The mess in UK science

 It's time for an update from one of our local NE universities. Firstly to say, they are probably all very similar, perhaps just a change in where the issues are down to the university level and class. So this university is one where it nearly killed people with some coffee experiment. This university is different with its PSS. By the university, my take is its same business, treat them like cannon fodder. However, here the PSS hype up their own importance. Apparently a grade 5 should not help a grade 3 if work needs doing as it looks bad form to do that.... what a world we live in.

There are some techs who have a PhD. This inflates their feeling of importance but lack of ability. For instance, it is common knowledge that one in the engineering section was given a promotion (with no interview). Unfortunately grade does not mean ability not effort in a role. But the academic sector only likes to promote and praise those who are both too stupid and too lazy to offer any form of threat to the holy academics and their omnipotence.

What makes it worse is this individual is known, in the opinion of myself and my sources, to be in their current state of mind a risk to staff and students. They are known to have molested and try to force themselves on female members of staff. It is also known that they and their female partner frequent certain types of clubs - not illegal, but paints a picture. What is more concerning, is when this came out, higher management tried to blame the victim. Then when the police became involved they refused to share information on the male staff member, such that they could not be prosecuted. 


After this, they then removed the victim from a range of activities and gave the deviant a promotion to the role, which he is unfortunately not at an ability for. You may ask why he is not capable, even if he is perverted. The answer is the PhD and research setup (and probably degree) system is fundamentally flawed. Also those flaws have been widening since the 1960s. While there are spots of capability, a lot of PhD holders do not have the mental ability nor the emotional capability to perform research and experimental development. I would suggest that this is down to a tunnel vision mentality where they do not see the wider picture.


To give an example of this, I once interviewed on a panel for a role. There was one candidate who tried to convince us that the company should give up its area of research and follow his theoretical PhD in a different research area. He also felt within 5 years his research would be the dominant technology in use. It isn't, he hasn't won a nobel prize so unless its a top secret, i think his prediction 15 years ago was a tad wrong. I remember a candidate who was aberdeen based, who tried to make a joke about how aberdeen had the oil industry and prostitutes going for it. Read the room.... honestly.


You also get those with low ability who will try sabotage company research just to make it appear they are better than other staff. It worked, they got promoted.


What a world hey

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