Head of Department Letter March 2026

How do we lift everyone – not just the stars?

It is difficult to choose which issue feels most pressing at the moment – several major questions are moving at once. Discussions about strategic research areas, academic freedom, the future of the Department of Physics, and academic integrity are all taking place simultaneously. At the same time, we are working intensively with nominations for prizes and scholarships, as well as with applications for various initiatives aimed at excellent research environments.

A common thread running through all this is the question of how we give recognition in the research world: who is included as a co-author (and in what order), and who is visible in major research proposals. This becomes particularly apparent when funders – and sometimes even we ourselves – prefer to highlight a “superstar” rather than the team behind the results.

Of course, there are occasions when a single individual truly deserves to be in the spotlight. But more often, several brilliant people make the work possible together. In those cases, it becomes unfair when only one of them is highlighted. The problem is that it is not always easy to find meaningful ways of making the whole team visible. How do we ensure that everyone who deserves it receives recognition – especially early‑career researchers who are building their CVs?

In my own field, experimental high-energy physics, these questions have long been discussed. There, the starting point is that everyone who makes a substantial contribution – instrument development, data collection, analysis, model testing – is part of every result. The outcome is long author lists in all publications. It is fairer to the team, but it clashes significantly with both societal and funders’ expectations of individual geniuses. High‑energy physics may be an extreme example, but the realisation that research is a team sport is becoming increasingly clear across the natural sciences and engineering. No one succeeds alone – the best research is done in teams. But how do we highlight the whole group, not just the most well‑known? (And do not ask us in high‑energy physics – we will continue producing our 20‑page author lists.) This is not just about physicists; much of our success depends on people who develop and drive the infrastructure forward. Do they receive the credit they deserve?

Fortunately, there are already prizes and grants awarded to groups, but they often highlight already established PIs. We need to consider how, within Physics, we can bring more key contributors to the fore – younger teachers, researchers, postdocs and others – and how we can better showcase the teams that create our most outstanding research environments.

Else Lytken
Head of Department