“We’re watching”

Anyone embarking on an academic career is reliant on the goodwill and professionalism of their supervisors. Good mentors are important to future success. They provide knowledge and direction, share their experience, offer feedback and open doors to academic networks.

Yet a panel discussion on abuse of power at universities, held at the Theaterhaus Gessnerallee, showed that these student-instructor relationships can also be problematic. The event was prompted by a publication entitled The Uni Testimonies (Die Uni-Protokolle) from the REFLEKT investigative journalism team. A public call from the team elicited responses from 200 people from 12 Swiss higher education institutions. They reported bullying, intimidation, exploitation of dependencies, and sexual harassment. According to The Uni Testimonies, many of the respondents felt abandoned by their university, even though services in cases of abuse have been expanded in recent years.

As Vice President Research, Elisabeth Stark is also responsible for early-career researchers at UZH. She expressed her concern. “Each case of abuse is one too many,” she said. It was particularly worrying to note “the lack of trust in contact points and counseling services, when we believe that they are well staffed with people who really make an effort to help.”

A teaching assistant at the University of Geneva, Neele Heiser represented actionuni, the umbrella organization for academic mid-level staff. She emphasized that young academics of both sexes often feel exposed in conflict situations. The findings of the REFLEKT report came as no surprise. “We see in our own surveys that the mental health issues are there and that abuses of power are common,” she explained. That is why it is important to “talk about working conditions for non-professorial academic staff.”

Elisabeth Stark underlined promoting the next generation of academics as one of the university’s core functions. Updating the conditions for the supervision of PhD candidates and postdocs is therefore a high priority. Stark pointed out that there wasn’t just talk, but also action, and at multiple levels. For example, as it began expanding its PhD programs and graduate schools in the 2010s, UZH created structures that broaden the base of responsibility and significantly reduce dependency on individual supervisors, for example.

In addition, Elisabeth Stark continued, UZH had invested a great deal in developing people’s leadership and management capabilities. As both mentors and supervisors, professors hold a demanding dual role and thus also enormous responsibility. Founded in 2022, the Leadership and Governance Academy offers professors and other leaders a program of courses that is being adapted and updated all the time.

Stark concluded by referring to the 2024 reforms that guarantee academic mid-level staff significantly more protected time for their own research. This is also documented in the general outline of rights and responsibilities, and must be respected.

To support doctoral candidates and postdocs in conflict situations, UZH has established a wide variety of contact points and counseling services. However, these often remain unused in cases of conflict. The panel discussed the possible reasons for this in detail.

For Neele Heiser, a lack of trust is the primary cause. Many of those affected don’t believe they have much chance of having their complaint heard. At the same time, they feel they might be put at a disadvantage in their future career. Often, abuses of power are not even reported for fear of negative consequences.

From the podium, Elisabeth Stark called for trust in the current, ever-improving complaint processes. All points of contact must uphold strict confidentiality obligations, she said, and those seeking advice would be protected

Clear rules are essential to a dependable working environment. Transparent processes and unequivocally defined rights and duties create certainty. 

The Guidelines on the Authorship of Academic Publications introduced at UZH in April 2025 are one example of a new rule that protects doctoral candidates and postdocs in particular. They ensure that their intellectual contributions are recognized and made visible. They can invoke them if they feel that their work is not given due credit in a publication. The conflict resolution procedure is laid down step by step in the UZH Integrity Ordinance.

Regulatory measures include the new employment model for doctoral candidates and teaching/research assistants that has been in effect since 2024. The revised general outline of rights and responsibilities creates clear and transparent terms, in particular with regard to the time that is available for individual research.

Vice President Stark rejected suspicions that universities turn a blind eye to abuses or let misconduct go unpunished. “We’re watching,” she emphasized, pointing to the supervision oversight program that UZH introduced as a management instrument in 2023. It enables university and faculty leaders to identify problematic clusters.

Additionally, since the governance reforms, deans have exercised a clear line management function over professors. This gives the university more options to prevent abuses of power and to intervene in cases of misconduct.

As the event concluded, the floor was handed to those in the packed-out venue. It was appreciable from the audience remarks that stressful experiences have a lasting impact.

Elisabeth Stark responded by describing an academic culture undergoing transformation. “I am optimistic because I have the comparison,” she said.

Early on in her career, she experienced for herself what dependence could mean. Today, she sees marked progress in many areas. For example, in this year’s university-wide employee survey at UZH, doctoral candidates and postdocs rated aspects such as fairness and culture of trust very positively on average.

In Stark’s view, sustained improvements will come from an interplay of multiple factors. Clear rules and processes, professional management, reliable contact points and suitable incentive structures are part of this. Another important factor is the expanding range of criteria that now feed into the assessment of academic performance. Appointment procedures no longer count only publication figures, for example. Instead they increasingly factor in management skills, originality, integrity, team spirit and commitment to teaching.

Promoting the next generation is one of the University’s most important functions, Stark said – and this value had to be made visible. One example here is the Mentoring Award that UZH presents every two years to recognize individuals who have displayed particular dedication to furthering the careers of young researchers.

The next generation of researchers represents the future, and mentors prepare them for that future. In most cases they work hard and are highly conscientious. Both sides deserve appreciation and respect, the Vice President believes.