Our lab is committed to a culturally inclusive environment where all voices are welcomed and respected. As a first-generation North African with English and French as my third and fourth languages, I aim to serve as a role model for minority students, underscoring that everyone has a place in academia.
We proudly promote a bilingual (French and English) working environment that supports diverse trainees and fosters a sense of belonging for all.
Our research program spans a wide range of topics in ecology, evolution, and conservation, attracting students from varied backgrounds and interests. To raise awareness of inequities in academia, we discuss significant EDI literature and organize a discussion group within the Biology Department.
Our lab actively contributes to the broader conversation on EDI in academia, publishing research and perspective papers on topics such as global EDI perspectives (Khelifa & Mahdjoub 2022, Nature Ecology & Evolution; Ecology Letters), language barriers (Khelifa et al. 2022, Trends in Ecology & Evolution), international collaboration (Mahdjoub et al. 2023, Frontiers in Education), equitable editorial boards (Mahdjoub et al. 2022, Trends in Ecology & Evolution), and the dominance of English in research (Khelifa et al. 2022, FACETS).
Students from all backgrounds are warmly welcomed and encouraged to apply for the OPEN Lab
Towards a more internationally equitable science
Benefits and geography of international collaboration for PhD students in biology from four Global South countries
(Mahdjoub et al. 2023, Frontiers in Education)
Collaboration is a fundamental aspect of scientific research and innovation. Here we assess the impact and geographic distribution of international collaborations for PhD students in biological sciences in four Global South countries (two from Africa: Algeria and Morocco, and two from the Americas: Colombia and Mexico), where students typically have low English proficiency. We show that overall international collaboration, particularly with the Global North, increased the probability of publishing in a journal with an impact factor and achieved more citations. Most international collaborators were affiliated with French-speaking countries for Algerian and Moroccan students and Spanish and English-speaking countries for Colombian and Mexican universities, suggesting that language and geopolitical history might play a role in shaping the selection of international collaborators.
Recommendations for making editorial boards diverse and inclusive
(Mahdjoub et al. 2022, Trends in Ecology & Ecology)
Editorial boards have a great power in science publishing. There is a marked lack of representation in editorial boards, particularly in prestigious journals. Here, we discuss 10 recommendations to make editorial boards diverse.
The Hard Way
(Khelifa 2022, Science)
In this piece, I describe through my personal journey the barriers that a researcher from North Africa go through to survive and succeed in academia.
Integrate geographic scales in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
(Khelifa & Mahdjoub 2022, Nature Ecology & Evolution)
Many opinion pieces about equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) have been published during the past few years. These contributions have highlighted barriers that some groups of our society must meet to succeed in academia, and have immensely improved our understanding of how to approach EDI and improve the academic environment. However, most of these perspectives are from the Global North, particularly from the US, targeting issues that are local and thus unintentionally sustaining a view that is not inclusive of the global diversity of scientists. Here, we present some considerations to make EDI really global.
Breaking the language barrier in science
(Khelifa et al. 2022, Trends in Ecology & Evolution)
Global problems require global scientific solutions, but scientific knowledge is not effectively segregated and shared worldwide. Language is a major barrier to the global exchange of knowledge. Integrating peer-language proofing and translation systems in preprint platforms gives a solution for making science global and promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion.
A global perspective of equity, diversity and inclusion in ecology and evolutionary biology
(Khelifa et al. 2022, Ecology Letters)
Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) have become essential considerations in different academic fields in recent years, attracting an increasing number of voices and perspectives from different minority groups. While recent contributions have shed light on the barriers that some groups of society encounter compared to others, the concept of EDI is still in its infancy in ecology and evolution, and we still lack an inclusive framework that targets the global diversity of researchers. As researchers in ecology and evolution from the Global South (GS) and Global North (GN) from different backgrounds and minority groups, we recognize the need to present a global view of EDI to stress that researchers from GS are not only impeded by discrimination, but also by other cultural and socioeconomic factors that affect their level of education and drastically reduce their likelihood to reach leadership positions. We present a simple model that explains the drivers of the variation in academic success among researchers, and highlight that most of the variation is determined by factors that individuals have no control over (e.g. place of birth, gender, ethnicity). We recommend measures to increase the representation of the global diversity in the field of ecology and evolution in order to collectively solve societal and environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and disease epidemics.
Language of citation and publishing performance of graduate students in French-speaking countries with different economic and linguistic advantages
(Khelifa et al. 2022, FACETS)
English hegemony in science creates a system where scholars and researchers from English as a foreign language (EFL) countries encounter immense difficulties understanding English literature and applying available scientific knowledge to contemporary environmental and societal issues. Here, we assess the relationship between language proficiency and academic success of graduate students from three French-speaking countries (Canada, France, and Algeria) where English is the first, second, or third official language. We specifically analyzed the literature cited in 303 Master and 288 PhD theses published between 2008 and 2021 in 17 universities. We found that while English was the dominant language in the citation of PhD theses, the language of education was dominant in the citation of Master theses. Hence, theses published in native English-speaking universities showed the least language-diverse citations and the highest English dominance in both Master and PhD. Interestingly, PhD students who graduated from universities where English is the third language published fewer papers, more frequently in low-impact journals, and received fewer citations than students who graduated from universities where English was the first or second official language. Given the dominance of English in science, language barrier affects the scholarly and academic success of students and ultimately creates scientific minorities