Global snapshot of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the research activities of materials scientists between Spring and Autumn 2020

TY - JOUR

T1 - Global snapshot of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the research activities of materials scientists between Spring and Autumn 2020

AU - Sandhu, Adarsh

AU - Hany, Roland

AU - Hirohata, Atsufumi

AU - Hishita, Shunichi

AU - Kimlicka, Ken

AU - Naito, Masanobu

AU - Nishimura, Chikashi

N1 - © 2021 The Author(s). Published by National Institute for Materials Science in partnership with Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2021/4/21

Y1 - 2021/4/21

N2 - We conducted a global survey on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the research activities of materials scientists by distributing a questionnaire on 9th October 2020 with a response deadline of 23rd October 2020. The questions covered issues such as access to labs, effectiveness of online conferences, and effects on doctoral students for the period covering the first lockdowns until the relaxation of restrictions in late September 2020 in many countries. The survey also included online interviews with eminent materials scientists who shared their local experiences during this period. The interviews were compiled as a series of audio conversations for The STAM Podcast that is freely available worldwide. Our findings included that the majority of institutes were not prepared for such a crisis; researchers in China, Japan, and Singapore were able to resume research much quicker—for example after approximately one month in Japan—than their counterparts in the US and Europe after the first lockdowns; researchers adapted to using virtual teleconferencing to maintain contact with colleagues; and doctoral students were the hardest hit by the pandemic with deep concerns about completing their research and career prospects. We hope that the analysis from this survey will enable the global materials science community to learn from each other’s experiences and move forward from the unprecedented circumstances created by the pandemic.

AB - We conducted a global survey on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the research activities of materials scientists by distributing a questionnaire on 9th October 2020 with a response deadline of 23rd October 2020. The questions covered issues such as access to labs, effectiveness of online conferences, and effects on doctoral students for the period covering the first lockdowns until the relaxation of restrictions in late September 2020 in many countries. The survey also included online interviews with eminent materials scientists who shared their local experiences during this period. The interviews were compiled as a series of audio conversations for The STAM Podcast that is freely available worldwide. Our findings included that the majority of institutes were not prepared for such a crisis; researchers in China, Japan, and Singapore were able to resume research much quicker—for example after approximately one month in Japan—than their counterparts in the US and Europe after the first lockdowns; researchers adapted to using virtual teleconferencing to maintain contact with colleagues; and doctoral students were the hardest hit by the pandemic with deep concerns about completing their research and career prospects. We hope that the analysis from this survey will enable the global materials science community to learn from each other’s experiences and move forward from the unprecedented circumstances created by the pandemic.

U2 - 10.1080/14686996.2021.1894756

DO - 10.1080/14686996.2021.1894756

M3 - Article

VL - 22

SP - 173

EP - 186

JO - Science and Technology of Advanced Materials

JF - Science and Technology of Advanced Materials

IS - 1

ER -