The Impactful Academic: Building a Research Career That Makes a Difference

Globally, researchers are being asked to plan for and demonstrate the impact that their research has on culture, society, health, and the economy. Higher education is changing, moving away from rewarding academics primarily for peer-reviewed academic publications and asking academics to report on how their work contributes to society more broadly.

For many academics, impact poses a worrisome proposition. Impact has not generally been integrated into PhD training and many universities have b...