Ove’s right, it speaks for itself

Did you know that academics get their name as authors on academic publications because they raised the research money? That’s what professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg said in a blog discussion with Marc Hendrickx.

From Ove Hoegh-Guldberg

Director, Global Change Institute at University of Queensland

Marc – I am surprised that you are not aware the last author position on publications in many fields (such as marine and molecular biology) goes to the head of the laboratory or research group. This is to recognise the effort that these individuals put into the science, but also as recognition of the funding, experience, and infrastructure that invariably goes into a project. In our field, this is not insubstantial and my calculations have revealed that studies involving molecular biology or field work can often require substantial costs in terms of materials and supplies required to do the science. Obtaining that funding is not an easy task as I’m sure you know.

Life is too short to keep justifying myself to you Marc. Despite your continual insults, my track record and the cohesion of my research group ( some of the finest young biologists in Australia) does speak for itself.

Anyway, enough of this – I have a lab group to run, papers to write, and an institute to direct.

Source: ABC News Watch