IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v9y2022i1d10.1057_s41599-022-01160-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Producing knowledge in a pandemic: Accounts from UK-based postdoctoral biomedical scientists of undertaking research during the COVID-19 pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Jamie Beverstock

    (University of Edinburgh)

  • Martyn Pickersgill

    (University of Edinburgh)

Abstract

While far from the first pandemic to impact knowledge-production, the widely constructed singularity of the biosocial ramifications of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has produced a set of epistemic and social circumstances that are experienced by many as unique. In relation to biomedical research these include the reworking of the social, spatial, and temporal organisation of science through lab closures and social distancing requirements. Drawing on a small number of qualitative interviews rapidly conducted during a 2021 ‘lockdown’, this exploratory article reflects on how COVID-19 has shaped the research of postdoctoral UK-based biomedical scientists. We consider: (a) how challenges are constructed and negotiated, and (b) in relation to these, scientists’ account of why researchers might (not) ‘pivot’ towards COVID-19. Accordingly, this paper indicates how the experiential conditions stimulated by the pandemic interact with pre-existing professional discourses within biomedical science—e.g., in relation to funding and career strategy—to inform and delimit knowledge-production, and to substantiate particular practices. We suggest some of the ways in which future studies might develop our provisional findings to cast new light on the effects of the pandemic on biomedicine, as well as on the entangled social, economic, and epistemic dynamics of science more generally.

Suggested Citation

  • Jamie Beverstock & Martyn Pickersgill, 2022. "Producing knowledge in a pandemic: Accounts from UK-based postdoctoral biomedical scientists of undertaking research during the COVID-19 pandemic," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:9:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-022-01160-1
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-022-01160-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-022-01160-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-022-01160-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chris Woolston, 2020. "Pandemic darkens postdocs’ work and career hopes," Nature, Nature, vol. 585(7824), pages 309-312, September.
    2. Fujimura, Joan H. & Chou, Danny Y., 1994. "Dissent in science: Styles of scientific practice and the controversy over the cause of AIDS," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 1017-1036, April.
    3. Timothy P. Johnson & Mary K. Feeney & Heyjie Jung & Ashlee Frandell & Mattia Caldarulo & Lesley Michalegko & Shaika Islam & Eric W. Welch, 2021. "COVID-19 and the academy: opinions and experiences of university-based scientists in the U.S," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-7, December.
    4. Walker, James & Brewster, Chris & Fontinha, Rita & Haak-Saheem, Washika & Benigni, Stefano & Lamperti, Fabio & Ribaudo, Dalila, 2022. "The unintended consequences of the pandemic on non-pandemic research activities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. David Sims & David Nicholas & Carol Tenopir & Suzie Allard & Anthony Watkinson, 2023. "Pandemic Impact on Early Career Researchers in the United States," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Giovanni Abramo & Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo & Ida Mele, 2022. "Impact of Covid-19 on research output by gender across countries," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(12), pages 6811-6826, December.
    2. David Sims & David Nicholas & Carol Tenopir & Suzie Allard & Anthony Watkinson, 2023. "Pandemic Impact on Early Career Researchers in the United States," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, August.
    3. Angela Cristiana Palazzo & Matteo Bertelli & Jacopo Gaspari, 2024. "A Systemic Review on the Adoption of Service Design Practices to Improve the Quality of User Experience and Organization in the Healthcare Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-20, June.
    4. Marianne Lefebvre & Jesus Barreiro‐Hurlé & Jens Rommel, 2021. "Un‐nudgeable Nudgers: An Experiment on Voluntary Contribution to an Academic Network Working on the CAP. A Note," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(2), pages 628-634, June.
    5. Mary K. Feeney & Heyjie Jung & Timothy P. Johnson & Eric W. Welch, 2023. "U.S. Visa and Immigration Policy Challenges: Explanations for Faculty Perceptions and Intent to Leave," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 64(7), pages 1031-1057, November.
    6. Daniela Anghileri & Matt Kandel & Melanie C. Austen & Vikki V. Cheung & Helen Coskeran & Adam J. M. Devenish & Patrick S. M. Dunlop & Mawuli Dzodzomenyo & Hong C. Goh & Sithembile Mwamakamba & Vanessa, 2023. "Rethinking North–South Research Partnerships Amidst Global Uncertainties: Leveraging Lessons Learned from UK GCRF Projects during COVID-19," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-22, March.
    7. Byrne, Eamon & MacKenzie, Tim MG & goswami, aranyak & Suresh, Samyuktha & Ahmad, M. Usman, 2023. "SURPAS Long Range Planning Report 2023," OSF Preprints t5mwn, Center for Open Science.
    8. Ryan Light & jimi adams, 2016. "Knowledge in motion: the evolution of HIV/AIDS research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 107(3), pages 1227-1248, June.
    9. Hedgecoe, Adam, 2005. "'At the point at which you can do something about it, then it becomes more relevant': Informed consent in the pharmacogenetic clinic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 1201-1210, September.
    10. Jasmina Saric & Thomas Breu & Gilbert Fokou & Salome‐Joëlle Gass & Boniface Kiteme & Honorati Masanja & Jürg Utzinger & Gete Zeleke & Fabian Käser, 2023. "Research−implementation organisations and their role for sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(3), pages 1401-1416, June.
    11. A Irwin & P Simmons & G Walker, 1999. "Faulty Environments and Risk Reasoning: The Local Understanding of Industrial Hazards," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 31(7), pages 1311-1326, July.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:9:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-022-01160-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.