritt im Jahr 2021 zurückgewiesen hat.

Hisham Abugharbieh was arrested after standoff with police and charged with killing Zamil Limon and Nahida BristyThe man who was detained after two Bangladeshi doctoral students went missing from the University of South Florida (USF) has been booked with two counts of murder.Hisham Abugharbieh faces two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, the Hillsborough county sheriff’s office announced on Saturday. Continue reading...

Hisham Abugharbeih, 26, taken into custody after remains of Zamil Limon found, as search for Nahida Bristy continuesThe body of one of two Bangladeshi doctoral students missing from the University of South Florida (USF) was found on a bridge over Tampa Bay, and his roommate has been taken into custody, law enforcement authorities said Friday.Zamil Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Frankland Bridge on Friday morning, but Nahida Bristy is still missing, Hillsborough county sheriff’s office chief deputy Joseph Maurer said. Continue reading...

Authors including Evelyn Araluen and Melissa Lucashenko say they won’t work with publisher after it dumps Jazz Money’s book illustrated by Matt Chun, who called Bondi victims ‘affluent beneficiaries of imperialism’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Australian publishing house has cancelled the publication of a children’s book by an award-winning Indigenous poet over comments the book’s illustrator made about the victims of the Bondi beach terror attack, whom he called “affluent beneficiaries of imperialism”.University of Queensland said on Wednesday its publishing house would not proceed with the publication of Bila, A River Cycle, written by Jazz Money and illustrated by Matt Chun, and was considering “recycling options” for already printed copies. Continue reading...

• Researchers at the University of Washington created an artificial photosynthesis prototype converting sunlight directly into storable chemical fuels with 13% efficiency, surpassing previous laboratory records of 8-10%. • The system uses engineered nanostructures and novel catalysts to split water and fix carbon dioxide, producing methanol as a liquid fuel suitable for existing energy infrastructure, detailed in Nature Energy on April 21. • The breakthrough could enable large-scale production of carbon-neutral synthetic fuels without competing for agricultural land, addressing both climate and energy security challenges.

Head of newly formed institution questions whether naming is ‘reflective of our current reality’ amid criticism of ‘shameful’ fossil fuel company promotionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe newly formed Adelaide University is considering removing gas company Santos’s name from one of its buildings.On Saturday, students and conservationists rallied outside the Santos Petroleum Engineering building, calling on the university to dump the name because of the company’s new gas projects. Continue reading...

Rümeysa Öztürk, who faced deportation over pro-Palestinian op-ed, travels back to Turkey to begin careerSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxRümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts University student who was targeted by the Trump administration last year in response to co-writing a pro-Palestinian op-ed, completed her doctorate in the US and traveled back to her native Turkey this week.Öztürk was detained last year by immigration agents in Massachusetts, with video of the Tufts University student’s arrest going viral. She was one of many international students targeted by the Trump administration for pro-Palestinian speech and activism during widespread protests, which were especially active on US college campuses, against Israel’s war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 deadly attack on southern Israel. Continue reading...

• Elijah Dottery, diagnosed with sickle cell anemia as a baby, became the first U-M patient to receive the newly FDA-approved stem cell therapy. • The treatment uses patient's own stem cells edited via CRISPR to produce functional hemoglobin, administered at Michigan Medicine. • This breakthrough matters for over 100,000 U.S. sickle cell patients, offering potential cure where prior therapies only managed symptoms.

Exclusive: Move comes after Guardian Australia revealed Gemma Seymour was facing potential suspension over video criticising RMIT’s ties to weapons companiesRMIT University has dropped a misconduct case against a student who accused the institution of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza, because of its defence and aerospace research centre’s ties to weapons companies.Guardian Australia this week revealed the student, Gemma Seymour, faced potential suspension over a social media video calling for the university’s Sir Lawrence Wackett Defence and Aerospace Centre to be shut down. Continue reading...

• Arizona State University's Extreme Environments Lab tests semiconductor technologies under harsh conditions mimicking those in low Earth orbit, where temperatures swing from minus 85°F to over 250°F and radiation exposure exceeds 100 times natural Earth levels annually. • The lab supports the Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP) Hub, serving government and industry partners designing technologies for demanding applications including space stations, missile defense systems, and geothermal energy equipment. • This research capability extends to supporting radiation therapy, nuclear energy systems, and advanced scientific tools such as quantum computers, addressing critical reliability challenges for space-based microchips that cannot be serviced for a decade or more.

Lawyers for Robert Morales’s family said chatbot ‘may have advised the shooter’ on how to carry out shootingThe family of a man who was killed at Florida State University last year plans to sue ChatGPT and its parent organization, OpenAI, for allegedly telling the accused gunman how to carry out the mass shooting.Lawyers for the family of Robert Morales wrote in a statement they had learned the shooter was in “constant communication with ChatGPT” ahead of the shooting, and that the chatbot “may have advised the shooter how to commit these heinous crimes”. Continue reading...

Trump ordered data collection after raising concern about race being used as factor in college admissionsA federal judge on Friday halted efforts by the Trump administration to collect data that proves higher education institutions aren’t considering race in admissions.The ruling from the US district court judge F Dennis Saylor IV in Boston granting the preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit filed earlier this month by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general. It will only apply to public universities in plaintiffs’ states. Continue reading...

Aria Fani of University of Washington’s Middle East Center is latest critic of Israel to lose position at US universitySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA University of Washington professor was removed as head of the school’s Middle East Center after reportedly using newsletters from the center to criticize the US and Israel’s war on Iran and describe Zionism as “cancerous”.His case is one of at least three incidents in the past month in which higher education faculty members have faced suspension or dismissal after voicing opposition to US-Israeli actions in the Middle East. Continue reading...

• On March 10, the University of Houston announced researchers at its Texas Center for Superconductivity broke the ambient-pressure temperature record for superconductivity, potentially enabling more efficient energy generation, transmission, and storage. • Superconductivity is a quantum phenomenon where materials exhibit zero electrical resistance and expel magnetic fields when cooled below a critical temperature threshold. • This breakthrough represents a major advancement in materials science that could have significant implications for energy infrastructure and technology development.

Trump administration claims list is part of an EEOC investigation into antisemitic discrimination at universityA federal judge on Tuesday ordered the University of Pennsylvania to hand over records about Jewish employees on campus to a federal agency as part of an investigation into antisemitic discrimination but said it did not have to reveal any employee’s affiliation with a specific group.US district judge Gerald Pappert said employees can refuse to take part in the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation but the agency “needs the opportunity to talk to them directly to learn if they have evidence of discrimination”. Continue reading...

• A new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln highlights how farmers' risk attitudes significantly influence crop insurance decisions and financial results. • Led by Associate Professor Cory Walters, the research analyzes behavioral factors in agricultural economics, published March 31, 2026. • Findings underscore the need for tailored insurance products to match diverse risk profiles, potentially improving farm resilience amid climate variability.

Greens amendments to force new watchdog to scrutinise uni fees and the Jobs-Ready Graduates scheme rejected by federal governmentFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government is being accused of dodging promised reforms to bring down soaring university fees, after rejecting efforts to have them scrutinised by a new watchdog.On Monday, legislation to establish the independent Australian Tertiary Education Commission (Atec) passed the Senate with a number of amendments, including to improve its resourcing and ensuring it had a focus on research. Continue reading...

• A year after federal mandates threatened to disrupt scientific research, university laboratories are experiencing cautious recovery in funding from NIH, NSF, and NASA. • Researchers at Northern Kentucky University and other institutions faced significant uncertainty when federal cuts impacted grants, laboratory operations, and student research opportunities. • The gradual thaw in federal science funding represents a critical turning point for academic research infrastructure, though underlying uncertainty about future appropriations remains.

• Columbia University announced on March 26, 2026, that three faculty members were selected as AAAS Fellows for distinguished scientific contributions and service. • Recognition by the American Association for the Advancement of Science honors excellence across research disciplines. • Fellows represent Columbia's leadership in advancing peer-reviewed scientific discoveries.

• Rising sea levels are creating 'ghost forests' of dead trees along the eastern US coast, where saltwater intrusion drowns vibrant ecosystems, as presented at ACS Spring 2026 meeting in Atlanta on March 26. • Undergraduate Samantha Chittakone's team studies water cycling through these dying stands to predict coastal forest responses to climate change. • Findings could inform preservation strategies amid accelerating sea level rise threatening US shorelines.

• Tulane University in New Orleans will host the inaugural US Chagas Disease Meeting on March 26-27, 2026, marking the first such conference on American soil. • The event convenes experts to discuss diagnosis, screening, research, and patient care for Chagas disease, now argued by some to be endemic in the US with approximately 300,000 infected Americans per CDC estimates. • Occurring at a pivotal moment, the meeting aims to boost awareness, improve public health responses, and advance peer-reviewed findings on this neglected parasitic disease.

Idris Robinson says Texas State violated his constitutional rights over off-campus talk seized on by pro-Israel activistsPhilosophy professor Idris Robinson has sued Texas State University officials, asserting that the school violated his constitutional rights by ending his contract after he gave a talk on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict off-campus in another state where a fight broke out, the Guardian has learned.Perhaps in part because Robinson did not introduce himself as connected to Texas State at the event, it took several pro-Israel social media accounts a year to identify him and launch a campaign to get Robinson fired, targeting the school’s leadership and accusing him of being a terrorist and inciting violence. Continue reading...

• University of Utah geophysicists used electromagnetic data from airborne surveys to identify a newly discovered freshwater reservoir under the Great Salt Lake's Farmington Bay, marking a first-of-its-kind breakthrough. • The reservoir, located in a key area of the lake, could potentially alleviate Utah's ongoing water scarcity issues amid prolonged drought conditions. • This finding matters as it reveals untapped groundwater resources critical for the western U.S., where the Great Salt Lake has shrunk by nearly 50% since 1980 due to overuse and climate change.

Archivist Jo Klett says the 40 boxes of material will provide ‘a full picture of Roger’s entire working career’“It’s a joy to be old,” wrote Roger McGough, one of Britain’s most popular, prolific and funniest poets. “The dog dead and the car sold.”Another joy might be decluttering. After the departure of dozens of boxes of notebooks, manuscripts, drafts, project files, journals, posters, letters, personal artworks and more, McGough has admitted his house is significantly emptier. “If anyone wants to buy some old empty filing cabinets then get in touch … through you,” he joked. Continue reading...

• A University of Alabama student disappeared in Spain while on spring break, with foul play fears growing as of March 19, 2026. • U.S. authorities and Spanish police are searching for the student, last seen in a popular tourist area, amid reports of potential abduction risks. • The case underscores vulnerabilities for American travelers abroad during global tensions, drawing State Department involvement.

• The Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination, and Redesign (CNTR) at Brown University has created a new portal to help the public, journalists, researchers, and policymakers understand the complex landscape of AI-related legislation in the United States. • The portal contains 5,000 bills with detailed profiles on 100, created with a framework evaluating policies on transparency, data protection, bias, education, content, and labor. • More than 1,000 AI-related bills have been introduced in the US over the past three years, with the majority of Americans favoring greater AI regulation despite the overwhelming volume of proposals.

Students in Canterbury given antibiotics for fast-acting and invasive meningococcal disease, says UKHSATwo people have died and 11 are reportedly seriously ill in hospital after an outbreak of a rare form of invasive meningitis at the University of Kent.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it had provided antibiotics to students in the Canterbury area after it detected 13 cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a combination of meningitis and septicaemia. Continue reading...