Protecting scientific diversity

International researchers demand the active protection and support of diversity, equity and inclusion in science. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are facing great challenges because they have to reorient, interrupt or even cancel research and teaching. A team of international scientists with participation from the University of Göttingen published an international appeal which highlights the precarious situation of many scientists and calls for a collective effort by the entire scientific community, especially those in leadership positions, to protect decades of effort to build an inclusive scientific community. Their letter appeared in Nature Ecology and Evolution. The coronavirus pandemic poses major challenges in particular for those scientists who are dependent on fixed-term positions or temporary visas, who have more responsibility for administration or family care, or who belong to disadvantaged social groups, especially early career researchers. According to EU reports, women in research still earn 17% less than their male counterparts, even when carrying out the same functions, and data for minority groups is generally not available. The writers emphasise the consequences that this crisis will have on early career researchers; especially those from communities historically underrepresented in science, including minorities of all genders, women, researchers from the Global South, and persons with disabilities.