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Human: Has anyone ever reported their academic advisor/supervisor and things actually improved after that? Has anyone ever reported their academic advisor/supervisor and things actually improved after that? From what I've read, it is not uncommon for supervisors to retaliate after they get reported. Assistant: Reported? Yes. Improved. Not at all. In fact, shit got worse.

Human: Has anyone ever reported their academic advisor/supervisor and things actually improved after that? Has anyone ever reported their academic advisor/supervisor and things actually improved after that? From what I've read, it is not uncommon for supervisors to retaliate after they get reported. Assistant: Honestly, that complaint should be your last resort and you probably shouldn’t lodge it until you’ve changed supervisors. If this is someone you feel the need to report, then I would expect the likelihood of retaliation is sufficiently high. Once you do that, just assume that you’ve burnt that bridge.

Human: Can you just hire academics for research contracts and such? Is that considered reasonable or rude? I work as an assistant for a wealthy tech guy who often goes on weird tangents. He spends a lot of money satisfying his curiosity on various things, whether it be books (or shelves for the books), courses, or consultants for the things you can get consultants in. He recently saw a video on food fraud, read a label on a box in a restaurant for a fish he couldn't find on the menu, and now wants to go find someone at the local university to go run DNA tests on one of each dish from that restaurant as he wants to see if he is right. He has a slate of other things he is curious about but I have convinced him to hold off on those for now. I know that the news people did it, but are professors and academics ok with random citizens trying to hire them for these kinds of tests? He isn't a cheapskate or anything and is willing to spend thousands on this question, I am just not sure if they want to be distracted from their research with these kinds of proposals. Assistant: This is hilarious.

Human: Can you just hire academics for research contracts and such? Is that considered reasonable or rude? I work as an assistant for a wealthy tech guy who often goes on weird tangents. He spends a lot of money satisfying his curiosity on various things, whether it be books (or shelves for the books), courses, or consultants for the things you can get consultants in. He recently saw a video on food fraud, read a label on a box in a restaurant for a fish he couldn't find on the menu, and now wants to go find someone at the local university to go run DNA tests on one of each dish from that restaurant as he wants to see if he is right. He has a slate of other things he is curious about but I have convinced him to hold off on those for now. I know that the news people did it, but are professors and academics ok with random citizens trying to hire them for these kinds of tests? He isn't a cheapskate or anything and is willing to spend thousands on this question, I am just not sure if they want to be distracted from their research with these kinds of proposals. Assistant: I’m just commenting to say I used to work in a similar position as you are and your question makes me miss it. Hope you are enjoying the never ending puzzles to piece together!

Human: Is it normal to feel nervous sharing research? I guess a branch of imposter syndrome? I'm expecting to have my first journal paper from my PhD accepted soon. Is it normal to feel like I don't want to tell anyone once it's confirmed in case they read it and find a lot of mistakes? I'm scared I'm accidentally a fraud, rather like when you go through airport security and are scared that you accidentally packed 3kg of cocaine and an AK47. I guess feeling this way is like imposter syndrome? Assistant: Look at this guy, he just assumes someone is going to read his paper. But for real, don’t worry about it.

Human: Is it normal to feel nervous sharing research? I guess a branch of imposter syndrome? I'm expecting to have my first journal paper from my PhD accepted soon. Is it normal to feel like I don't want to tell anyone once it's confirmed in case they read it and find a lot of mistakes? I'm scared I'm accidentally a fraud, rather like when you go through airport security and are scared that you accidentally packed 3kg of cocaine and an AK47. I guess feeling this way is like imposter syndrome? Assistant: This is the definition of the impostor syndrome. As long as you've done your best and are as transparent as possible about what you've done and how you did it, that's all anyone can aspire to.

Human: What are some must reads for scientists in the STEM fields? Here is a list of books and resources that have greatly helped me in terms of research as well as personal development. Please add any material or resources to the list so we can curate this content in either the form of a post here or a wiki for the benefit of everyone reading this. Resources can be in the form of a TED talk, blog post, book or podcast. Cheers! ​ Blogs - http://phdcomics.com/ https://advicetoascientist.com/ https://robotics.mit.edu/ Books - Ego is the Enemy - Ryan Holiday How Not to Be Wrong - Jordan Ellenberg Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach The Craft of Research - Wayne C. Booth Assistant: The immortal life of Henrietta lacks

Human: What are some must reads for scientists in the STEM fields? Here is a list of books and resources that have greatly helped me in terms of research as well as personal development. Please add any material or resources to the list so we can curate this content in either the form of a post here or a wiki for the benefit of everyone reading this. Resources can be in the form of a TED talk, blog post, book or podcast. Cheers! ​ Blogs - http://phdcomics.com/ https://advicetoascientist.com/ https://robotics.mit.edu/ Books - Ego is the Enemy - Ryan Holiday How Not to Be Wrong - Jordan Ellenberg Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach The Craft of Research - Wayne C. Booth Assistant: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn. The book is the one that coined the phrase "paradigm shift," but it's not a book about corporate speak (as that term has come to be utilized), but the nature of and diminution of past forms of scientific knowledge.

Human: How often does research work go down the drain just because of a silly human error? Something as silly as testing the baseline on wrong data, performing wide variety of highly diverse amd incomparable tests. How often does that happen in the field and what were the consequences? I haven't had a lot of experience in research, but was curious. Assistant: In my undergraduate research, I accidentally led a few grad students down a rabbit hole of what seemed to be incredible interesting results... Turns out I had just mislabeled the sample and nothing interesting had actually happened. The result was a week of wasted efforts and my PI asked I give a short presentation during group meeting on the importance of labeling samples correctly and good organization. I imagine situations like that probably happen everyday.

Human: How often does research work go down the drain just because of a silly human error? Something as silly as testing the baseline on wrong data, performing wide variety of highly diverse amd incomparable tests. How often does that happen in the field and what were the consequences? I haven't had a lot of experience in research, but was curious. Assistant: Mistakes happen all the time in research. This is part of the reason everything is repeated and controls are included in your design.

Human: Those who got their PhD in hopes of becoming professors, but couldn't find a job, what are you doing now? I know this is a broad question as certain fields have better opportunities than others do. Still the academic job market is tough and not everybody will succeed in landing the coveted tenure-track position. Assistant: Joined the Army. Seriously. Ph.D biochemists are a thing in AMEDD.

Human: Those who got their PhD in hopes of becoming professors, but couldn't find a job, what are you doing now? I know this is a broad question as certain fields have better opportunities than others do. Still the academic job market is tough and not everybody will succeed in landing the coveted tenure-track position. Assistant: I'm a TT professor so I don't personally have an answer for your question. But anecdotally from my PhD program - think tanks (x3), private high schools (x5), university or college professors (x4), non-profit (x2), driving Uber and Lyft (x1), and drawing paintings for people on the street (x1).

Human: "Nobody reads dissertations after the defense" - is this still broadly true? I remember hearing that dissertations are rarely read after the defense even before going to graduate school and, baring some field specific exceptions (e.g., mathematics), continued to hear the same thing. However, since finishing my dissertation I've noticed that the metrics from the library and sites like Research Gate seem to demonstrate the opposite - people are reading the dissertation as well as others that I know. Hundreds to thousands of views and downloads doesn't seem to be that uncommon. Is it time to retire the presumption that nobody will read the dissertation after the defense, or is something else going on that's tricking the stats? Off hand I would presume that digital archiving has actually make it easier to retrieve a dissertation so we might be in an era were people actually read the things. Assistant: Given the state of what I submitted, I sincerely hope so!

Human: "Nobody reads dissertations after the defense" - is this still broadly true? I remember hearing that dissertations are rarely read after the defense even before going to graduate school and, baring some field specific exceptions (e.g., mathematics), continued to hear the same thing. However, since finishing my dissertation I've noticed that the metrics from the library and sites like Research Gate seem to demonstrate the opposite - people are reading the dissertation as well as others that I know. Hundreds to thousands of views and downloads doesn't seem to be that uncommon. Is it time to retire the presumption that nobody will read the dissertation after the defense, or is something else going on that's tricking the stats? Off hand I would presume that digital archiving has actually make it easier to retrieve a dissertation so we might be in an era were people actually read the things. Assistant: It definitely depends on the field, but also what someone does with the thesis afterwards. In my field, it's extremely common to workshop the thesis into a monograph or to rework them into different articles. Once they've been republished they're often better quality work, having had some more dedicated time and having undergone peer-review and are often more easily accessible, which leads to them being read more frequently.

Human: Bad teaching evaluations :( I am a first-time grad TA and just got some pretty bad teaching evaluations (3.2/5, a whole point lower than average) from a group of 8 students. A couple of the students said I was a nice person but it seemed that I didn't understand the material I was teaching, which really surprised me as I understand the course material very thoroughly and checked in with them often during class asking questions such as "does everyone understand?". One of the students commented that I had told them I didn't understand the material myself, which is false. However, at some point I said something along the lines of "don't worry, I also didn't understand this right away the first time I learned it" in an attempt to be encouraging to them. Based on these reviews, I think I need to work on my teaching and explanation skills and projecting more confidence/stuttering less going forward, and will definitely take this feedback to heart to improve! I am worried my new advisor (who was the prof on the course) will think worse of my intelligence or doubt me if he reads these and believes I don't understand the basic material from the class I TAd for him. Do you think I should bring it up to him during our next meeting, or just not mention it and address it if it comes up? For professors: if you were the advisor of your TA, how concerned would you be over this kind of thing? Assistant: A suggestion is to never ask the question, "does everyone understand?" Those that do might nod their heads. Those that don't and don't know that they don't might nod their heads. And those that don't and know they don't might still nod their heads. Anyway, student evals don't mean much and are known to be highly biased. So don't worry about it, especially with such a small sample size. But like most first timers at anything, you probably do need to work on your skills. You'll get better over time.

Human: Bad teaching evaluations :( I am a first-time grad TA and just got some pretty bad teaching evaluations (3.2/5, a whole point lower than average) from a group of 8 students. A couple of the students said I was a nice person but it seemed that I didn't understand the material I was teaching, which really surprised me as I understand the course material very thoroughly and checked in with them often during class asking questions such as "does everyone understand?". One of the students commented that I had told them I didn't understand the material myself, which is false. However, at some point I said something along the lines of "don't worry, I also didn't understand this right away the first time I learned it" in an attempt to be encouraging to them. Based on these reviews, I think I need to work on my teaching and explanation skills and projecting more confidence/stuttering less going forward, and will definitely take this feedback to heart to improve! I am worried my new advisor (who was the prof on the course) will think worse of my intelligence or doubt me if he reads these and believes I don't understand the basic material from the class I TAd for him. Do you think I should bring it up to him during our next meeting, or just not mention it and address it if it comes up? For professors: if you were the advisor of your TA, how concerned would you be over this kind of thing? Assistant: How many out of 8 filled it out though? If there’re just 3 or 4 I wouldn’t worry about it. Too small sample size.

Human: What's an extremely important term for your field that even people in your field still struggle to confidently define? "Infrastructure" is definitely one for me. Assistant: We're still debating the field itself (communications)

Human: What's an extremely important term for your field that even people in your field still struggle to confidently define? "Infrastructure" is definitely one for me. Assistant: In vivo and in vitro. Does in vitro mean in a test tube and in vivo means in cell Culture? Is it only in vivo if it's in an animal model?? Is cell culture a weird gray area between in vitro and in vivo??? Why do we even use these words anyway

Human: Harassment from student - avenues for reporting? Hope this is the right forum to ask this in--but was wondering if anyone has experience reporting an undergraduate for harassment? I am a teaching assistant (a grad student) and have experienced fairly serious sexual harassment from an undergrad in one of my classes. Someone in my department told me that undergrads cannot be reported for sexual harassment because instructors have the power in the relationship. Anyone done this before, or know if things go differently when the accused party is an undergrad re Title IX? Assistant: I am an Associate Professor who had something sort of like this occur to me. I stepped in REALLY quick and reported it, first to our Center for Academic Success and then our Title IX person. I was really impressed at how they handled it, with good outcomes all around. Point being, YES students can sexually harass instructors and YES report report report! Consider reporting to your department chair as well. You do NOT need to be subject to this!

Human: Harassment from student - avenues for reporting? Hope this is the right forum to ask this in--but was wondering if anyone has experience reporting an undergraduate for harassment? I am a teaching assistant (a grad student) and have experienced fairly serious sexual harassment from an undergrad in one of my classes. Someone in my department told me that undergrads cannot be reported for sexual harassment because instructors have the power in the relationship. Anyone done this before, or know if things go differently when the accused party is an undergrad re Title IX? Assistant: That is bullshit. Abso-fucking-lutely you can. A student who intended to enroll in one of my friend’s class sent her porny fanfic that he wrote. She reported it and he is to have 0 contact with her.

Human: PI Told me to master-out. What routes do I have? (Pharm-Tox) So I have had a number of complications. I joined the lab in Jan 2020 and then COVID, and then a family member passed away. Ultimately a lot of rough stuff. Thankfully, the PI in question was very understanding around all that. But in spite of that, I haven’t produced the research that demonstrates the “passion” that’s required in academia. He wants me to pivot and is saying that from his assessment of me, it seems I just want a technical, stable career but not a PhD-level career. He highlighted that we’re not burning bridges, and that he’s going to connect to his alums and try to network me some opportunities but I really just feel terrible. It’s like getting laid off or being told “you don’t have what it takes”. What routes do I have? It may seem childish but I really would like to do a stint in industry, come back around and get a PhD, and have a killer academic career (perhaps out of spite), but that’s just one avenue. What possible careers do you know is looking for entry-level MS Pharm-Tox? Most job searching sites seem to highlight PhD employment or many years of experience. At this point I’m a bit sad, and not too picky. I was originally hoping to be part of the pipeline for DMPK or regulatory tox, but now I’m just looking for a job because mastering out would be done in about a month. I just want to be somewhere in science doing good work :( I’d like to return to academia eventually, but my PI highlighted some real poignant truths. I’m interested in PhD level work, but just am not *as* passionate as my peers, and I don’t have some of the hands-on research go-getter attitudes. I’d like to find a way to get experience and circle back. Assistant: Your pi is being very honest with you, sounds like they like you as a person, but might only be interested in training academia oriented PhDs. No, I don't think your PI is being 'toxic'. Talk to other people in the department. A third party perspective on career counseling really can help. Also, if you need a bridge position until you can get a job, your PI might be willing to hire you as a research assistant for several months. Obviously, I have no idea of the financials of the lab.

Human: PI Told me to master-out. What routes do I have? (Pharm-Tox) So I have had a number of complications. I joined the lab in Jan 2020 and then COVID, and then a family member passed away. Ultimately a lot of rough stuff. Thankfully, the PI in question was very understanding around all that. But in spite of that, I haven’t produced the research that demonstrates the “passion” that’s required in academia. He wants me to pivot and is saying that from his assessment of me, it seems I just want a technical, stable career but not a PhD-level career. He highlighted that we’re not burning bridges, and that he’s going to connect to his alums and try to network me some opportunities but I really just feel terrible. It’s like getting laid off or being told “you don’t have what it takes”. What routes do I have? It may seem childish but I really would like to do a stint in industry, come back around and get a PhD, and have a killer academic career (perhaps out of spite), but that’s just one avenue. What possible careers do you know is looking for entry-level MS Pharm-Tox? Most job searching sites seem to highlight PhD employment or many years of experience. At this point I’m a bit sad, and not too picky. I was originally hoping to be part of the pipeline for DMPK or regulatory tox, but now I’m just looking for a job because mastering out would be done in about a month. I just want to be somewhere in science doing good work :( I’d like to return to academia eventually, but my PI highlighted some real poignant truths. I’m interested in PhD level work, but just am not *as* passionate as my peers, and I don’t have some of the hands-on research go-getter attitudes. I’d like to find a way to get experience and circle back. Assistant: Lololol omg so much shaming at people who master out. Sometimes better things happen when you search for new doors ;)

Human: Just started my Ph.D. unsurprisingly theres a lot of reading. Looking for advice Hey guys, so I just started my Ph.D. and there is SO much reading. I knew this would be the case but not this much and some of the readings are somewhat dense (AKA: they take longer to get through). Many of my readings are not just papers but excerpts from text books, articles, special sections of a journal etc. It's been very time consuming to say the least. Are there any strategies you guys use to get through readings faster? For example I have a bunch of reading due by Wendsday which we will discuss in class. I've been reading and highlighitng etc to try to understand the texts (30-40 pages?). ​ Thank you Assistant: Find yourself the ideal set up for you to read and go there daily. The fun's just begun!

Human: Just started my Ph.D. unsurprisingly theres a lot of reading. Looking for advice Hey guys, so I just started my Ph.D. and there is SO much reading. I knew this would be the case but not this much and some of the readings are somewhat dense (AKA: they take longer to get through). Many of my readings are not just papers but excerpts from text books, articles, special sections of a journal etc. It's been very time consuming to say the least. Are there any strategies you guys use to get through readings faster? For example I have a bunch of reading due by Wendsday which we will discuss in class. I've been reading and highlighitng etc to try to understand the texts (30-40 pages?). ​ Thank you Assistant: Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book is pretty helpful. Your library will have a copy. Just read the chapters that look helpful (it covers science books, humanities books, poetry vs. novels, textbooks vs articles, etc.). Whenever it comes to texts you're going to write on, aim for 10 pp / hour. PhDs are expected to know their fields thoroughly.

Human: How many pages was your PhD dissertation? Please comment on your specific discipline, below! Assistant: No idea on number of pages - 125k words, including notes and appendices but excluding bibliography. Around 100k in the actual body. Discipline is classics, and all passages were quoted in Greek and translation so that upped the count somewhat. ETA: just looked it up, 350 pages including front pages and bibliography.

Human: How many pages was your PhD dissertation? Please comment on your specific discipline, below! Assistant: 94, pure maths, it got a bit bloated in the end.

Human: How to clean up messy dissertation after depression? I wasn't able to work properly on it due to depression. I was prescribed some emergency medication yesterday that will at least help me sleep okay which makes a lot of difference. I have ~7k words and need ~13k. What I have isn't great work - it's often incoherent passages with poor syntax as I didn't manage to work on it for a long time, sadly. Please don't judge me. I don't want to defer it, I'd rather get it done with and then focus on my healing. Can I fix this? I only have 13 days until I have to hand it in. If I need to prioritise parts of it, should it be on coherence / conclusion? Assistant: It doesn’t have to be good. It has to be good enough. Only 4 people will ever read it. The best dissertation is a completed one, and it sounds like you just need some quality editing. If you have $100 get an editor who can turn it around quickly.

Human: How to clean up messy dissertation after depression? I wasn't able to work properly on it due to depression. I was prescribed some emergency medication yesterday that will at least help me sleep okay which makes a lot of difference. I have ~7k words and need ~13k. What I have isn't great work - it's often incoherent passages with poor syntax as I didn't manage to work on it for a long time, sadly. Please don't judge me. I don't want to defer it, I'd rather get it done with and then focus on my healing. Can I fix this? I only have 13 days until I have to hand it in. If I need to prioritise parts of it, should it be on coherence / conclusion? Assistant: find someone who can proof-read for you, either a dedicated friend or some kind of university service. That way you can focus on the parts that need to be more developed while they focus on parts that need to be revised.

Human: Is it possible to have a kid with someone who is only just about to start his PhD? My partner (27M) and I (28F) have talked about having children every so often, and yesterday he broke down when I said we may not be able to have a kid given I'll be the only one providing the income. He'll be starting his PhD late this year, and he won't be well funded. Given his response though, I'm willing to reconsider my thoughts on this. I guess this is more a question to PhDs and those who came before us - is it financially/mentally viable to have a child given I'll have to bear a child and also provide the income for it? Im only willing to have one in the next 5 years (before I hit 33). I suspect having a child will take me out of work for at least a year as well. I'm not sure how much pressure this would put on my partner's PhD as well but I'd love to get different perspectives on the struggles and whether it was worth doing from others. Thanks! Assistant: There were several married couples with kids in grad school. They were not able to pull 14 hour days in the lab, like I was, but they wasted a lot less time than I did. If you're serious and mature, you can make it work.

Human: Is it possible to have a kid with someone who is only just about to start his PhD? My partner (27M) and I (28F) have talked about having children every so often, and yesterday he broke down when I said we may not be able to have a kid given I'll be the only one providing the income. He'll be starting his PhD late this year, and he won't be well funded. Given his response though, I'm willing to reconsider my thoughts on this. I guess this is more a question to PhDs and those who came before us - is it financially/mentally viable to have a child given I'll have to bear a child and also provide the income for it? Im only willing to have one in the next 5 years (before I hit 33). I suspect having a child will take me out of work for at least a year as well. I'm not sure how much pressure this would put on my partner's PhD as well but I'd love to get different perspectives on the struggles and whether it was worth doing from others. Thanks! Assistant: I think it really depends on where you live and the specifics of your partner’s program. I decided to do a Phd because in my case it offered a much better work/life balance compared to an industry job, so I could have more time with my kid. I am almost 3 years in, and, so far, it hasn’t been stressful at all. I have a very understanding supervisor, and I am making decent money teaching in addition to my PhD scholarship. However, I’ve heard that PhDs are way more stressful in US.

Human: Hypothetically what would happen if I reported this professor? If hypothetically I knew a senior tenured male professor who 1. Married a grad student under his supervision 2. Had affairs with at least two other grad/PhD students in his department 3. Is currently in a relationship with a PhD student What would happen if I maybe sent the ethics committee an email? Obviously #1 is public record but I’m not sure they ever put the pieces together. Hypothetically this person has been at the same university the whole time. I’m not really worried about what happens to the male professor but I also don’t want anything to happen to the hypothetical imaginary women involved or have their degrees impacted. It's all been consensual to my knowledge but still. Assistant: I doubt anything would happen. Also- why do you care? Is it your business to police the relationships people choose to have?

Human: Hypothetically what would happen if I reported this professor? If hypothetically I knew a senior tenured male professor who 1. Married a grad student under his supervision 2. Had affairs with at least two other grad/PhD students in his department 3. Is currently in a relationship with a PhD student What would happen if I maybe sent the ethics committee an email? Obviously #1 is public record but I’m not sure they ever put the pieces together. Hypothetically this person has been at the same university the whole time. I’m not really worried about what happens to the male professor but I also don’t want anything to happen to the hypothetical imaginary women involved or have their degrees impacted. It's all been consensual to my knowledge but still. Assistant: It sounds like you aren’t involved in the situation, I would be careful sticking your neck out.

Human: Why is an European PhD considered shorter than an American PhD when an American PhD is really a Masters + PhD? Most European PhD programs require a Master's degree, which takes 1-3 years, whereas an American PhD can be started after a Bachelor's degree. So even if an American PhD is typically 5 years, shouldn't it be regarded as 2+3 years, thus essentially being the same in length as a 3-year European PhD? But why do so many people perceive European programs as shorter? Assistant: That is a misinformation. Not all the European PhD degrees take 3 years to be finished (that is min duration btw), that is only possible in the UK, Germany, France and Italy but not other countries. For ex. In Sweden it takes 4-5 years to finish your PhD degree, you still need to have a two years Master degree before getting into a PhD project. During PhD, you don't teach or take any lectures, there is no prof efficiency exam, there is no proper graduate school etc.

Human: Why is an European PhD considered shorter than an American PhD when an American PhD is really a Masters + PhD? Most European PhD programs require a Master's degree, which takes 1-3 years, whereas an American PhD can be started after a Bachelor's degree. So even if an American PhD is typically 5 years, shouldn't it be regarded as 2+3 years, thus essentially being the same in length as a 3-year European PhD? But why do so many people perceive European programs as shorter? Assistant: Probably because many Americans are used to their system and don’t know how European universities work. The only people I have seen claiming European PhDs are shorter were either from USA or Canada.

Human: How do I study and retain information from papers and books that I read on my computer? Sorry for the wordy question, but I'm at my wit's end. My go-to method while studying is reading a book, and underlining the important stuff with a pencil. Since I am a Math student, I practice all of the formulae and proofs on a separate rough page that I discard once I understand it. If there is anything that I need to add, I do so in the margins of the book with a pencil. Or in a separate notebook, if the book is a borrowed one. My question is, given the sheer necessity of reading so many papers for a single topic, I download them and read them on my computer via Foxit reader. However, for some reason, I find this extremely difficult. I have trouble even going through two pages at a time, and it's even more difficult to retain information as I'm not that comfortable with underlining stuff using those pdf highlighters. Could anyone just please please suggest some alternative? Distraction is not a problem, it's just the reading and remembering stuff that is. It'll really be helpful since it's undoubtedly more economical to read papers online (like reading 5-6 papers only to prove a single topic) Thank you genuinely in advance! Assistant: 100% get an ipad/tablet/whatever with a bluetooth pen and use something like goodnotes. It's changed studying for me forever. And you can organise everything into folders for easy access, which is so helpful.

Human: How do I study and retain information from papers and books that I read on my computer? Sorry for the wordy question, but I'm at my wit's end. My go-to method while studying is reading a book, and underlining the important stuff with a pencil. Since I am a Math student, I practice all of the formulae and proofs on a separate rough page that I discard once I understand it. If there is anything that I need to add, I do so in the margins of the book with a pencil. Or in a separate notebook, if the book is a borrowed one. My question is, given the sheer necessity of reading so many papers for a single topic, I download them and read them on my computer via Foxit reader. However, for some reason, I find this extremely difficult. I have trouble even going through two pages at a time, and it's even more difficult to retain information as I'm not that comfortable with underlining stuff using those pdf highlighters. Could anyone just please please suggest some alternative? Distraction is not a problem, it's just the reading and remembering stuff that is. It'll really be helpful since it's undoubtedly more economical to read papers online (like reading 5-6 papers only to prove a single topic) Thank you genuinely in advance! Assistant: I read papers with an iPad Pro and annotate with the Apple Pencil in GoodNotes. Works well for me, particularly since everything is nicely searchable and it’s easy to create citations.

Human: I've just submitted my PhD thesis. I really don't know what to feel. Is that it? I spent four years working towards this document, and now it's completely out of my hands. Where do I go from here? Should I turn up at the office on Monday and start writing papers? How did you all feel when you submitted? Assistant: Congratulations! I felt exactly as you describe. It’s extremely common to feel that way when you reach a milestone you have been working toward so single-mindedly for so long. I encourage you to take a break, if you can, and reconnect with yourself and the things that bring you joy. Go sit in a park. Go for a bicycle ride or a hike. Watch a movie. Go on a trip. Hang out with a friend. Do anything except work on the next paper, at least for a little while.

Human: I've just submitted my PhD thesis. I really don't know what to feel. Is that it? I spent four years working towards this document, and now it's completely out of my hands. Where do I go from here? Should I turn up at the office on Monday and start writing papers? How did you all feel when you submitted? Assistant: Congrats! What a great accomplishment! I don’t remember how I felt when I turned mine in honestly. Just wanted to say make sure you take some time for yourself this weekend!

Human: Am I Being Realistic in My Reasons for Pursing a PhD? I am a librarian in the U.S. with a Masters of Library and Info Science. I love everything about librarianship, and with ten years of experience in the field, I am thinking seriously about pursuing my PhD. I want to pursue it in library science (technically communications and information science with a focus on library and information science) not to work as an academic. I want to go for it because I love this field and I want to learn more about it and share what I've learned through publishing. I'm not doing it because I think I will make more money. I want to hone my research skills - I work with researchers, and I would enjoy knowing more about the high-level research they do that leads to publishing, which I hope I would get in my grad classes. Am I being realistic or am I looking at a doctoral degree and the years of crazy work through rose-colored glasses? Assistant: Could you do it without going into debt, and while being able to support yourself in some way? If so, then I say sure, go for it.

Human: Am I Being Realistic in My Reasons for Pursing a PhD? I am a librarian in the U.S. with a Masters of Library and Info Science. I love everything about librarianship, and with ten years of experience in the field, I am thinking seriously about pursuing my PhD. I want to pursue it in library science (technically communications and information science with a focus on library and information science) not to work as an academic. I want to go for it because I love this field and I want to learn more about it and share what I've learned through publishing. I'm not doing it because I think I will make more money. I want to hone my research skills - I work with researchers, and I would enjoy knowing more about the high-level research they do that leads to publishing, which I hope I would get in my grad classes. Am I being realistic or am I looking at a doctoral degree and the years of crazy work through rose-colored glasses? Assistant: >Am I being realistic or am I looking at a doctoral degree and the years of crazy work through rose-colored glasses? A bit of both. I Set out with similar ideas after 8 years in frontline work (different field). I ended up loving the research so much that I couldn't imagine being back in the frontline work. You will either grow to appreciate and happily stay in your applied position or thrive and move beyond it. It is not an easy road but for me it has been worth it.

Human: Does sitting for long hours on an academic job have made negative impacts on your health? Today more than ever people are doing desk jobs. I think academic jobs require a lot of desk work. Even as an undergraduate student of physics I have to sit for long hours. And I know there are several health concerns with that. However, I want to know in this thread if you have any personal experience of health issue due to sitting for too long? And what have you done to remedy those problems? Assistant: I'd say the experimental components of my work, like working under on lab bench or using a microscope kept me more physically active (good thing) than my later roles as a software engineer.

Human: Does sitting for long hours on an academic job have made negative impacts on your health? Today more than ever people are doing desk jobs. I think academic jobs require a lot of desk work. Even as an undergraduate student of physics I have to sit for long hours. And I know there are several health concerns with that. However, I want to know in this thread if you have any personal experience of health issue due to sitting for too long? And what have you done to remedy those problems? Assistant: This last year has been rough because of all the digital teaching, but my general experience is that I have more time for fitness and exercise as an academic than in many other jobs. It helps to have my own office and decide my own hours.

Human: 5th year med student, I miss mathematics a hurtful lot Hello. I am not sure if this is the right place to write this, but here I go. I'm an Italian med student, currently in my 5th year out of 6, so I'll be graduating next year. I have a huge love for mahematics and I miss it so much. I hate that in medicine we're always seeking the smallest detail when studying, and I hate that studying medicine is not really intellectually stimulating as maths is. I feel like an excel spreadsheet being stored with information that if I forget I might put someone's life in jeopardy. I think it doesn't take much talent to be successful in med school, although in professional situations you can instantly tell the smart doctors who always asks himself or herself questions from the one that just learnt every textbook known to man by heart. I had a painful doubt when in high school about the choice of university. I loved mathematics, but I was afraid I wasn't goig to get any good jobs with it, much due to social pressure and my parents' pressure. I partially know that this isn't the case, but I still don't know much about the professional demand of mathematics. I quite liked medicine and i still do, but nothing here is as exciting as maths. I miss the creative thinking I used to do in maths, the frustration of not being able to come up with a solution that suddelny vanishes when you get there. I am in a good university after a very selective national test and I am doing pretty well because I am good at studying, so I am aware that many people would like to be in the position I am. I'm saying this not because I have any intention of showing off, but because I hate this argument that my parents threw at me countless times. I don't care how many people would like to be wheere I am. I just feel out of place. My parents have been really pressing especially in my first couple of years, but luckily they appear a little more supporting now. I don't know what to do with my life. I am seriously afraid of ending up in a job that i don't enjoy. I quite like infectious diseases, and I am doing an internship there, because it's quite close to basic sciences like microbiology and immunology, because it is broad as you can see diseases of any organ, and because it can open the way to epidemiology for me, where I might be able to jump into mathematical modelling. I'd like to use maths in my everyday job to solve problems, but I don't know how much doctors do and how much they leave to mathematicians to do, and I don't know how much I'll be able to study in order to do that kind of job. I don't know if maybe I am idealizing maths careers too much either. I'm sorry for the long post, it really was off my chest. Thanks to everyone even only for reading this. Have a great day :) Assistant: You are associating what you have been to exposed to in maths with an actual career in maths. Those are two very different things. If you want plug and play (this is all math till grad school) you can swap to a math-reliant specialty of medicine. If you want to contribute you will need to take it seriously and spend a couple years away from medicine just to catch up (epidemiology).

Human: 5th year med student, I miss mathematics a hurtful lot Hello. I am not sure if this is the right place to write this, but here I go. I'm an Italian med student, currently in my 5th year out of 6, so I'll be graduating next year. I have a huge love for mahematics and I miss it so much. I hate that in medicine we're always seeking the smallest detail when studying, and I hate that studying medicine is not really intellectually stimulating as maths is. I feel like an excel spreadsheet being stored with information that if I forget I might put someone's life in jeopardy. I think it doesn't take much talent to be successful in med school, although in professional situations you can instantly tell the smart doctors who always asks himself or herself questions from the one that just learnt every textbook known to man by heart. I had a painful doubt when in high school about the choice of university. I loved mathematics, but I was afraid I wasn't goig to get any good jobs with it, much due to social pressure and my parents' pressure. I partially know that this isn't the case, but I still don't know much about the professional demand of mathematics. I quite liked medicine and i still do, but nothing here is as exciting as maths. I miss the creative thinking I used to do in maths, the frustration of not being able to come up with a solution that suddelny vanishes when you get there. I am in a good university after a very selective national test and I am doing pretty well because I am good at studying, so I am aware that many people would like to be in the position I am. I'm saying this not because I have any intention of showing off, but because I hate this argument that my parents threw at me countless times. I don't care how many people would like to be wheere I am. I just feel out of place. My parents have been really pressing especially in my first couple of years, but luckily they appear a little more supporting now. I don't know what to do with my life. I am seriously afraid of ending up in a job that i don't enjoy. I quite like infectious diseases, and I am doing an internship there, because it's quite close to basic sciences like microbiology and immunology, because it is broad as you can see diseases of any organ, and because it can open the way to epidemiology for me, where I might be able to jump into mathematical modelling. I'd like to use maths in my everyday job to solve problems, but I don't know how much doctors do and how much they leave to mathematicians to do, and I don't know how much I'll be able to study in order to do that kind of job. I don't know if maybe I am idealizing maths careers too much either. I'm sorry for the long post, it really was off my chest. Thanks to everyone even only for reading this. Have a great day :) Assistant: There are medical fields with possibility of serious applied mathematics such as physiology, radiology, medical informatics, etc. Also, I know people who have become professional mathematician after MD.

Human: Why is it called a faculty retreat? The image 'retreat' brings to mind is withdrawing to seclusion and privacy in order to recuperate and rest. This is stressful. It's sitting in a room listening to administrators lecture about 'success types in educated' using crappy debunked personality tests, getting updates from departments I don't interact with, and meandering stories from people who I'm not sure why they're allowed to have a microphone. Shouldn't it be called something else? Faculty retreat from reality to maintain a grasp on sanity? Assistant: I was voluntold to go take notes (as a grad student) at the faculty retreat, and it. was. the worst. Not only was everything exactly as miserable as you described, but the new, young faculty members weren't very nice to me. Because grad student. ​ ETA: and the food wasn't even that good! Rude.

Human: Why is it called a faculty retreat? The image 'retreat' brings to mind is withdrawing to seclusion and privacy in order to recuperate and rest. This is stressful. It's sitting in a room listening to administrators lecture about 'success types in educated' using crappy debunked personality tests, getting updates from departments I don't interact with, and meandering stories from people who I'm not sure why they're allowed to have a microphone. Shouldn't it be called something else? Faculty retreat from reality to maintain a grasp on sanity? Assistant: Because that's what you want to do when you are required to go to them.

Human: Advice: professor listed as first author despite I did most of the work Hi, I am junior researcher within social science. I have been working on a paper for one and a half year with two professors, A and B. We are currently in the process of preparing the final draft before submission. Prof. A just sent out a draft listing herself as first author, me as second and prof. B as third. The paper is based on my idea, I have spent most of the time on the project and written 75 percent of the current draft. I cannot fathom why prof. A took the decision to put herself as first author. I have a meeting tomorrow with prof. A and wanted to discuss this issue. However, I do not know whether I have a case or not and how to approach the issue in a professional manner. Perhaps you could provide some insight or feedback? ​ Best Assistant: What type of project was this for? Was it the first publication on a grant prof A had received? Also I recommend (advice from my own advisor) that you lay out your expectations for authorship order before you start the paper. This way there is no confusion. But I do think you may “have a case”, but I’d just politely inquire about why you were not listed as first, then respond accordingly to their reasoning.

Human: Advice: professor listed as first author despite I did most of the work Hi, I am junior researcher within social science. I have been working on a paper for one and a half year with two professors, A and B. We are currently in the process of preparing the final draft before submission. Prof. A just sent out a draft listing herself as first author, me as second and prof. B as third. The paper is based on my idea, I have spent most of the time on the project and written 75 percent of the current draft. I cannot fathom why prof. A took the decision to put herself as first author. I have a meeting tomorrow with prof. A and wanted to discuss this issue. However, I do not know whether I have a case or not and how to approach the issue in a professional manner. Perhaps you could provide some insight or feedback? ​ Best Assistant: Who had the ideas? What is standard in social science? What is alphabetical listing of authors?

Human: how can you study for twelve hours a day?? Basically the title. I follow a study youtuber that does live streams every single day, with her videos sometimes being 10-12 hours of studying (pomodoro sessions, but still!!). As someone that cannot possibly study for more than 3-4 hours a day I feel baffled. So do tell me. Is it possible to train yourself to do so? Do people like this youtuber experience burnout often? I'd love to hear your experience. Assistant: I dunno if this is a hot take but imo you don't need to work more than 9-5. I got a high grade for my research masters doing this. I also allowed myself to finish the workday early if i was getting overwhelmed or if my brain felt fried. I took mental health days too

Human: how can you study for twelve hours a day?? Basically the title. I follow a study youtuber that does live streams every single day, with her videos sometimes being 10-12 hours of studying (pomodoro sessions, but still!!). As someone that cannot possibly study for more than 3-4 hours a day I feel baffled. So do tell me. Is it possible to train yourself to do so? Do people like this youtuber experience burnout often? I'd love to hear your experience. Assistant: There’s some good evidence that studying for long stretches like that is sort of the opposite of what works best: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacing_effect

Human: Pregnant postdoc in a chemistry lab Hi all, I've been in my current postdoc position in the organic chemistry field (US) for almost two years now (33yo). I and my PI have discussed recently starting writing papers to prepare for switching positions by next year. But I still have some pieces left to complete a paper. I've struggled with infertility for many years. I am pregnant through IVF, it's now only 6 weeks. Until now, I am still doing research in the lab, even wearing PPE and performing in the hood, it's impossible to not be exposed to organic solvents. I plan to tell my boss until 10 weeks or so when the miscarriage chance significantly decreases. My major concern is the risks of continuing the lab works on the fetus. This pregnancy is too precious for us, I won't take any risks. I would like to hear people who have similar experiences or any suggestions are welcoming! Thanks! Assistant: I don't have any personal experience with this, but one thought: you can always say that you are not able to do a certain task / work in a certain location for health-related reasons. You do not have to specify what the health-related reason is. If your boss presses, you can say that it is a private health matter and offer to have a doctor provide a note that, similarly, does not go into the specifics of your situation. Congratulations on your pregnancy, and good luck with navigating this.

Human: Pregnant postdoc in a chemistry lab Hi all, I've been in my current postdoc position in the organic chemistry field (US) for almost two years now (33yo). I and my PI have discussed recently starting writing papers to prepare for switching positions by next year. But I still have some pieces left to complete a paper. I've struggled with infertility for many years. I am pregnant through IVF, it's now only 6 weeks. Until now, I am still doing research in the lab, even wearing PPE and performing in the hood, it's impossible to not be exposed to organic solvents. I plan to tell my boss until 10 weeks or so when the miscarriage chance significantly decreases. My major concern is the risks of continuing the lab works on the fetus. This pregnancy is too precious for us, I won't take any risks. I would like to hear people who have similar experiences or any suggestions are welcoming! Thanks! Assistant: This pregnancy is extremely important to you. Tell the PI immediately and make an alternative arrangement as others have suggested. You do not want anything to happen, especially during the first trimester when things are most fragile. I'm hoping that your pregnancy goes well and you have an amazing experience!

Human: A student cannot graduate because of a couple points in your class. What's your "merry Christmas, you lazy bum" free-point limit? I think it is silly to hinder a non-major from graduating because their final grade in my class is a 59 instead of a 60. But what about a 58 or a 57 or a 56? Do you have a line? Do you consider the financial cost of retaking your class and staying in school? Do you pull an extra credit assignment out of a hat and make them sign a NDA so they do not tell others? Or is hearing the lamentations of failing students the best thing in life? Assistant: I once let a student keep turning in missed assignments well after the deadline until he had a passing grade and was able to graduate. He'd been messed up ever since his sibling died a few semesters before.

Human: A student cannot graduate because of a couple points in your class. What's your "merry Christmas, you lazy bum" free-point limit? I think it is silly to hinder a non-major from graduating because their final grade in my class is a 59 instead of a 60. But what about a 58 or a 57 or a 56? Do you have a line? Do you consider the financial cost of retaking your class and staying in school? Do you pull an extra credit assignment out of a hat and make them sign a NDA so they do not tell others? Or is hearing the lamentations of failing students the best thing in life? Assistant: People do not fail to graduate because of 1 point. They fail to graduate because overall they did not meet the requirements for graduation. I grade at least partially on a curve and I also offer extra credit fairly regularly in my lower-level classes (mostly to give the best students a challenge--in my experience, the weak students never bother to do it), I \*never\* change my grading for individual students, nor would I ever do so based solely on the consequences for one student.

Human: Academics of Reddit - impostor syndrome is something a lot of academics struggle with throughout their careers. But, has anyone actually ever met somebody in a professional sphere they thought was an impostor? The issue of impostor syndrome is quite a widespread one and I doubt many people haven't felt it at some point. It might be interesting, and perhaps helpful for some too, to see whether anyone has ever actually come across an individual in an academic position, where their having expertise would be essential to their role, whom they thought was actually an impostor in some way. Assistant: I've met several professors who obviously got where they are through a lot of big talk, bluster and bluffing. Not that they're "impostors", but that they talk a big game and in reality... are maybe not as awesome as they'd like you to believe.

Human: Academics of Reddit - impostor syndrome is something a lot of academics struggle with throughout their careers. But, has anyone actually ever met somebody in a professional sphere they thought was an impostor? The issue of impostor syndrome is quite a widespread one and I doubt many people haven't felt it at some point. It might be interesting, and perhaps helpful for some too, to see whether anyone has ever actually come across an individual in an academic position, where their having expertise would be essential to their role, whom they thought was actually an impostor in some way. Assistant: I can think of more people with imposter syndrome than imposters. The interesting thing is that most of the people who haven’t made it through the first few hurdles of a PhD didn’t really get how behind they were. Those who dwelt on it or were worried seemed almost too aware of their areas of weakness. I’m lucky that I’ve got a good group of people where we have a mutual respect for each other’s work. It helps keep me grounded but also someone to reality check with.

Human: I have to take a class taught by professor who rejected me for a postdoc next year - make me feel better? I'm a late-stage STEM PhD student. In the spring I have a class I need to take. (It's not strictly required but the topic sets me up extremely well for where I want my research to go next.) Unfortunately, the professor is someone I wanted to do a postdoc with because his research area is basically the perfect fit for what I want to do next, for the same reason. Recently, he (very politely) rejected me after a very awkward interview. I am generally awkward, but this was on another level. I just found out he's the professor for the class, which makes sense in hindsight. I'm still feeling pretty sore about the interview - it was my first postdoc interview, too - and I just don't know how to handle this well. To make it harder, the professor is brilliant, inspiring, and enormously intimidating. I'm scared about my ability to survive the class, but I realize the topic is still the perfect fit for what I want, so I'm balancing my resilience with my career goals and I want my career to win. I'm not worried about grades or anything, and he has a reputation for being kind and fair. I'm afraid of extreme awkwardness on my part, (and I'm afraid of that affecting him at all, since he's kind), plus I'm afraid of being hurt every lecture when he says cool things and I feel the sense of missing out on working with someone like that on a topic I've come to love. It will be a fairly small class (about 12 people?). Even though I won't work with him (sob), it would also help my career if I can be pleasant enough through the class that he could help me find a related job, since he's a big figure in the area, and I would like to get into a mindset where I can just absorb the class content and his wisdom without feeling bad. Please help? I just feel stuck in my head and I'm so scared. Assistant: Grow a thicker skin my friend.

Human: I have to take a class taught by professor who rejected me for a postdoc next year - make me feel better? I'm a late-stage STEM PhD student. In the spring I have a class I need to take. (It's not strictly required but the topic sets me up extremely well for where I want my research to go next.) Unfortunately, the professor is someone I wanted to do a postdoc with because his research area is basically the perfect fit for what I want to do next, for the same reason. Recently, he (very politely) rejected me after a very awkward interview. I am generally awkward, but this was on another level. I just found out he's the professor for the class, which makes sense in hindsight. I'm still feeling pretty sore about the interview - it was my first postdoc interview, too - and I just don't know how to handle this well. To make it harder, the professor is brilliant, inspiring, and enormously intimidating. I'm scared about my ability to survive the class, but I realize the topic is still the perfect fit for what I want, so I'm balancing my resilience with my career goals and I want my career to win. I'm not worried about grades or anything, and he has a reputation for being kind and fair. I'm afraid of extreme awkwardness on my part, (and I'm afraid of that affecting him at all, since he's kind), plus I'm afraid of being hurt every lecture when he says cool things and I feel the sense of missing out on working with someone like that on a topic I've come to love. It will be a fairly small class (about 12 people?). Even though I won't work with him (sob), it would also help my career if I can be pleasant enough through the class that he could help me find a related job, since he's a big figure in the area, and I would like to get into a mindset where I can just absorb the class content and his wisdom without feeling bad. Please help? I just feel stuck in my head and I'm so scared. Assistant: You're overthinking this. (If we were friends, I'd slap you around -- metaphorically speaking -- and say "get your act together") The academic world is full of rejection, for good and bad reasons. Just be professional, learn from your mistakes, and set your OWN version of success ("hey, I have a job" or "hey, I'm breathing"). It's easier when you figure that out but it's never easy.

Human: What are some good habits to develop during your PhD? I think it's very easy to become deadline oriented or just go from fire to fire during a PhD so I'm trying to build some habits off the bat to avoid that. For example, I'm trying to deeply read at least 5 papers a week that interest me. I've heard that taking some time out to write regularly even when you don't have anything to write is good (this might be less applicable to me because my work is very hardware heavy HCI but I can think of other forms of this). What are some other habits that you think would be really good in the long term? Assistant: At least . . . . . . once an hour, save your document. . . . once a week, backup your present work. . . . once a month backup everything *on a different device.*

Human: What are some good habits to develop during your PhD? I think it's very easy to become deadline oriented or just go from fire to fire during a PhD so I'm trying to build some habits off the bat to avoid that. For example, I'm trying to deeply read at least 5 papers a week that interest me. I've heard that taking some time out to write regularly even when you don't have anything to write is good (this might be less applicable to me because my work is very hardware heavy HCI but I can think of other forms of this). What are some other habits that you think would be really good in the long term? Assistant: Yoga. Made it more comfortable when I was curled up in fetal screaming.

Human: PhDs how did you tackle your worst days leading up to the completion of your work? This is an open question, whatever was the biggest obstacle be it Problem related, health, advisor relation, family, dating or financial. And how you dealt with those to complete your PhD. Assistant: My very mild mannered supervisors advice in the last few months when it was getting to me was: 'It's just a fucking PhD, it's not that important, just write it.' I needed to hear that to realise that it didn't need to be perfect, it just needed to be finished.

Human: PhDs how did you tackle your worst days leading up to the completion of your work? This is an open question, whatever was the biggest obstacle be it Problem related, health, advisor relation, family, dating or financial. And how you dealt with those to complete your PhD. Assistant: I saw a therapist.

Human: Is it rude to use headphones in the PhD office? I'm a PhD student currently in the midst of a lot of complex work and I really can't deal with the distractions/loud conversations people seem to have around my area. I find myself really wanting to listen to some music to help me function but I fear sitting with earbuds in all day is rude, do you do this? Assistant: noice cancelling over-ears, playing B-24 bomber sounds works best for me.

Human: Is it rude to use headphones in the PhD office? I'm a PhD student currently in the midst of a lot of complex work and I really can't deal with the distractions/loud conversations people seem to have around my area. I find myself really wanting to listen to some music to help me function but I fear sitting with earbuds in all day is rude, do you do this? Assistant: In my lab it was forbidden because of safety. It was a chem lab, in case anything explodes or any alarm sets off, if you're wearing headphones you might not hear anything. But you certainly could put the earphone in just one ear for music.

Human: Is it acceptable for a hobbyist to contact a professional researcher? So I am looking into some specific languages and their linguistics. I am not a professional in this field, and although I love linguistics I likely will not be going into it unfortunately. I found this researcher who studies the exact languages I am currently looking at. Problem is the only way I can find to contact them is on ResearchGate which I can't make an account on. So this leads me to the questions, 1. Is it acceptable for a hobbyist to contact them?, and 2. How do I contact them? They do work for a university, although it is in another country that doesn't speak English (but the researcher speaks English). I can provide more information but I'd rather not give out personal information about someone than what is needed, just for their privacy and security. Assistant: Perfectly fine. Do it. However, the times I have been contacted by journalists and others about my research, they mostly hadn't read any of it and just wanted me to summarize the writings they couldn't be bothered to read. I still answered their questions, but I didn't think too highly of them, to be honest.

Human: Is it acceptable for a hobbyist to contact a professional researcher? So I am looking into some specific languages and their linguistics. I am not a professional in this field, and although I love linguistics I likely will not be going into it unfortunately. I found this researcher who studies the exact languages I am currently looking at. Problem is the only way I can find to contact them is on ResearchGate which I can't make an account on. So this leads me to the questions, 1. Is it acceptable for a hobbyist to contact them?, and 2. How do I contact them? They do work for a university, although it is in another country that doesn't speak English (but the researcher speaks English). I can provide more information but I'd rather not give out personal information about someone than what is needed, just for their privacy and security. Assistant: Find their email (you can DM me if you can't find it, I have researchgate and am good at finding emails lol) and yeah there's no harm, they just might not reply

Human: During graduate admissions, would you choose a candidate with an amazing research project, and references, but a okayish GPA, or another with an okayish research project, good references, but excellent GPA? What's the protocol? Assistant: Amazing research project and references, as long as the GPA is still "good". It depends what you mean by okayish. If the GPA is "bad" then they'd probably be screened out before anybody even looks at the other stuff.

Human: During graduate admissions, would you choose a candidate with an amazing research project, and references, but a okayish GPA, or another with an okayish research project, good references, but excellent GPA? What's the protocol? Assistant: Assuming you mean PhD, there are a lot of reasons you would have a bad or good GPA that have nothing to do with potential as a researcher.

Human: Is it a bad idea to pick a field based on where you think you can help make the world a better place the most? 1. How much of an impact can you make? 2. Are there other more important considerations, like building a viable career? 3. Does academia make more of an impact than work in the private sector? What about NGOs? 4. I was thinking of going into environmental science, but I'm worried that I'll end up working for a corporation just looking to reduce its taxes. 5. How applicable to helping humanity are more fundamental fields like Mathematics or Physics? Assistant: Nope, that sounds like a pretty reasonable idea. Though I personally never found it too useful, you might enjoy the following website: https://80000hours.org/key-ideas/ or https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/academic-research/#which-field-should-you-go-into, and if you already have a field in mind, you can try https://80000hours.org/articles/advice-by-expertise/ for evirosci, maybe https://80000hours.org/problem-profiles/climate-change/ would be the most relevant :]

Human: Is it a bad idea to pick a field based on where you think you can help make the world a better place the most? 1. How much of an impact can you make? 2. Are there other more important considerations, like building a viable career? 3. Does academia make more of an impact than work in the private sector? What about NGOs? 4. I was thinking of going into environmental science, but I'm worried that I'll end up working for a corporation just looking to reduce its taxes. 5. How applicable to helping humanity are more fundamental fields like Mathematics or Physics? Assistant: If you want to make the world a better place, you should become a Old people caregiver.

Human: How do I politely decline a PhD offer without burning bridges with my potential advisor? Hi all, I'm currently in my final year of a physics M.Sc degree. Last summer, I had applied for a research internship abroad but due to issues with my visa I was unable to go out of my country and had to proceed with the project remotely. My project advisor asked me during our first meeting about my plans after graduation i.e. if I would be interested in pursuing a PhD. I positively mentioned that if given the opportunity I would be very interested and do plan on applying for PhD positions before my graduation. However, with certain experiences I've had (or the lack thereof), I'm not very keen on going on the PhD path just yet. However, my advisor is very interested in taking me into his group as a PhD student. In fact, after my scholarship application got rejected, he offered to fund my PhD through his lab grant. For a bit of context, my field of interest is in experimental condensed matter, and due to various reasons (mainly lockdowns due to covid), I feel inept with my ability to conduct research and frankly don't feel ready to dive into a PhD program immediately after my masters. My plan for now is to pursue a position as a project assistant for about a year or so after I graduate, and then apply for a PhD position. That way, during this "gap" year I wouldn't be under the pressure of a full-fledged "program". And my research interests might change during this course, may not. Regardless, I would like to keep my internship advisor's group as an option in the future when I do apply for a PhD. So, my question is as the title suggests, how do I politely decline this offer without burning/hampering any relations with my advisor? I'm also in the middle of the internship project with him and would like to complete it without disturbing my rapport with him. I'd really appreciate any advice on this. Thanks in advance! Assistant: You've already provided a perfectly reasonable explanation. I can see no better possible idea than to communicate exactly what you've laid out here.

Human: How do I politely decline a PhD offer without burning bridges with my potential advisor? Hi all, I'm currently in my final year of a physics M.Sc degree. Last summer, I had applied for a research internship abroad but due to issues with my visa I was unable to go out of my country and had to proceed with the project remotely. My project advisor asked me during our first meeting about my plans after graduation i.e. if I would be interested in pursuing a PhD. I positively mentioned that if given the opportunity I would be very interested and do plan on applying for PhD positions before my graduation. However, with certain experiences I've had (or the lack thereof), I'm not very keen on going on the PhD path just yet. However, my advisor is very interested in taking me into his group as a PhD student. In fact, after my scholarship application got rejected, he offered to fund my PhD through his lab grant. For a bit of context, my field of interest is in experimental condensed matter, and due to various reasons (mainly lockdowns due to covid), I feel inept with my ability to conduct research and frankly don't feel ready to dive into a PhD program immediately after my masters. My plan for now is to pursue a position as a project assistant for about a year or so after I graduate, and then apply for a PhD position. That way, during this "gap" year I wouldn't be under the pressure of a full-fledged "program". And my research interests might change during this course, may not. Regardless, I would like to keep my internship advisor's group as an option in the future when I do apply for a PhD. So, my question is as the title suggests, how do I politely decline this offer without burning/hampering any relations with my advisor? I'm also in the middle of the internship project with him and would like to complete it without disturbing my rapport with him. I'd really appreciate any advice on this. Thanks in advance! Assistant: As far as covid goes, don't let that hold you back from a PhD. I work in a similar field. I was halfway through a 5 year PhD when I first found this field of research. You will still be training during your PhD and you are perfectly capable of jumping into a PhD without much hands on lab experience in your field. Everyone was on pause, not just you. plus, Lots of people don't touch their first DAC or whatever you use until their PhD.

Human: Why do people spend up to 6-7 years to finish a PhD in the US, compared 4 years in the UK? Not to knock anyone down, just an honest question. Is the standard in the US higher? Which is ironic considering the opposite is true for undergrad. Assistant: Other commentators point out the practical differences but should add specialisation occurs much earlier in the UK. Consider that you narrow to 3 to 4 subjects age 16-18, then to one at degree, plus a master's.

Human: Why do people spend up to 6-7 years to finish a PhD in the US, compared 4 years in the UK? Not to knock anyone down, just an honest question. Is the standard in the US higher? Which is ironic considering the opposite is true for undergrad. Assistant: If you’re doing a us PhD, you will do 3 years of coursework and comprehensive exams. Time to degree used to be 6+ years but 4-5 after the master’s is what you get now. Most students have trouble writing a full length dissertation in one year. I also know European PhD students who’ve taken a long time. It really depends.

Human: Gift for my Professor who changed my life. I want to give an RBG bobble head to my Professor who has impacted me so much. She has championed for me, and given me great opportunities as being her TA and a scholarship. I want to give her a gift for winter break, so I got her an RBG bobble head, as she is a feminist activist and a lawyer. But I don’t want to cross any boundaries or make her uncomfortable. I know there is some policy that professors can’t accept gifts, or overall some professors get uncomfortable. I have a nice, but cheap candle that I can give her as a second option. What do you think? Assistant: I totally echo the previous commenters who said that small, thoughtful, gifts like this are absolutely appropriate after final grades are in - I agree it's a really sweet thought, and that she will love it. I am only chiming in to say that if this is something that feels comfortable for you, another very thoughtful thing to do is to email her department chair and tell her chair how wonderful she was and how much she impacted you. Glad you've had such a lovely experience!

Human: Gift for my Professor who changed my life. I want to give an RBG bobble head to my Professor who has impacted me so much. She has championed for me, and given me great opportunities as being her TA and a scholarship. I want to give her a gift for winter break, so I got her an RBG bobble head, as she is a feminist activist and a lawyer. But I don’t want to cross any boundaries or make her uncomfortable. I know there is some policy that professors can’t accept gifts, or overall some professors get uncomfortable. I have a nice, but cheap candle that I can give her as a second option. What do you think? Assistant: You could also think about giving something homemade. I gifted cross stitch microbes to three of my letter writers earlier this year and they all loved them. It went over really well! That being said, I think the RBG bobblehead sounds great. :)

Human: How to supervise student with autism? I have an excellent student that has been recently diagnosed with some kind of autism. I'm his PhD supervisor, and I'd like to adjust my interactions with as to make him comfortable, but I don't know where to start. I would appreciate any pointers, readings, programs, etc. Thanks Assistant: Ask them. As a father of an autistic child and a teacher to kids on the spectrum also in my experience it's best to ask what they need and how they work individually and then see how you can facilitate that. Edit spelling.

Human: How to supervise student with autism? I have an excellent student that has been recently diagnosed with some kind of autism. I'm his PhD supervisor, and I'd like to adjust my interactions with as to make him comfortable, but I don't know where to start. I would appreciate any pointers, readings, programs, etc. Thanks Assistant: I'd say that autistic people do best when things are structured around them. Therefore try to give feedback only on the meetings that are planned for that purpose. Also try to not distract them too much with new shiny things or ideas. In general autistic people need to focus for a while on a single thing before progressing. Take this with a grain of salt though, every person is different and the advice from others in this thread to discuss this with him is sound.

Human: Does anyone think universities are going to divide into a North v South* type response to coronavirus in the fall? *let me preface that it’s not strictly north v south, conservative v liberal, I think it’s way more complicated than this I just need to fit it in the question! So with enrollment kicking off I’ve seen college marketing kick off and there seems to be a distinct divide. Many community colleges seem mostly virtual, many northern colleges seem to be emphasizing still maintaining Covid protocols in the fall (emphasize “safety”) whereas many southern universities (including mine) are advertising “back to normal”, no masks or distancing required. Now....a whole lot can happen between now and then. The pandemic could die out, the pandemic to could rage up again, vaccines could be as easy as to get as just walking into a CVS. With multi-million dollar music festivals announcing September dates, I feel rather optimistic for a rather complete return to normal. For the record, my university is a major vaccine distribution site, so I have zero doubt that any student who wants one won’t be able to get a shot come summer orientation time even. But does anyone think we are heading towards an odd divide between less cautious and more cautious schools..and whatever political/social divide that may cause. Assistant: I don't know if it's going to be remotely that straightforward. My very liberal small college in a very red northern state, that has done very well with vaccinating so far, has already announced plans to return to on-campus instruction. So far as I can tell there is no vaccination mandate, but surveys of the campus community indicate > 90% vaccination intent, in-progress, or complete.

Human: Does anyone think universities are going to divide into a North v South* type response to coronavirus in the fall? *let me preface that it’s not strictly north v south, conservative v liberal, I think it’s way more complicated than this I just need to fit it in the question! So with enrollment kicking off I’ve seen college marketing kick off and there seems to be a distinct divide. Many community colleges seem mostly virtual, many northern colleges seem to be emphasizing still maintaining Covid protocols in the fall (emphasize “safety”) whereas many southern universities (including mine) are advertising “back to normal”, no masks or distancing required. Now....a whole lot can happen between now and then. The pandemic could die out, the pandemic to could rage up again, vaccines could be as easy as to get as just walking into a CVS. With multi-million dollar music festivals announcing September dates, I feel rather optimistic for a rather complete return to normal. For the record, my university is a major vaccine distribution site, so I have zero doubt that any student who wants one won’t be able to get a shot come summer orientation time even. But does anyone think we are heading towards an odd divide between less cautious and more cautious schools..and whatever political/social divide that may cause. Assistant: Here in Ireland, universities definitely divide into North/South types ;)

Human: How do you memorize important information relevant to your field? I'm currently an MA student in philosophy and I find myself constantly looking up things which I should have memorized by now. Like the different types of fallacies and arguments, significant contributions of certain philosophers, philosophical eras, certain definitions etc. I'm a good student and work pretty hard overall, but I'm finding this frustrating. How can I retain a foundational information 'data base', if you will, relevant to my field? Assistant: Maybe Feynman technique, aka teach/explain/present it. It can even be done to yourself.

Human: How do you memorize important information relevant to your field? I'm currently an MA student in philosophy and I find myself constantly looking up things which I should have memorized by now. Like the different types of fallacies and arguments, significant contributions of certain philosophers, philosophical eras, certain definitions etc. I'm a good student and work pretty hard overall, but I'm finding this frustrating. How can I retain a foundational information 'data base', if you will, relevant to my field? Assistant: I've found that creating a private course with things I want to remember on Memrise.com and periodically testing myself has worked wonders.

Human: What questions do you wish you had asked during your tenure track faculty interview? Hello all, I'm in the fortunate position to have advanced through an interview process with a great university in my field. This is for an assistant professor, tenure-track position at an R1. The university is in the USA (as am I), and I have a final round interview via Zoom next week. It's 8 hours of interviewing and I'll meet quite a few individuals. I have a list of questions I'll need them to answer for me, and of course have quite a few questions I expect (hope?) they'll ask me. However, I'm wondering if anyone that has interviewed for a similar position has any regrets? Specifically, were there any questions you really wished you'd have asked, but didn't think of at the time or were too timid to ask? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you! Assistant: I asked what they liked best about working at the school, and the answers were always really interesting and telling.

Human: What questions do you wish you had asked during your tenure track faculty interview? Hello all, I'm in the fortunate position to have advanced through an interview process with a great university in my field. This is for an assistant professor, tenure-track position at an R1. The university is in the USA (as am I), and I have a final round interview via Zoom next week. It's 8 hours of interviewing and I'll meet quite a few individuals. I have a list of questions I'll need them to answer for me, and of course have quite a few questions I expect (hope?) they'll ask me. However, I'm wondering if anyone that has interviewed for a similar position has any regrets? Specifically, were there any questions you really wished you'd have asked, but didn't think of at the time or were too timid to ask? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you! Assistant: I like to first ask for reasons why faculty may have left the department. A trend of people retiring versus jumping to a new university after their startup funds expire can mean very different things for the culture of the department. Also, be crystal clear on the expectations for your salary support. If soft, does it come from your startup until you get grants? Are bridge funds available? If hard, is there an expectation to support part of your salary when you get grants? If so, what percent?

Human: Why publish a 'new method' paper if you're not going to share the method? A bit of a rant, plus a genuine question. I work in a life sciences subfield where I deal quite a bit with image processing for data collection (high-throughput phenotyping). It's a quickly-growing area of interest, and papers are regularly published about new ways to count/assess/quantify characteristics from images. Obviously, these methods involve some sort of code - MATLAB, Python, etc. - but so few authors cite any sort of Github repo or any other method of sharing. Frustratingly, none of the authors I've ever reached out to have responded to my requests for code. This has happened a few times now, and more often than not I'm forced to re-write some program based on the sparse description in the paper (not a small feat for someone with a non-CS background). It just seems counterintuitive to me that a 'new method' paper wouldn't actually share the new method. Isn't that the point, accelerating the field of study and whatnot? There's some new journals that are moving in the right direction - not allowing submissions without proof of data and code in a repository, for example - and those who are committed to open-source programs, which is great. But, seriously: why the allowance of people to keep their 'new method' secret? Assistant: I too am in the life sciences and this shit is real. Methods papers are pretty meaningless. No one ever shares their code. It is no wonder so many life science papers get such little citation.

Human: Why publish a 'new method' paper if you're not going to share the method? A bit of a rant, plus a genuine question. I work in a life sciences subfield where I deal quite a bit with image processing for data collection (high-throughput phenotyping). It's a quickly-growing area of interest, and papers are regularly published about new ways to count/assess/quantify characteristics from images. Obviously, these methods involve some sort of code - MATLAB, Python, etc. - but so few authors cite any sort of Github repo or any other method of sharing. Frustratingly, none of the authors I've ever reached out to have responded to my requests for code. This has happened a few times now, and more often than not I'm forced to re-write some program based on the sparse description in the paper (not a small feat for someone with a non-CS background). It just seems counterintuitive to me that a 'new method' paper wouldn't actually share the new method. Isn't that the point, accelerating the field of study and whatnot? There's some new journals that are moving in the right direction - not allowing submissions without proof of data and code in a repository, for example - and those who are committed to open-source programs, which is great. But, seriously: why the allowance of people to keep their 'new method' secret? Assistant: Is it NIH-funded? They’d be obligated - if not required - to share if it is.

Human: Trolls IRL: Dealing with anti-intellectualism and misinformation as an academic Does anyone have any stories about students or non-academics trying to argue against your academic work (or subject) but clearly have no clue what they are talking about? I’m wondering because (a) it’s somewhat of a fear of mine as someone interested in academia, (b) anti-intellectualism and misinformation seem abound right now (at least in the United States), and (c) such stories could be entertaining :) Assistant: Unfortunately I've found it to be far too common to be entertaining anymore. My go-to response to anti-intellectualism baiting that usually shuts people down is "hmm, you should write that up for a journal" in a very neutral tone. Strangely enough, they seem to recognize that whatever they're spouting isn't actually intellectually rigorous and by not engaging with the ideas they don't have anywhere else to take the debate

Human: Trolls IRL: Dealing with anti-intellectualism and misinformation as an academic Does anyone have any stories about students or non-academics trying to argue against your academic work (or subject) but clearly have no clue what they are talking about? I’m wondering because (a) it’s somewhat of a fear of mine as someone interested in academia, (b) anti-intellectualism and misinformation seem abound right now (at least in the United States), and (c) such stories could be entertaining :) Assistant: Having had it happen too many times in my very conservative part of the world, when I feel I'm being baited into something, I respond with something like "That's too much like work. I'm off-duty" and I change the subject.

Human: Should I complain about my internal defence examiner I recently had my PhD defence/viva. It was a horrible experience lasting way over the 3 hours prescribed, with no break but I am happy to say I passed with minor corrections. The feeling of relief and joy about this was ruined by the stress and anxiety my internal examiner pushed onto me during the examination. Within the first 10 minutes he had wrongfully accused me of plagiarism and asked what was stopping him from burning my thesis in front of him. He was so rude that the external examiner actually told him to take it down a peg during the examination. I went into it expecting a productive academic discussion after speaking with colleagues about their experiences but I feel he over stepped the line into rudeness and borderline misogyny on several occasions. At the end he flicked a switch and told me the outcome and that I had a few corrections to do. I left the room with a migraine and wanting to sit in a dark room on my own for the rest of the evening. Luckily the external examiner was more professional and my supervisor was also in the room to witness all of this. My question is, should I complain about him and the general experience I had? I would really hate for someone to go through a similar experience. I think it would be best to say something after I am awarded my doctorate because unfortunately I have to liaise with this man for my corrections. Assistant: ask this in /r/AskAcademiaUK for UK specific advice. at the VERY least, bring it up with your current supervisor so other studentd dom't have to go through this again, particualrly the misogyny it's tough (for your advisor!) because this person presumably is a colleague of your advisor. but **still**.

Human: Should I complain about my internal defence examiner I recently had my PhD defence/viva. It was a horrible experience lasting way over the 3 hours prescribed, with no break but I am happy to say I passed with minor corrections. The feeling of relief and joy about this was ruined by the stress and anxiety my internal examiner pushed onto me during the examination. Within the first 10 minutes he had wrongfully accused me of plagiarism and asked what was stopping him from burning my thesis in front of him. He was so rude that the external examiner actually told him to take it down a peg during the examination. I went into it expecting a productive academic discussion after speaking with colleagues about their experiences but I feel he over stepped the line into rudeness and borderline misogyny on several occasions. At the end he flicked a switch and told me the outcome and that I had a few corrections to do. I left the room with a migraine and wanting to sit in a dark room on my own for the rest of the evening. Luckily the external examiner was more professional and my supervisor was also in the room to witness all of this. My question is, should I complain about him and the general experience I had? I would really hate for someone to go through a similar experience. I think it would be best to say something after I am awarded my doctorate because unfortunately I have to liaise with this man for my corrections. Assistant: As a supervisor, I’m quite annoyed your supervisor didn’t step in.

Human: Recommend a must read paper or scholarly article for the layman. What's a paper you read that you felt everyone in the world regardless of their academic background should read? Any field. Must be simple enough so that someone with only a general understanding can understand it. Assistant: Bruno Latour—Why Has Critique Run Out of Steam He explains in the first five pages how social science—including his work—contributed to conspiracy thinking. He ultimately argues social science is important to the world, but it has to be more careful with how and what it argues. Plus, he’s pithy as hell.

Human: Recommend a must read paper or scholarly article for the layman. What's a paper you read that you felt everyone in the world regardless of their academic background should read? Any field. Must be simple enough so that someone with only a general understanding can understand it. Assistant: The new scientist. Academic papers are for academics, the new scientist is focused on the educated layman

Human: Can Anyone Get ANY Work Done from Home? Sorry for this rant post, but I can't possibly the only one who can't get any work done from home. I feel like the only way anything is going to get done is if I start waking up at 4am, but I normally don't go to sleep until 1AM or later, so I'm not going to be in a good mood. I can rarely get work done in the evenings, because I'm just exhausted. Assistant: I'm struggling too. I've spent years trying to separate work from home and now it's like I've got a mental block against working at home.

Human: Can Anyone Get ANY Work Done from Home? Sorry for this rant post, but I can't possibly the only one who can't get any work done from home. I feel like the only way anything is going to get done is if I start waking up at 4am, but I normally don't go to sleep until 1AM or later, so I'm not going to be in a good mood. I can rarely get work done in the evenings, because I'm just exhausted. Assistant: I love my mornings when the house is quite. I sneak up early, makes a cup of coffee and usually gets 2 hours of uninterrupted work done before the house starts to rise. But - I crash into bed at 10PM at the latest. I wouldn’t function if I were up til after midnight (honestly - totally wrecked today after New Years!) I worked nights for many years which screwed everything up, today I am very happy for being tired early and getting to rise early.

Human: Do humanities / social science academics ever get wealthy? Is it consulting? Speaking fees? Books? What earns you money when the academic salary isn’t glamorous? Yes, I know, academics aren’t necessarily in it for money... But I’m not saying that! Assistant: A lot of public universities have the salary information of professors available online, you can look at the numbers there and see what constitutes well paid or not. Some may make decent or moderately good wages, but also live in areas with a very low cost of living. Then, even if you aren't "wealthy" you can be very comfortable. Some of it is relative wage to cost of living essentially.

Human: Do humanities / social science academics ever get wealthy? Is it consulting? Speaking fees? Books? What earns you money when the academic salary isn’t glamorous? Yes, I know, academics aren’t necessarily in it for money... But I’m not saying that! Assistant: Jordan Peterson sells lobster-themed merch.

Human: Inexplicable grading mysteries I have no idea where to share this, but this experience is too specific for anyone outside of Academia to understand. I have an X-files level anomaly in my grading. In a big lecture class, I have two students with the same first and last name (ok, first name is different by one letter, think Katerina vs Katrina). Not that weird, sometimes I've had siblings etc. These students just turned in a response assignment--the class has 120 students in it, and the response is due on Monday, but they submitted it at the exact same time--one email came at 11:24, one at 11:25. Weird coincidence huh? Their emails are identical--except for a single apostrophe: "Here's the second response" vs. "Here is the second response", and they signed them identically e.g. "--Katrina" vs "--Katarina"-- same double-dash, same format, everything is the same. The responses are similarly on the exact same subject (despite the essay topic being very open), and yet completely different. So what is this? Are they clones? Soulmates? Are they pranking me? How does this even happen? Am I ethically obliged to introduce them to their spiritual twin? Assistant: But the two essays, though on the same subject, were completely different? I'm not sure about you, but I have yet to have a student who wanted to write two separate essays just to fuck with a professor.

Human: Inexplicable grading mysteries I have no idea where to share this, but this experience is too specific for anyone outside of Academia to understand. I have an X-files level anomaly in my grading. In a big lecture class, I have two students with the same first and last name (ok, first name is different by one letter, think Katerina vs Katrina). Not that weird, sometimes I've had siblings etc. These students just turned in a response assignment--the class has 120 students in it, and the response is due on Monday, but they submitted it at the exact same time--one email came at 11:24, one at 11:25. Weird coincidence huh? Their emails are identical--except for a single apostrophe: "Here's the second response" vs. "Here is the second response", and they signed them identically e.g. "--Katrina" vs "--Katarina"-- same double-dash, same format, everything is the same. The responses are similarly on the exact same subject (despite the essay topic being very open), and yet completely different. So what is this? Are they clones? Soulmates? Are they pranking me? How does this even happen? Am I ethically obliged to introduce them to their spiritual twin? Assistant: You should swap and return the essays to the wrong one, so they're forced to meet to trade for the right essay.

Human: Access denied to the last version of a paper when I am first co-author I worked in a lab with a toxic PI until the end of 2020 and we try now to publish a paper with my work. We wrote the manuscript and at one point, the PI deleted the Dropbox we used and send me a pdf version of the article saying that the submission will come very soon and that there are some formatting issues to address but he will manage it alone. I received few months later the notification from the journal to accept that I am a co-author of the paper. I accepted (but I didnot have access to the version submitted). Now we have the comments of the reviewers and the PI ask me to answer to the comments but, despite my request, he is denying me access to the version that was submitted. Do we agree that it is illegal and unethical ? My suspicion is that he tries to hide the fact that he changed the positions of my authorship (from co-first author to second author) but I have no proof of that. What can I do ? Many thanks for your advices. Assistant: You could escalate it to your or his institutional review board. It is an ethics breach.

Human: Access denied to the last version of a paper when I am first co-author I worked in a lab with a toxic PI until the end of 2020 and we try now to publish a paper with my work. We wrote the manuscript and at one point, the PI deleted the Dropbox we used and send me a pdf version of the article saying that the submission will come very soon and that there are some formatting issues to address but he will manage it alone. I received few months later the notification from the journal to accept that I am a co-author of the paper. I accepted (but I didnot have access to the version submitted). Now we have the comments of the reviewers and the PI ask me to answer to the comments but, despite my request, he is denying me access to the version that was submitted. Do we agree that it is illegal and unethical ? My suspicion is that he tries to hide the fact that he changed the positions of my authorship (from co-first author to second author) but I have no proof of that. What can I do ? Many thanks for your advices. Assistant: > My suspicion is that he tries to hide the fact that he changed the positions of my authorship (from co-first author to second author) but I have no proof of that. It seems extremely dumb if this is the case, especially because he'd be making himself liable for academic misconduct when/if the paper is published. You could, for example, upon seeing the published article, write to the editor and tell them you did not agree to the paper. The paper gets retracted and that's an issue for your PI:

Human: is 4-6 weeks notice enough? I've been more or less a postdoc in one lab for about 6 years and am now a key member of the lab. I cover for my boss when he is away, train grad students and RAs on protocols and technical SOPs, and run experiments, analyze data, mentor grad students, etc. This sounds like a lot, but my productivity as far as papers has not been much and TT is not in my future. I've been able to stay by jumping on projects as they come by but this is not sustainable and the stress of always worrying about funding is getting to me. The bulk of my funding is coming to an end this summer. I found a position in another department that I'm actually excited about in a research support role where I don't have to worry about funding or papers being the markers of success/value. My boss is panicking by my leaving and making passive aggressive comments and I just want to make sure I'm being fair. I've given him 4 weeks notice plus 2 weeks 50/50 time with the two positions to ensure a smooth transition. I can't promise that I'm going to be able to wrap up everything I need to wrap up/hand off, but to be honest I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me and I want to be sure that my relief at finding more stable ground (and a 40% increase in pay) is not me dumping all my commitments and burning bridges. Assistant: No funding gives you no choice. You have to support yourself. No one is irreplaceable. Trust me.

Human: is 4-6 weeks notice enough? I've been more or less a postdoc in one lab for about 6 years and am now a key member of the lab. I cover for my boss when he is away, train grad students and RAs on protocols and technical SOPs, and run experiments, analyze data, mentor grad students, etc. This sounds like a lot, but my productivity as far as papers has not been much and TT is not in my future. I've been able to stay by jumping on projects as they come by but this is not sustainable and the stress of always worrying about funding is getting to me. The bulk of my funding is coming to an end this summer. I found a position in another department that I'm actually excited about in a research support role where I don't have to worry about funding or papers being the markers of success/value. My boss is panicking by my leaving and making passive aggressive comments and I just want to make sure I'm being fair. I've given him 4 weeks notice plus 2 weeks 50/50 time with the two positions to ensure a smooth transition. I can't promise that I'm going to be able to wrap up everything I need to wrap up/hand off, but to be honest I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me and I want to be sure that my relief at finding more stable ground (and a 40% increase in pay) is not me dumping all my commitments and burning bridges. Assistant: Sometimes you just have to put yourself first. I'm in the same boat because I got recruited to apply for a job that would be a huge step forward in my career. I will also have only 4-6 weeks notice and I found out my boss is going to be gone for the next 2 weeks. But he's also retiring at the end of the year, so I don't think he can give me shit for not seeing things through. A postdoc is not meant to run the lab, and your PI didn't seem to consider your career choices

Human: Why is expertise often disregarded by the general public with regard to the humanities? Serious question, btw. I’m relatively new to academia, and my area of study is in the humanities, specifically critical theory and literature. I teach humanities as well. I find when I talk to people about what I do, they often seem to feel like just about anyone who has a heartbeat is an “expert” in the humanities. I don’t mind it really, because I love talking about my work and a subject that I personally care a lot about. But why is it that this same thing doesn’t happen to people with degrees in, say, physics or mathematics? Or does it? Assistant: There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." Isaac Asimov, Column in Newsweek (21 January 1980)

Human: Why is expertise often disregarded by the general public with regard to the humanities? Serious question, btw. I’m relatively new to academia, and my area of study is in the humanities, specifically critical theory and literature. I teach humanities as well. I find when I talk to people about what I do, they often seem to feel like just about anyone who has a heartbeat is an “expert” in the humanities. I don’t mind it really, because I love talking about my work and a subject that I personally care a lot about. But why is it that this same thing doesn’t happen to people with degrees in, say, physics or mathematics? Or does it? Assistant: I work in machine learning & artificial intelligence. Trust me, in the last 5 years or so everyone from first year studens to a random media journalists and barely informed MBA graduates have become experts in my field with very strong opinions. I am semi-serious, but I think it happens in all fields, with internet its easy to read something a real expert said for general audience, further simplified by the interviewer and assume that you have also somehow become an expert on the topic.

Human: What are the negative things in the academia that a person should be aware of? Hello everyone, I want to do a PhD but I keep hearing such negative stuff about the academia environment. To be honest, I am a bit anxious about this. So what things should I be aware of before going into the academia in general? Any advice? Assistant: If you are successful you will not get to pick where you live and you may not be able to go someplace else if you get tenure.

Human: What are the negative things in the academia that a person should be aware of? Hello everyone, I want to do a PhD but I keep hearing such negative stuff about the academia environment. To be honest, I am a bit anxious about this. So what things should I be aware of before going into the academia in general? Any advice? Assistant: If you are not part of the majority (in terms of theoretical orientation or things like race and gender), academia can be brutal. Linking to Twitter as an example, where these threads are a dime a dozen from every field imaginable, this from a woman’s perspective: https://twitter.com/mcknightlaura/status/1454487526392025089?s=21

Human: Is it unusual to be asked to do a panel presentation at a conference AND be required to pay registration? I've been invited to be on a panel, I agreed. I was planning on going ahead and signing up for the conference and attending in person, but I'll have to pay full registration price. Now I'm told my session will be virtual, so I don't really even have to show up at the conference. But they are requiring me to pay the 'virtual attendance' price of about $500. If I'm virtual, I really would wind up not going to any of the other sessions virtually. I think its odd, that I've been asked to sit on the panel, give a presentation and required to pay $500 to do so, especially when I wasn't seeking this organization, nor would get much value out of it. So is this normal procedure to require presenters to pay full registration price? Assistant: If you've been in the field for a while and you haven't heard about the conference, then it's probably a scam.

Human: Is it unusual to be asked to do a panel presentation at a conference AND be required to pay registration? I've been invited to be on a panel, I agreed. I was planning on going ahead and signing up for the conference and attending in person, but I'll have to pay full registration price. Now I'm told my session will be virtual, so I don't really even have to show up at the conference. But they are requiring me to pay the 'virtual attendance' price of about $500. If I'm virtual, I really would wind up not going to any of the other sessions virtually. I think its odd, that I've been asked to sit on the panel, give a presentation and required to pay $500 to do so, especially when I wasn't seeking this organization, nor would get much value out of it. So is this normal procedure to require presenters to pay full registration price? Assistant: Sounds like the typical predatory conference email that "invites" hundreds of people, but still expects them all to pay. I've heard of these conferences where every single person presenting and attending is an invited speaker! Some people think it's a legit invite and so accept, but if it's not a conference you've heard of, and you don't recognize other speakers it's just a money making scheme.

Human: For Those on the Academic Job Market This Year: How is it Going? How many applications have you or do you plan to send out? How is it going? How many shortlists/interviews/campus visits are you getting? What are your overall thoughts on this year's market? Anything to celebrate? We all know it's rough out there. Assistant: Basically the sound of your username being read aloud

Human: For Those on the Academic Job Market This Year: How is it Going? How many applications have you or do you plan to send out? How is it going? How many shortlists/interviews/campus visits are you getting? What are your overall thoughts on this year's market? Anything to celebrate? We all know it's rough out there. Assistant: I am on a faculty hiring committee right now (CS TT hire at a SLAC) and to be honest, I am rather disappointed in the number of applications we received. We are on the second round of interviews and have some solid candidates, don't get me wrong, but still. Makes me wonder if CS people are just jumping ship and heading into industry?

Human: Research "Penpal"? Would anyone be interested in being research "penpals"? I'm working on finishing up my undergrad thesis before I move for my PhD program next month. I think it would be helpful to have a sort of "penpal" to help keep me accountable, and of course I would do the same in return. We could just chat once a week or so and update each other on what we've accomplished this week. I wouldn't mind looking at your writing to give my opinion either, and do some light editing. My field is clinical psych, but I think it would be cool to hear about research from another area too! Assistant: Not quite penpals, but you could join us on the r/PhD discord: https://discord.gg/RhP4ECs

Human: Research "Penpal"? Would anyone be interested in being research "penpals"? I'm working on finishing up my undergrad thesis before I move for my PhD program next month. I think it would be helpful to have a sort of "penpal" to help keep me accountable, and of course I would do the same in return. We could just chat once a week or so and update each other on what we've accomplished this week. I wouldn't mind looking at your writing to give my opinion either, and do some light editing. My field is clinical psych, but I think it would be cool to hear about research from another area too! Assistant: I would love this! I'm in computer science though. Anyone else in that area?

Human: Duke U director of biostats tells Chinese students to only speak English https://twitter.com/siruihua/status/1089219853725122561?s=21 Assistant: She stepped down from her administrative role but remains a professor: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/01/duke-university-emails-director-of-grad-studies-steps-down-after-telling-students-not-to-speak-chinese

Human: Duke U director of biostats tells Chinese students to only speak English https://twitter.com/siruihua/status/1089219853725122561?s=21 Assistant: On a different note, I see why my department doesn’t allow assistant professors to be the DGS. She probably thought she had to say something so those same profs wouldn’t vote against her tenure.

Human: PhD advisor wants me to prepare a graduated undergrad’s thesis for publication Tl;dr: I helped an undergrad complete their thesis to graduate. PhD advisor wants me to try to get it published with the undergrad being first author. The methods used in the thesis is sloppy and I had to completely redo everything. Undergrad is unenthusiastic about publishing now that they are graduated and possibly ignoring me. Unsure how to handle situation because I’m busy with my own work and this project has no impact on my PhD progress currently. I’m a PhD student in a STEM field and I was working with an undergrad for the last year and a half on their project. The undergrad is in a different but adjacent STEM field and joined our lab to write a thesis which is required for them to graduate. My advisor assigned them a project that is similar to my work and basically uses the method I’ve been perfecting and developing for the last 3 years. I gave them some of the data I collected to work with so they can analyze it using my method which is mostly computer work using my code. The project is not contributing to my dissertation progress and I was pretty much just mentoring them for their thesis. Since they started when things were mostly online, I made video tutorials and wrote up detailed instructions for them to follow. The entire time, the undergrad did not show much enthusiasm towards the project but I thought it was just their personality. When things came back in person, they never attended group meetings (excuse was they scheduled other things during our group meeting times) and in general never showed up. However, they did perform the calculations over time and texted me when they needed help. I would pretty much help rewrite parts of the code for their specific use and clarify parts of the code. About 2 weeks before they graduated, they came to me saying they needed me to help rewrite the method section of their thesis and add some more analysis portions. I was very busy with my own stuff at the time so I referred them to my methodology write ups and previous papers using similar methods because I didn’t think I should do their work for them but I knew there was no way they would be able to get everything together in the last 2 weeks. In that same meeting, they mentioned that my advisor wanted to get this published but they did not trust their numbers. When I asked if they wanted to publish they said they don’t care too much because they already got into grad school (for a different field). They eventually submitted the thesis and graduated. My advisor now has tasked me with getting the thesis to publication quality and said the undergrad was willing to work on it (undergrad would be first author). I took a look at the thesis and the entire analysis needed to be redone because the written portion of the methods was completely wrong and based off of previous papers, which makes me not trust the results. Pretty much the only thing from the thesis that might be taken is parts of the intro and background portions with heavy edits. I had an online meeting with the undergrad and they admitting that they quickly wrote up the thesis in the last few weeks and just submitted it at 3 am to be done with it. They still seemed unenthusiastic but said they can work on it. I gave a list of things I would do such as recalculating all the numbers with my method, making figures, and writing the methods and parts of analysis section. I asked them to read over my comments, write up a conclusion and review formatting for publication. It’s been 3 weeks since and I haven’t heard back. They’ve ignored every email since with my updates. I told my advisor this and he said something like it’s our job to “clean up the plate”. I have spent 2 weeks recalculating the results and analysis but now I’m very hesitant to proceed with writing. I have my own PhD projects to work on and tusks now taking up a lot of my time considering it would not contribute to my PhD progress and I would not be first author. I also feel it is not right for the undergrad to be first author their end contribution at this point but I’m not quite sure. My advisor seems to want to just push it out as a paper and I do think it’s worth publishing the results if everything is done right. However there’s just not a huge incentive for me personally unless it’s incorporated into my progress in some way. I was thinking about asking the undergrad if they really intend to do any more work and if not, I can take over and they can be second author which I think is fair. In this case I feel a little bad because it feels like I’m just “stealing” their paper but realistically I feel like I’ve been doing essentially all the work. I’m also thinking about asking my advisor if this could be incorporated as part of a chapter of my dissertation (and I drop part of another part) just to take the load off of my plate. It’s kind of an awkward situation for me right now and I’m not sure if I’m just overthinking this so any insight would be great! Assistant: >The methods used in the thesis is sloppy and I had to completely redo everything. Undergrad is unenthusiastic about publishing now that they are graduated and possibly ignoring me. Unsure how to handle situation because I’m busy with my own work and this project has no impact on my PhD progress currently. Tell your advisor this

Human: PhD advisor wants me to prepare a graduated undergrad’s thesis for publication Tl;dr: I helped an undergrad complete their thesis to graduate. PhD advisor wants me to try to get it published with the undergrad being first author. The methods used in the thesis is sloppy and I had to completely redo everything. Undergrad is unenthusiastic about publishing now that they are graduated and possibly ignoring me. Unsure how to handle situation because I’m busy with my own work and this project has no impact on my PhD progress currently. I’m a PhD student in a STEM field and I was working with an undergrad for the last year and a half on their project. The undergrad is in a different but adjacent STEM field and joined our lab to write a thesis which is required for them to graduate. My advisor assigned them a project that is similar to my work and basically uses the method I’ve been perfecting and developing for the last 3 years. I gave them some of the data I collected to work with so they can analyze it using my method which is mostly computer work using my code. The project is not contributing to my dissertation progress and I was pretty much just mentoring them for their thesis. Since they started when things were mostly online, I made video tutorials and wrote up detailed instructions for them to follow. The entire time, the undergrad did not show much enthusiasm towards the project but I thought it was just their personality. When things came back in person, they never attended group meetings (excuse was they scheduled other things during our group meeting times) and in general never showed up. However, they did perform the calculations over time and texted me when they needed help. I would pretty much help rewrite parts of the code for their specific use and clarify parts of the code. About 2 weeks before they graduated, they came to me saying they needed me to help rewrite the method section of their thesis and add some more analysis portions. I was very busy with my own stuff at the time so I referred them to my methodology write ups and previous papers using similar methods because I didn’t think I should do their work for them but I knew there was no way they would be able to get everything together in the last 2 weeks. In that same meeting, they mentioned that my advisor wanted to get this published but they did not trust their numbers. When I asked if they wanted to publish they said they don’t care too much because they already got into grad school (for a different field). They eventually submitted the thesis and graduated. My advisor now has tasked me with getting the thesis to publication quality and said the undergrad was willing to work on it (undergrad would be first author). I took a look at the thesis and the entire analysis needed to be redone because the written portion of the methods was completely wrong and based off of previous papers, which makes me not trust the results. Pretty much the only thing from the thesis that might be taken is parts of the intro and background portions with heavy edits. I had an online meeting with the undergrad and they admitting that they quickly wrote up the thesis in the last few weeks and just submitted it at 3 am to be done with it. They still seemed unenthusiastic but said they can work on it. I gave a list of things I would do such as recalculating all the numbers with my method, making figures, and writing the methods and parts of analysis section. I asked them to read over my comments, write up a conclusion and review formatting for publication. It’s been 3 weeks since and I haven’t heard back. They’ve ignored every email since with my updates. I told my advisor this and he said something like it’s our job to “clean up the plate”. I have spent 2 weeks recalculating the results and analysis but now I’m very hesitant to proceed with writing. I have my own PhD projects to work on and tusks now taking up a lot of my time considering it would not contribute to my PhD progress and I would not be first author. I also feel it is not right for the undergrad to be first author their end contribution at this point but I’m not quite sure. My advisor seems to want to just push it out as a paper and I do think it’s worth publishing the results if everything is done right. However there’s just not a huge incentive for me personally unless it’s incorporated into my progress in some way. I was thinking about asking the undergrad if they really intend to do any more work and if not, I can take over and they can be second author which I think is fair. In this case I feel a little bad because it feels like I’m just “stealing” their paper but realistically I feel like I’ve been doing essentially all the work. I’m also thinking about asking my advisor if this could be incorporated as part of a chapter of my dissertation (and I drop part of another part) just to take the load off of my plate. It’s kind of an awkward situation for me right now and I’m not sure if I’m just overthinking this so any insight would be great! Assistant: Sounds like you should be the first author, I don’t really understand the PI pushing some random graduated Master student to be the first author where the “resident” PhD is doing a big chunk of the work, makes no sense to me. Either way, the labs I know wouldn’t push the Master student to be the first author when it all fits in the project and under the guidance of a PhD student.

Human: What are your favorite scientific articles of all time? I’m an undergraduate biology student and I’m interested in reading a bunch of scientific works over the winter break coming up. What are your favorite articles of all time? Assistant: I read this article in undergrad, and it opened my eyes to a career path I didn't know was an option. I'm now in an epidemiology PhD program studying access to contraceptive care. I don't know that it will be as impactful to others, but it certainly changed my life: The Contraceptive CHOICE Project: Reducing Barriers to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception

Human: What are your favorite scientific articles of all time? I’m an undergraduate biology student and I’m interested in reading a bunch of scientific works over the winter break coming up. What are your favorite articles of all time? Assistant: The mundanity of excellence: An ethnographic report on stratification and Olympic swimmers

Human: I would like to become a professor but don't know if the endeavor is worth it for a variety of reasons. What do you think? What are the ways to make yourself stand out? I have a ton of questions regarding becoming a professor. I am wondering just how difficult overall it is. I have heard that it is difficult because there are a lack of jobs and for one position there may be up to 400 applicants. I have heard that only the top students at top schools get these positions. I am not a bad student, I just know I'm not the best. I am 30 years old and looking to go to grad school within the next 2-3 years but don't know how old I can realistically be to apply for professorship. Speculating I will be doing so in my late to early 40's. I live in Canada and have heard there are less opportunities in Canada and therefore competition is that much more tough. I have a stable unionized job that I cannot leave here in Canada. \-- If there is space and time, are there any ways to make yourself stand out as a candidate. Does specializing in a narrow sub field help? Assistant: That stable unionized job sounds pretty good to me considering academic working conditions! I went to a top program (Berkeley) in the 00s when the market was better and of the 11 people in my entering PhD class, only four of us are still practicing academics. Some did not complete the program and others never got jobs. There were really smart people among those who didn't "make it" and there is a lot of luck involved in getting a tenure-track job.

Human: I would like to become a professor but don't know if the endeavor is worth it for a variety of reasons. What do you think? What are the ways to make yourself stand out? I have a ton of questions regarding becoming a professor. I am wondering just how difficult overall it is. I have heard that it is difficult because there are a lack of jobs and for one position there may be up to 400 applicants. I have heard that only the top students at top schools get these positions. I am not a bad student, I just know I'm not the best. I am 30 years old and looking to go to grad school within the next 2-3 years but don't know how old I can realistically be to apply for professorship. Speculating I will be doing so in my late to early 40's. I live in Canada and have heard there are less opportunities in Canada and therefore competition is that much more tough. I have a stable unionized job that I cannot leave here in Canada. \-- If there is space and time, are there any ways to make yourself stand out as a candidate. Does specializing in a narrow sub field help? Assistant: When I have kids I will make sure they dont enter this profession.

Human: How common is it to pass a PhD defense with conditions? I passed my defense last week “with conditions”. Are conditions the same as revisions? I have an official list of things to address, it’s much more work than I was hoping to have to do after defending. Honestly I feel pretty downtrodden meanwhile everyone around me keeps congratulating me for “passing”. My advisor has stressed that what I have to do is par for the course but he’s also not super great at interpersonal relationships so I never know how to interpret what he says. I don’t disagree with anything I’m being asked to do necessarily. I’m just a bit overwhelmed. Plus I’ve already started a full time (non academic) job. Assistant: Conditions are revisions if rhey are requesting changes to the thesis and are near universal. A pass with revisions is still a pass. Examiners feel like they have to request some changes to justify their role, and nothing is ever 100% perfect anyway. Minor revisions is as good as it gets. Congrads. You got a PhD, Doctor.

Human: How common is it to pass a PhD defense with conditions? I passed my defense last week “with conditions”. Are conditions the same as revisions? I have an official list of things to address, it’s much more work than I was hoping to have to do after defending. Honestly I feel pretty downtrodden meanwhile everyone around me keeps congratulating me for “passing”. My advisor has stressed that what I have to do is par for the course but he’s also not super great at interpersonal relationships so I never know how to interpret what he says. I don’t disagree with anything I’m being asked to do necessarily. I’m just a bit overwhelmed. Plus I’ve already started a full time (non academic) job. Assistant: I run 500+ PhD defences a year. About 10 of them pass without revisions, the vast majority have minor revisions. If they are congratulating you, then you're all good. Minor revisions range from "fix some typos" to "add a chapter and/or some additional sources".

Human: COVID-19 Effects on University Budgets/Graduate Student Stipends I am a graduate student at a US university in the epicenter of the pandemic. This morning, we received word that our program is likely to lose the funds available for graduate student stipends. This is likely the result of the state reallocating funds towards combatting the virus. This includes previously awarded stipends (i.e., your guaranteed 5 years of funding is no longer guaranteed). No official announcement yet, but it seems as though university administrators are giving us a 'heads up' about this. Obviously, this news has been quite difficult for me and other students in my department. Has this happened to anyone else? Are you anticipating your department/university will do the same? Assistant: Definitely speak to a lawyer about this. Did you sign a contract? Your department can’t just unilaterally cancel a contract without going through bankruptcy-like proceedings (financial exigency).

Human: COVID-19 Effects on University Budgets/Graduate Student Stipends I am a graduate student at a US university in the epicenter of the pandemic. This morning, we received word that our program is likely to lose the funds available for graduate student stipends. This is likely the result of the state reallocating funds towards combatting the virus. This includes previously awarded stipends (i.e., your guaranteed 5 years of funding is no longer guaranteed). No official announcement yet, but it seems as though university administrators are giving us a 'heads up' about this. Obviously, this news has been quite difficult for me and other students in my department. Has this happened to anyone else? Are you anticipating your department/university will do the same? Assistant: Make sure to speak with your graduate student union if you have one. They will probably be fighting this.

Human: Professors of Reddit- Do you dislike students who perform poorly? To the Professors of Reddit, I was wondering what the general opinion was of poor performers. Is it dislike? Indifference? If someone who had an F or a D came to office hours in the middle of the semester, would this annoy you? Assistant: Those are the students I WANT to come in. They're the one's that need it. Your performance in no way changes my opinion of you. Your behavior, however, may.

Human: Professors of Reddit- Do you dislike students who perform poorly? To the Professors of Reddit, I was wondering what the general opinion was of poor performers. Is it dislike? Indifference? If someone who had an F or a D came to office hours in the middle of the semester, would this annoy you? Assistant: Nah. I feel bad for them. I sent emails to a few students who have done nothing in an online course. I asked them to calculate if passing was still possible or consider dropping. One of them asked me if they could pass the course at this point. So basically, she either (1) can’t read or (2) can’t calculate an average. Neither one is a good thing.

Human: What do faculty members expect when meeting with a potential graduate student? I'm an undergraduate senior currently applying to PhD programs. In my field (Theoretical Ecology), it is common (and for some schools required) to reach out to potential advisors before applying so that they can support your application and accept you into the program as a student in their lab. So lately I've been reaching out to potential advisors and doing zoom meetings with them. However, I feel a little intimidated and confused by this process of basically committing to an advisor and *then* getting in to the program/starting a PhD. For one, while I've written up a strong research proposal (for NSF GRFP) and reflected on potential research questions, I'm definitely not 100% sure of the exact project I would want to pursue in my PhD. Also, while I have a general idea of the subfield I'm interested in, I'm eager to learn more about the other subfields and understand how various subfields relate to one another before becoming specialized in a single area. So my question: what are these faculty members expecting when I reach out as a prospective student? Are they expecting me to have a clear, specific research question and be able to explain how it relates to their current projects? Or are these meetings usually more about generally discussing backgrounds/interests, getting a feel for the prospective student's curiosity and intellect, and seeing if the prospective student/potential advisor get along and communicate well. Assistant: Don't worry. It will be fine. Just show and ask questions about their work, prospects and qualities they are looking for. In the meanwhile do share your skills and experiences. Good luck fella.

Human: What do faculty members expect when meeting with a potential graduate student? I'm an undergraduate senior currently applying to PhD programs. In my field (Theoretical Ecology), it is common (and for some schools required) to reach out to potential advisors before applying so that they can support your application and accept you into the program as a student in their lab. So lately I've been reaching out to potential advisors and doing zoom meetings with them. However, I feel a little intimidated and confused by this process of basically committing to an advisor and *then* getting in to the program/starting a PhD. For one, while I've written up a strong research proposal (for NSF GRFP) and reflected on potential research questions, I'm definitely not 100% sure of the exact project I would want to pursue in my PhD. Also, while I have a general idea of the subfield I'm interested in, I'm eager to learn more about the other subfields and understand how various subfields relate to one another before becoming specialized in a single area. So my question: what are these faculty members expecting when I reach out as a prospective student? Are they expecting me to have a clear, specific research question and be able to explain how it relates to their current projects? Or are these meetings usually more about generally discussing backgrounds/interests, getting a feel for the prospective student's curiosity and intellect, and seeing if the prospective student/potential advisor get along and communicate well. Assistant: RemindMe! 10 Days "Check Answers"

Human: My boss wants me to start my postdoc without pay I know this pandemic is a weird time, but there's somethings that's hitting a little weird about my situation. I just graduated my PhD, and my boss has me starting a postdoc after. The problem is the HR arm of the university is stalling applications, so it's going to be about a month before my new contract begins, and a little longer before I get paid. My boss wants me to continue to do the weekly meetings, and several pop up meetings a week. All of this would be without pay until my contract begins. I've raised the possibility of an independent contractor position as a holdover, but that hasn't happened. So I'm not sure what to do. I don't want my boss to jettison my new contract because I don't want to work in the meantime without pay, but also I don't want to work a lot without pay. My lab is the type to not really be concerned about people working without compensation for short periods, and I don't want the work to pile on just because I agree to a few meetings. Does anyone have any insight about how I should handle this? Should I just bite the bullet and do the hours? Assistant: I would ask him how you are supposed to pay rent and eat during that period. My university actually would not allow this if we knew about it. We would make him backdate your start date to whenever you started working. That’s what you should ask for.

Human: My boss wants me to start my postdoc without pay I know this pandemic is a weird time, but there's somethings that's hitting a little weird about my situation. I just graduated my PhD, and my boss has me starting a postdoc after. The problem is the HR arm of the university is stalling applications, so it's going to be about a month before my new contract begins, and a little longer before I get paid. My boss wants me to continue to do the weekly meetings, and several pop up meetings a week. All of this would be without pay until my contract begins. I've raised the possibility of an independent contractor position as a holdover, but that hasn't happened. So I'm not sure what to do. I don't want my boss to jettison my new contract because I don't want to work in the meantime without pay, but also I don't want to work a lot without pay. My lab is the type to not really be concerned about people working without compensation for short periods, and I don't want the work to pile on just because I agree to a few meetings. Does anyone have any insight about how I should handle this? Should I just bite the bullet and do the hours? Assistant: I can share my perspective. If they can't pay you due to reasons out of the professor's control, you have to decide if working without pay is beneficial for your career. If this one month of work accelerates a project / publication, that's a good addition to your resume. I'm assuming this will impact your future job positions, as you may be applying for assistant professor jobs in the future. That is if you have nothing better to do in these few months. Or you could just ask for an "unpaid vacation" lol.

Human: The UC System screws workers, customers, and management Grad students, post docs, workers: progress disrupted and pay lost Undergrads: pay tuition and dont get taught PIs: fight for grants and then lose your researchers Trying to figure out who the real winners are Assistant: A lot of professors do want to pay their students, postdocs, and staff more, but aren't able to because of rules. They often lose the recruitment battle to other universities because of these issues.

Human: The UC System screws workers, customers, and management Grad students, post docs, workers: progress disrupted and pay lost Undergrads: pay tuition and dont get taught PIs: fight for grants and then lose your researchers Trying to figure out who the real winners are Assistant: >Undergrads: pay tuition and dont get taught That's a weird thing to say, in what sense are UC undergrads not getting taught?

Human: What are the tools you use most when teaching and researching? I use the following programs and I'm curious about your recommendations: As a digital library : **Zotero** For note-taking (Also compatible with Zotero) : **Obsidian** To read and edit pdf: **Pdf Expert** To prepare when I need to print out paper: **Create Booklet 2** To create syllabus or some diagrams of the topics in the lecture notes: **Figma** For better communication with students (classes are crowded): **Discord** I will also create better course videos for students. I'm learning to use **DaVinci.** Assistant: Interesting, I am going to look some of these that I don't know. In my case: As a digital library and note taking : Zotero Writing: Scrivener and in a later stage Word or Pages PDF edit: Apple Preview

Human: What are the tools you use most when teaching and researching? I use the following programs and I'm curious about your recommendations: As a digital library : **Zotero** For note-taking (Also compatible with Zotero) : **Obsidian** To read and edit pdf: **Pdf Expert** To prepare when I need to print out paper: **Create Booklet 2** To create syllabus or some diagrams of the topics in the lecture notes: **Figma** For better communication with students (classes are crowded): **Discord** I will also create better course videos for students. I'm learning to use **DaVinci.** Assistant: Zotero, Word, PowerPoint, Acrobat, Perusall

Human: Why do we hate Elsevier so much? What exactly don't we like about them? And are they really that much worse than other publishers? I've always heard people don't like them, but I've not really heard much about why. Assistant: Not aware of them necessarily being seen as worse than other for-profit publishers, but they're a common figurehead of the major problems with scientific publishing because they're such an enormous and broad publisher.

Human: Why do we hate Elsevier so much? What exactly don't we like about them? And are they really that much worse than other publishers? I've always heard people don't like them, but I've not really heard much about why. Assistant: Is thre a difference? springer is selling articles by "evil nazi doctors" today for 37 Euros: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01793795

Human: How to ask critical questions nicely at a conference When I ask a question after a conference presentation, sometimes it’s critical in nature, but I don’t want to sound too aggressive or hurt the presenter’s feelings. So I want to sound as nice as possible and add comments like “thank you for your presentation, it’s very interesting…” before getting into the question. But sometimes this feels too superficial, and I was wondering what would be a more natural way to sound nicer when asking a critical question at a conference. Assistant: Not really helpful, but I remember a presentation where the authors proposed a new set of heuristics based on X’s work but were very critical of the original. The first question from the audience was: ”Hi, nice work. My name is Dr. X and I’d like to …”

Human: How to ask critical questions nicely at a conference When I ask a question after a conference presentation, sometimes it’s critical in nature, but I don’t want to sound too aggressive or hurt the presenter’s feelings. So I want to sound as nice as possible and add comments like “thank you for your presentation, it’s very interesting…” before getting into the question. But sometimes this feels too superficial, and I was wondering what would be a more natural way to sound nicer when asking a critical question at a conference. Assistant: "I know this is still a developing field, what do you think about ......?"

Human: [STEM] What's the most exciting research being done in your field? I just received my bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, and I'm thinking about going back to pursue a PhD at some point. I'm curious to hear from you: what are the most exciting areas of research in your field right now, and what technologies could it enable in the future? How could someone learn more about this research if they were interested? Thanks! Assistant: Protein design: - we are actually getting pretty good at protein structure prediction - the field of *de novo* protein design has been improving at a crazy rate over the last 5 years, and now it feels like we can literally code nano-machines in a way that is similar to other engineering fields - all of this ultimately empowers us to revolutionize medicine and nanotechnology

Human: [STEM] What's the most exciting research being done in your field? I just received my bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, and I'm thinking about going back to pursue a PhD at some point. I'm curious to hear from you: what are the most exciting areas of research in your field right now, and what technologies could it enable in the future? How could someone learn more about this research if they were interested? Thanks! Assistant: I’m still psyched about the directed evolution method developed by Frances Arnold (2018 chem Nobel) to create de novo enzymes optimized to have certain biological activity, using series of random mutations and choosing the most functional enzyme in each “generation” to move forward in the process

Human: What's the difference between calling someone "Dr. Name" vs "Professor Name" This might be a stupid question, but I'm that meme of the guy being like "I don't know what xyz thing is and at this point I'm afraid to ask." I did my MA at an R1 public university, where all the faculty I encountered had doctorates. We called them by their first names after we had been invited to do so, but the polite, formal thing was to refer to faculty as "Dr. Name." Now, I'm doing my PhD at a different R1 public university, where all the faculty I have encountered have doctorates. Again, we call them by their first names on invitation, but the formal thing to do is to call them "Professor Name." Is this just a department culture thing? Or is there a functional difference? Assistant: 'Professor' is a job title; 'Doctor' is a degree title. If you have both, the preference is cultural, I think. But as others have explained, you can be one and not the other.

Human: What's the difference between calling someone "Dr. Name" vs "Professor Name" This might be a stupid question, but I'm that meme of the guy being like "I don't know what xyz thing is and at this point I'm afraid to ask." I did my MA at an R1 public university, where all the faculty I encountered had doctorates. We called them by their first names after we had been invited to do so, but the polite, formal thing was to refer to faculty as "Dr. Name." Now, I'm doing my PhD at a different R1 public university, where all the faculty I have encountered have doctorates. Again, we call them by their first names on invitation, but the formal thing to do is to call them "Professor Name." Is this just a department culture thing? Or is there a functional difference? Assistant: >Is this just a department culture thing? Probably. Some of it will also be personal preference. >Or is there a functional difference? In some cases, yes. Not all professors have a PhD, depending on the field. In those cases, it would be inappropriate to refer to them by Dr. XXX if they do not have a doctoral degree. Professor XXX would be a more appropriate choice. In your case, it's probably just the preference thing.

Human: Interested in teaching, less interested in research Currently pursuing a master's degree in media that is heavily research-focused. I have no problem with my research or the field I'm in, but I prefer plain old teaching over teaching and research. I was contemplating applying to schools for a PhD once I graduate, but I'm wondering if I need to. Can I teach at the university level without one? I understand PhD programs are heavily rooted in research, which again I have no problem with doing, but I'm wondering if this path is necessary if I'm interested more in teaching. Assistant: The irony is that while teaching colleges usually require a phd, the classes you teach will be at such a low level that you will quickly get bored. I’m stuck in a hell of having a doctorate and teaching the same gen ed class 8 times a year for 13 years. Don’t be me.

Human: Interested in teaching, less interested in research Currently pursuing a master's degree in media that is heavily research-focused. I have no problem with my research or the field I'm in, but I prefer plain old teaching over teaching and research. I was contemplating applying to schools for a PhD once I graduate, but I'm wondering if I need to. Can I teach at the university level without one? I understand PhD programs are heavily rooted in research, which again I have no problem with doing, but I'm wondering if this path is necessary if I'm interested more in teaching. Assistant: I'm at a teaching focused school. you can get an MA and be on the lecture track...but the pay tops off really fast. Schools want the PhD for accreditation reasons.

Human: Is it normal to still make silly mistakes as a postdoc? Started my first postdoc position three weeks ago. It's a bit of a shift for me; my PhD was in protein-RNA interaction biochemistry and crystallography, very in vitro, and I'm now shifting to a cell culture and bioinformatics lab. Well, I was doing great, but yesterday I made such a DUMB mistake... I generated six CRISPRi knockdown lines, and I was subculturing at the end of the day when I mixed two of them together in the same flask. So now I pretty much only have four CRISPRi lines for downstream experiments. I have lentivirus in the -80 so I can just reinfect and have the two lines ready within the upcoming week. But I just feel so dumb and so awful. I haven't told my PI yet as this happened Friday evening, I definitely will let him know on Monday. I don't know him that well and he is a little bit intimidating, which he is aware of and told me not to be intimidated by him. But I just feel so stupid and so scared to tell him. I know that he won't yell at me or anything, I just feel like he might regret hiring me. How bad is this? Assistant: If you can generate the cell lines again within a week then why do you even need to tell your PI? I know some PIs are more involved than others, but even as a PhD student I only really go to my boss with results; she's not interested in every little technical problem I have along the way and can easily solve myself. I wouldn't lie about a mistake or actively hide it if asked, but everyone makes mistakes, it's not a big deal. No need to broadcast them though.

Human: Is it normal to still make silly mistakes as a postdoc? Started my first postdoc position three weeks ago. It's a bit of a shift for me; my PhD was in protein-RNA interaction biochemistry and crystallography, very in vitro, and I'm now shifting to a cell culture and bioinformatics lab. Well, I was doing great, but yesterday I made such a DUMB mistake... I generated six CRISPRi knockdown lines, and I was subculturing at the end of the day when I mixed two of them together in the same flask. So now I pretty much only have four CRISPRi lines for downstream experiments. I have lentivirus in the -80 so I can just reinfect and have the two lines ready within the upcoming week. But I just feel so dumb and so awful. I haven't told my PI yet as this happened Friday evening, I definitely will let him know on Monday. I don't know him that well and he is a little bit intimidating, which he is aware of and told me not to be intimidated by him. But I just feel so stupid and so scared to tell him. I know that he won't yell at me or anything, I just feel like he might regret hiring me. How bad is this? Assistant: My grad mentor always said “once is a mistake, twice is a pattern” so just spend some time figuring out how to improve the workflow to prevent repeating the mistake. We all screw up!

Human: Do you ever feel like your research is pointless? Hi everybody. I'm in the middle of writing my Masters dissertation (in International Relations) and I'm feeling pretty hopeless. Do you ever feel like your research is pointless? Or not worth the time you've given it? Are your expected outcomes obvious, or just not that important anymore? Feeling down. Need a pick me up. At the very least, it'd be nice to know I'm not alone. Assistant: I am also writing a Masters dissertation in IR and feeling pretty hopeless! A lot of the research in my subject seems to be: here's a way in which the world is super bleak and dark, and research into the specifics of that doesn't feel like it's actually... doing anything? Like it's not going to make an impact and probably nobody other than the markers is doing it. But it's valuable to me, to my personal development, and I care about it. That's enough for now.

Human: Do you ever feel like your research is pointless? Hi everybody. I'm in the middle of writing my Masters dissertation (in International Relations) and I'm feeling pretty hopeless. Do you ever feel like your research is pointless? Or not worth the time you've given it? Are your expected outcomes obvious, or just not that important anymore? Feeling down. Need a pick me up. At the very least, it'd be nice to know I'm not alone. Assistant: It's completely pointless (I'm in the same field). But unfortunately, most jobs in this field are pointless. I've had different types of jobs in this field, and I don't see any way I'm making a difference. But it keeps us off the street.

Human: This might sound really stupid, but can I still submit abstracts to conferences call for papers after graduating and no longer being a graduate student? Please forgive me if this is the wrong space to post this. I finished my MA degree a few years ago, and I have been doing work unrelated to my degree since. Today my former second reader professor forwarded me a call for papers for a special conference about a very specific niche, on which I wrote my MA thesis. I really want to be a part of this conference, but I only submitted and presented papers while I was a student, and I no longer belong to an organization or school. Is it allowed for a regular "no-longer-a-student" person to participate? Will they welcome my submission? The call for papers said, "Early career scholars and graduate students are very welcome." Assistant: Go for it. There's usually no requirement that you have a current university affiliation in order to present at a conference. It's not extremely common for a variety of reasons, but people do present papers and publish as "independent scholars".

Human: This might sound really stupid, but can I still submit abstracts to conferences call for papers after graduating and no longer being a graduate student? Please forgive me if this is the wrong space to post this. I finished my MA degree a few years ago, and I have been doing work unrelated to my degree since. Today my former second reader professor forwarded me a call for papers for a special conference about a very specific niche, on which I wrote my MA thesis. I really want to be a part of this conference, but I only submitted and presented papers while I was a student, and I no longer belong to an organization or school. Is it allowed for a regular "no-longer-a-student" person to participate? Will they welcome my submission? The call for papers said, "Early career scholars and graduate students are very welcome." Assistant: Yes, you’d likely be categorised as an Independent Scholar.

Human: How do I come up with a research topic for my PhD? I want to start a PhD but I am having trouble with coming up with a research proposal. I have a vague idea about what I want my research to be about but I can't come up with a concrete research topic. All suggestions are welcome! Assistant: You have to read. Reading is everything. From "I have a vague idea.." you should read everything you possibly can related to the vague idea. This exposes the missing links and fills in the gaps in your understanding. After 100 papers or a dozen monographs the idea will no longer be vague, and you'll have a concrete proposal.

Human: How do I come up with a research topic for my PhD? I want to start a PhD but I am having trouble with coming up with a research proposal. I have a vague idea about what I want my research to be about but I can't come up with a concrete research topic. All suggestions are welcome! Assistant: Find the boundaries of your current field of interest. Find what lies beyond those boundaries. Pick one of those topics. Current (2020) *good* long reviews are very helpful. Find one from a giant in your field and dig into a nice 10-90 page review. They’ll point out what’s missing or elude to it.

Human: How bad is it to be a "Jack of all trades" in academia? Hey! While I think I'm doing relatively OK in terms of the sheer number of publications, something that's been bugging me lately is the fact that my publication are far from being concentrated around one topic (or even area within the discipline). Due to the fact that my country has a somewhat messy academic system, I found myself working on project A (one area within my discipline) and project B (another area within my discipline) for financial reasons, while trying to conduct my own PhD-thesis related research (let's call this "project C" - again, another area within my discipline). The situation becomes even more complicated because of additional random collaborations and because I also work on some extra stuff with my academic advisor (this stuff is a bit closer to my PhD-thesis than other projects). So ... How bad is it to be a "Jack of all trades" in academia? Does it look a bit better if you are only the first author of publications that are close to your area of interest (and a middle author on other publications)? Can it even be advantageous to be a "generalist"? What would you suggest? Assistant: So long as you can spin a yarn about how some top-level theoretic perspective ties together all your work you're fine. If you can't do that - find a way to do it.

Human: How bad is it to be a "Jack of all trades" in academia? Hey! While I think I'm doing relatively OK in terms of the sheer number of publications, something that's been bugging me lately is the fact that my publication are far from being concentrated around one topic (or even area within the discipline). Due to the fact that my country has a somewhat messy academic system, I found myself working on project A (one area within my discipline) and project B (another area within my discipline) for financial reasons, while trying to conduct my own PhD-thesis related research (let's call this "project C" - again, another area within my discipline). The situation becomes even more complicated because of additional random collaborations and because I also work on some extra stuff with my academic advisor (this stuff is a bit closer to my PhD-thesis than other projects). So ... How bad is it to be a "Jack of all trades" in academia? Does it look a bit better if you are only the first author of publications that are close to your area of interest (and a middle author on other publications)? Can it even be advantageous to be a "generalist"? What would you suggest? Assistant: SLAC here and we tend to hire generalists because we don't have enough faculty to specialize

Human: Has anyone here NOT had significant issues completing their PhD? Genuinely curious how many individuals here didn't face significant issues with advisors, cohorts, labs, course failures, mental health, etc. I've noticed the majority of posts speaking negatively about all facets of pursuing a PhD and honestly, I want to hear the positive parts for once. Assistant: PhD in criminal justice, full stipend and tuition waiver throughout. Finished in 5 years, immediately got a tenure-track job after. No major problems, am lifelong friends with several folks from grad school, didn’t get divorced in grad school, didn’t contemplate suicide, had a hell of a good time surrounded by the smartest people I’ll ever meet. Don’t get me wrong. It was hard. But grad school was a fun job.

Human: Has anyone here NOT had significant issues completing their PhD? Genuinely curious how many individuals here didn't face significant issues with advisors, cohorts, labs, course failures, mental health, etc. I've noticed the majority of posts speaking negatively about all facets of pursuing a PhD and honestly, I want to hear the positive parts for once. Assistant: Yeah, I completed my Chemistry PhD fairly quickly (a semester faster than the department average). My adviser set up fruitful collaborations throughout my time in grad school so I had several publications, which made it easy to get a great postdoc, which was also a great time.

Human: What is the worst thing you have heard an academic say in a highly public, professional setting? I just want some good stories. Outrageous, blunt, callous, etc. I think they are hilarious. Assistant: I was once at a beginning of the year do where the Dean was introducing new faculty and he introduced our new female faculty member as male, and then ARGUED WITH HER when she corrected him.

Human: What is the worst thing you have heard an academic say in a highly public, professional setting? I just want some good stories. Outrageous, blunt, callous, etc. I think they are hilarious. Assistant: I feel like I have many, but the *worst* would have to be the professor who stated, "Well there wasn't any culture in Canada before the settlers arrived," and refused to back down when the First Nations were brought up.

Human: What non-academic achievement did you complete during your PhD? As somebody who will be embarking on a PhD in the fall, I'd like to hear a little bit more about what people have accomplished in their personal lives during graduate school. Did you write a fictional novel? Did you make a video game? Have you gotten married or traveled the world? Did you run a marathon? What personal goals did you achieve during your PhD that helped you escape from the research from time to time? Share any stories here - big or small! Assistant: I didn't commit suicide from the isolation, stress, and ex's affair.

Human: What non-academic achievement did you complete during your PhD? As somebody who will be embarking on a PhD in the fall, I'd like to hear a little bit more about what people have accomplished in their personal lives during graduate school. Did you write a fictional novel? Did you make a video game? Have you gotten married or traveled the world? Did you run a marathon? What personal goals did you achieve during your PhD that helped you escape from the research from time to time? Share any stories here - big or small! Assistant: Lost 50lbs, ran a couple half marathons and a full, learned Chinese, and taught my dog to take all of her toys around the house and put them back in a box.

Human: Being a professor and the "gay voice" and manneirism (26M gay) I've always had a concern abou my voice sounding too gay but only about dating and hooking up. Now I have this concern about the classroom too. Is it something bad to have a gay voice while being a professor? Read something about it being unprofessional and makes you being disrespected. I have this memory about all my male teachers and professors being a bit feminine even thought they're all straight. So is it ok maybe? Assistant: Pretending I don't have a "gay voice" is exhausting and never worth it. If others don't like it, too bad. I'd rather lead by example for other queer folks (and non-queer folks who may share similar traits)

Human: Being a professor and the "gay voice" and manneirism (26M gay) I've always had a concern abou my voice sounding too gay but only about dating and hooking up. Now I have this concern about the classroom too. Is it something bad to have a gay voice while being a professor? Read something about it being unprofessional and makes you being disrespected. I have this memory about all my male teachers and professors being a bit feminine even thought they're all straight. So is it ok maybe? Assistant: My only question is how you're a professor at 26.

Human: Is it really awkward or unusual for someone outside academia to attend an academic conference? I only completed undergrad, but I'm a curious person and I like learning about things. And I've had interest in going to some, though the fees seem intimidating. Would it be gauche to attend one on my own? Are there any issues with being there without representing a school? Assistant: I'm in academia and it is awkward and uncomfortable for me to attend academic conferences. So, even if it is awkward, you are not alone.

Human: Is it really awkward or unusual for someone outside academia to attend an academic conference? I only completed undergrad, but I'm a curious person and I like learning about things. And I've had interest in going to some, though the fees seem intimidating. Would it be gauche to attend one on my own? Are there any issues with being there without representing a school? Assistant: In computing, having industry folks come is commonplace, but if you can register online for a conference you are welcome to attend. That said, academic conferences are intended for active researchers in the field to update each other on the latest developments. Most talks will have a presumption of being mostly current in the niche area under discussion. If you are considering a conference in a field you know little about, you will likely be lost.

Human: Why don’t premeds have their own major/tract/training programs apart from other life science majors? After reading about NYU firing Maitland Jones after numerous student complaints, I’m baffled as to why a number of the complaints were from pre-meds complaining that the class wasn’t “relevant to their MCATs”. Organic chemistry is also required curriculum for majors in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering and will likely have more students entering roles in industry or grad school that have nothing to do with med school. Granted, I’m asking from a bias of really disliking how my pre-med peers treated the material being taught when I was an undergrad. It made studying with them a nihilistic slog. Now as a grad student, I’m likely unfairly suspicious about the same types of students wasting my time and passion for my research for med school brownie points. I’m also concerned about how this socially impacts other STEM students who might really love science, but start associating it early on with the negative discussions their pre-med peers constantly complain about. There are already math/physics courses that are simplified for non-engineering folks, why not premeds as well? Given the sheer number of pre-med students, why isn’t there typically a separate track for the pre-med students to just focus on pre-med material? Assistant: Because premed isn’t a major, and given how few students are successful in getting into med school, having them take classes that serve no broader purpose isn’t a good idea long term. But also, med schools likely would not accept watered down versions of the courses. Most already disallow using nursing organic or biochem courses to count.

Human: Why don’t premeds have their own major/tract/training programs apart from other life science majors? After reading about NYU firing Maitland Jones after numerous student complaints, I’m baffled as to why a number of the complaints were from pre-meds complaining that the class wasn’t “relevant to their MCATs”. Organic chemistry is also required curriculum for majors in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering and will likely have more students entering roles in industry or grad school that have nothing to do with med school. Granted, I’m asking from a bias of really disliking how my pre-med peers treated the material being taught when I was an undergrad. It made studying with them a nihilistic slog. Now as a grad student, I’m likely unfairly suspicious about the same types of students wasting my time and passion for my research for med school brownie points. I’m also concerned about how this socially impacts other STEM students who might really love science, but start associating it early on with the negative discussions their pre-med peers constantly complain about. There are already math/physics courses that are simplified for non-engineering folks, why not premeds as well? Given the sheer number of pre-med students, why isn’t there typically a separate track for the pre-med students to just focus on pre-med material? Assistant: What do you suppose the university do about the massive percentage of premed track students who never get into medicine? At the end, a premed degree that doesn’t get you into medicine will be utterly worthless and ultimately reflect poorly on the institution.

Human: How can I close the gap in my statistics knowledge? I'm a first year postdoc at an R1 university. I took statistics in undergrad and grad school and earned the highest possible grades, but I feel like I didn't retain very much. My memory was that the undergrad class involved working relatively easy math problems and my grad class involved copying and pasting R code that was a little too complex for me to understand at the time. Does anyone have thoughts on how to systematically cultivate more expertise in statistics? Being knowledgeable would really help my career, but just picking up bits and pieces as I go has not been adequate. TIA. Assistant: Pick 1-3 skills you want to learn and think of a project you can apply those skills to. Just going through a textbook won’t make it stick.

Human: How can I close the gap in my statistics knowledge? I'm a first year postdoc at an R1 university. I took statistics in undergrad and grad school and earned the highest possible grades, but I feel like I didn't retain very much. My memory was that the undergrad class involved working relatively easy math problems and my grad class involved copying and pasting R code that was a little too complex for me to understand at the time. Does anyone have thoughts on how to systematically cultivate more expertise in statistics? Being knowledgeable would really help my career, but just picking up bits and pieces as I go has not been adequate. TIA. Assistant: Advice I’ve received is that one you’ve picked up a few skills in R or wherever, keeping a personal library off well documented code for analysis and presentation is both an excellent tool for yourself and a portfolio if needed. Basically, start doing projects in R to teach yourself EDA and then statistics you are interested in.

Human: Those who came up with their own PhD topic/subject, what process led you to discover your specific topic? Currently I'm reading mid 2020 publications of authors in my field to discover problems and ideas that may be at the basis of my own PhD proposal in early 2021. I feel like there is some exciting stuff here that could work for me and I'm making notes on interesting questions / issues. To know if I'm on the right track or if I could improve what I'm doing, I am very curious to hear about the process and things you did to get to your (accepted) PhD proposals! Assistant: I dreamed big and identified the steps that must be done to get to the end goal. Then I picked a fundamental step that was not yet solved. Then I restricted the problem such that it seemed solvable in the timeframe of a few years. The end goal gave me my "why". The picking process gave me my "what". And the restriction process provided me with my "how".

Human: Those who came up with their own PhD topic/subject, what process led you to discover your specific topic? Currently I'm reading mid 2020 publications of authors in my field to discover problems and ideas that may be at the basis of my own PhD proposal in early 2021. I feel like there is some exciting stuff here that could work for me and I'm making notes on interesting questions / issues. To know if I'm on the right track or if I could improve what I'm doing, I am very curious to hear about the process and things you did to get to your (accepted) PhD proposals! Assistant: The best advice I got was to read abstracts/articles from recent journals in your field and find places where smart people are disagreeing with each other on a topic that is interesting to you. Then you'll know it's not a solved problem and you'll know it's probably not a stupid question.

Human: First offer Folks, I had posted this a few weeks ago about rejections in academia. I just received my first offer for a TT position and I still cannot believe it. ​ Thank you for all of your suggestions/advice/motivational comments. r/AskAcademia has truly been a godsend for navigating the crazy labyrinth of the academic job search process. For those of you on the market, please keep persevering! Assistant: Super!

Human: First offer Folks, I had posted this a few weeks ago about rejections in academia. I just received my first offer for a TT position and I still cannot believe it. ​ Thank you for all of your suggestions/advice/motivational comments. r/AskAcademia has truly been a godsend for navigating the crazy labyrinth of the academic job search process. For those of you on the market, please keep persevering! Assistant: Congrats! I remember the exact moment I got mine... I literally started shaking.

Human: Do you believe academia is worth pursuing for reasons other than getting a job? Sorry, I'm going to rant a bit as to the reasons why I'm asking this question, but I do genuinely want to know your answer. **Start rant:** I want to get a PhD in English, probably concentrating on Comp & Rhet or Critical Theory/Cultural Studies. I want to do this because I find it fulfilling, point blank. I feel like that upsets a lot of people. With the job market like it is, it's like people resent that you might want an advanced degree in something that won't immediately or directly translate to a job, and pursue it for a reason other than getting a job. I have 9 years of experience in editing and writing for the web. I'm not worried about making decent money. I'm hoping that getting a PhD will make me more qualified for other types of work--like editing a scholarly journal, becoming a professor (even an adjunct while I have a second job), doing editing and/or writing for an organization like the UN, or writing for a more academic/scholarly-type website--but at the end of the day, I want to better my scholarly skills. I want to be better at doing research, better at writing, better at thinking, etc., for its own sake and for my fulfillment. And I want to do what I love to do: write and do research. Am I going to get into a lot of debt for this? I don't think I'll pursue it unless I get a tuition waiver and a decent stipend. I'm not going into a humanities degree with rose-colored glasses. But nor am I shunning it because I might not need a PhD for whatever job I end up getting or because the academic job market is bad (right now, not necessarily forever. I'm 26, and hopefully my life will be long). **-end rant** How many of you believe in pursuing academia for reasons other than getting a job? There used to be the idea that the pursuit of knowledge was noble for its own sake, or to advance the mind of the person pursuing the education. Is that sentiment dead? Assistant: It's all nice until the bills come. What you want to do you can do perfectly outside a PhD with selfstudy. At most, I would advice a parttime PhD if you really want to taste academic life. At this moment you are seeing the good things but deep inside you want an academic job and reality will bite you. Financially, even with a scholarship, you will take a hit. Believe me, for your quality of life, it's not worth it unfortunately.

Human: Do you believe academia is worth pursuing for reasons other than getting a job? Sorry, I'm going to rant a bit as to the reasons why I'm asking this question, but I do genuinely want to know your answer. **Start rant:** I want to get a PhD in English, probably concentrating on Comp & Rhet or Critical Theory/Cultural Studies. I want to do this because I find it fulfilling, point blank. I feel like that upsets a lot of people. With the job market like it is, it's like people resent that you might want an advanced degree in something that won't immediately or directly translate to a job, and pursue it for a reason other than getting a job. I have 9 years of experience in editing and writing for the web. I'm not worried about making decent money. I'm hoping that getting a PhD will make me more qualified for other types of work--like editing a scholarly journal, becoming a professor (even an adjunct while I have a second job), doing editing and/or writing for an organization like the UN, or writing for a more academic/scholarly-type website--but at the end of the day, I want to better my scholarly skills. I want to be better at doing research, better at writing, better at thinking, etc., for its own sake and for my fulfillment. And I want to do what I love to do: write and do research. Am I going to get into a lot of debt for this? I don't think I'll pursue it unless I get a tuition waiver and a decent stipend. I'm not going into a humanities degree with rose-colored glasses. But nor am I shunning it because I might not need a PhD for whatever job I end up getting or because the academic job market is bad (right now, not necessarily forever. I'm 26, and hopefully my life will be long). **-end rant** How many of you believe in pursuing academia for reasons other than getting a job? There used to be the idea that the pursuit of knowledge was noble for its own sake, or to advance the mind of the person pursuing the education. Is that sentiment dead? Assistant: job satisfaction......what is that? one asshole boss can ruin everything. Find happiness in hobby and do the job for sustaining that hobby.

Human: Completing PhD in 3-4 years? How do some people end up completing their PhD (in the USA) in 4 years? I've seen people in Chemistry and Materials Sciences complete their PhDs in 4 years directly after their bachelor's and that too without compromising the number and quality of publications. What traits set these students apart and what skills need deliberate practice to follow their footsteps? ​ PS: I'm not talking about PhD programs in the European universities where the length of PhD is much shorter in general. But that is an interesting topic too. The students in the European universities also produce similar works like that of US grad students but they take much less time to complete their PhDs. Assistant: I’m in a discipline that has a good job market. I finished in four years with no pubs and still had a job offer one year before graduation.

Human: Completing PhD in 3-4 years? How do some people end up completing their PhD (in the USA) in 4 years? I've seen people in Chemistry and Materials Sciences complete their PhDs in 4 years directly after their bachelor's and that too without compromising the number and quality of publications. What traits set these students apart and what skills need deliberate practice to follow their footsteps? ​ PS: I'm not talking about PhD programs in the European universities where the length of PhD is much shorter in general. But that is an interesting topic too. The students in the European universities also produce similar works like that of US grad students but they take much less time to complete their PhDs. Assistant: Something to consider: Why do you want to finish quickly? If your ultimate goal is an academic job, your plan should be to graduate with a competitive CV. Finishing in 3 years with a dissertation but few or no pubs under your belt would be an academic career dead end, in my field.

Human: University surveying whether to go pass/fail. What are the benefits for students? What are the risks? For what are probably obvious reasons, my university is surveying grad students to see if we prefer a pass/fail grade. This is my second masters, and I hope to go into a PhD afterward. I felt like taking a pass/fail was the obvious choice, but people have given me doubts. What do you think? How would you evaluate a pass/fail grad school metric for next year's PhD candidates? Assistant: Where I am re a number of universities, the PhD defense is pass/fail. Courses from masters up are A you pass, B you are basically warned and if you do it in a subsequent semester you are on probation and must get back to an A, which is basically pass/fail. All professors know this and A's are given out liberally, so one has to be fairly determined to get a B and not continue.

Human: University surveying whether to go pass/fail. What are the benefits for students? What are the risks? For what are probably obvious reasons, my university is surveying grad students to see if we prefer a pass/fail grade. This is my second masters, and I hope to go into a PhD afterward. I felt like taking a pass/fail was the obvious choice, but people have given me doubts. What do you think? How would you evaluate a pass/fail grad school metric for next year's PhD candidates? Assistant: We'll have to reevaluate how we as a college will look at those scores. Right now, it's our policy to not accept classes for transfer credit if the student took them pass/fail. That will probably change but only for this semester.

Human: Does anyone have any positive experiences of getting a PhD and working in academia? I’ve seen so many articles and posts about the negative aspects of getting a PhD and finding a decent job in academia (particularly the humanities). All of the struggles and downsides seem completely valid, but surely there are those out there who have more positive experiences. Anyone willing to share? Assistant: Yup! 6 years PhD, spent reading and writing, my two favorite things since forever. Then fell in love with researching my dissertation. TT job in history dept, love my colleagues and school. Committee work sucks, and I don’t get to research as much as I’d like, but surround yourself in grad school and your career who care and appreciate you. I’m lucky, I know, but it’s possible!

Human: Does anyone have any positive experiences of getting a PhD and working in academia? I’ve seen so many articles and posts about the negative aspects of getting a PhD and finding a decent job in academia (particularly the humanities). All of the struggles and downsides seem completely valid, but surely there are those out there who have more positive experiences. Anyone willing to share? Assistant: My PhD was a mess, but after that I got a PostDoc which turned into tenured position. There are ups and downs, but in general, I wouldn't do anything else and not sure if I'd want to go anywhere else.

Human: Is it possible to be a grad student without being miserable and depressed? if you’ve done it, could you share how? I just graduated from my undergrad and I’m planning on applying to PhD programs this fall (looking at CS and information science depts, interested in critical computing and HCI). I have a good amount of research experience and know that I genuinely love research and think that I want to be a researcher — I’m as sure of that as I can be sure of anything at 22 years old. but I’m also terrified of phd student life! It seems like it’s designed, whether intentionally or not, to destroy your mental health. Pressure to publish + lack of work/life boundaries + being severely underpaid + exploitation + possibly abusive environments + loneliness & social isolation + many more things…I’m overwhelmed thinking about it. I already have mental health issues (that I’m actively working on with a therapist), and I’ve observed that these issues are much easier to cope with when I have ample time for rest and life-giving activities. I’m also a young woman of color so extra nervous about associated challenges. It seems like every day on Twitter I see another tweet about yet another broken aspect of the institution of academia. I had an industry research internship this summer, and while it was much better in some ways, I still felt the isolation and pressure to publish. I guess I feel frustrated as to why it seems like I need to go through a traumatic experience to become a researcher. Are there places in academia that are supportive of a healthy lifestyle, or is academia just incompatible with that? I apologize in advance if this was too pessimistic. I ask these questions because I love research so much, but I feel hopeless about being able to do research without major consequence to my mental health. Assistant: Step 1: Stop reading academic reddit / twitter / blogs. Step 2: Be less miserable.

Human: Is it possible to be a grad student without being miserable and depressed? if you’ve done it, could you share how? I just graduated from my undergrad and I’m planning on applying to PhD programs this fall (looking at CS and information science depts, interested in critical computing and HCI). I have a good amount of research experience and know that I genuinely love research and think that I want to be a researcher — I’m as sure of that as I can be sure of anything at 22 years old. but I’m also terrified of phd student life! It seems like it’s designed, whether intentionally or not, to destroy your mental health. Pressure to publish + lack of work/life boundaries + being severely underpaid + exploitation + possibly abusive environments + loneliness & social isolation + many more things…I’m overwhelmed thinking about it. I already have mental health issues (that I’m actively working on with a therapist), and I’ve observed that these issues are much easier to cope with when I have ample time for rest and life-giving activities. I’m also a young woman of color so extra nervous about associated challenges. It seems like every day on Twitter I see another tweet about yet another broken aspect of the institution of academia. I had an industry research internship this summer, and while it was much better in some ways, I still felt the isolation and pressure to publish. I guess I feel frustrated as to why it seems like I need to go through a traumatic experience to become a researcher. Are there places in academia that are supportive of a healthy lifestyle, or is academia just incompatible with that? I apologize in advance if this was too pessimistic. I ask these questions because I love research so much, but I feel hopeless about being able to do research without major consequence to my mental health. Assistant: It's all a matter of perspective. I used to work 60 to 70 hours weekly in my corporate job with tight deadlines, while managing teams of 20+. PhD wasn't that bad. I still have a tendency to work too much even today. My wife and kids keep my workaholism in check. --Edit-- Also, I had awesome mentors. Still do.

Human: How do you deal with laypeople that "know" more about your field than you? (reposted for grammar and clarity) How do you deal with lay people that "know" about your field/discipline more than you? Because, asserting your experience, research, and credentials makes you a cookie-cutter elitist and no match for their....umm...uhh........vitriol? *ad hominem* jabs? Friend that once studied French Baroque? If you are a scholar and expert in a field, how do you know more than some random person that "knows" more about your discipline? The axiom here is that you have/are working toward an advanced degree and have an actual understanding of your field compared to a layperson. These laypeople are actually the ones trying to prove themselves with outright lies despite you, the person who has studied the field for a decade, being able to state otherwise. you are an expert in your field, have researched and practiced it for a decade and someone with no real experience or rigor "knows more than you." So, for example, if you were a cardiologist and somebody on Reddit/YouTube, etc. claimed to know more than you and their advice just as valid. Often the retort or retaliation for your hard work and sacrifice is that you are an elitist. Maybe an American sports analogy would be: an armchair quarterback that would coach/tell Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes how to play their position. Assistant: Considering the nature of my specialty, people who try to speak over my authority on it generally fall into one of two categories: - People who consider the humanities worthless. - Literal homophobes. It's not worth my time engaging in either case.

Human: How do you deal with laypeople that "know" more about your field than you? (reposted for grammar and clarity) How do you deal with lay people that "know" about your field/discipline more than you? Because, asserting your experience, research, and credentials makes you a cookie-cutter elitist and no match for their....umm...uhh........vitriol? *ad hominem* jabs? Friend that once studied French Baroque? If you are a scholar and expert in a field, how do you know more than some random person that "knows" more about your discipline? The axiom here is that you have/are working toward an advanced degree and have an actual understanding of your field compared to a layperson. These laypeople are actually the ones trying to prove themselves with outright lies despite you, the person who has studied the field for a decade, being able to state otherwise. you are an expert in your field, have researched and practiced it for a decade and someone with no real experience or rigor "knows more than you." So, for example, if you were a cardiologist and somebody on Reddit/YouTube, etc. claimed to know more than you and their advice just as valid. Often the retort or retaliation for your hard work and sacrifice is that you are an elitist. Maybe an American sports analogy would be: an armchair quarterback that would coach/tell Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes how to play their position. Assistant: I’m in public health so I... have no answers to this question. Lol. But I can commiserate!

Human: Assaulted in the office, is it a good idea ever to mention this? I work in a shared office with a couple of other research groups at a university, one of which a feud with someone in our group (e.g. using office consumables, misplacing staplers and claiming ownership of items etc). ​ Last week, when I was working late, a member from that group came and intimidated me, swearing and getting uncomfortably close, asking me about an office item which was misplaced quite often (I knew of it, but not really the specifics), to which he ended up smacking me on the back and head several times (a very aggressive way that could've seemed casual if anyone was watching). ​ Since then, I've been feeling quite shaken, I don't really trust the environment I'm in anymore and certainly not anything around me, I've been keeping my food locked and putting all my work in a binder at the end of the day and taking all my data/books home in case there is any further conflict that gets worse than physical. ​ I understand academia can be a stressful environment but I don't anyone has ever tried to physically confront me over something that I was not directly involved in (other than having a vague knowledge of the events). Is this a common occurrence that people brush off? ​ I'm a junior research fellow if this helps anyone. Assistant: Yeah, that is assault. Report it, please.

Human: Assaulted in the office, is it a good idea ever to mention this? I work in a shared office with a couple of other research groups at a university, one of which a feud with someone in our group (e.g. using office consumables, misplacing staplers and claiming ownership of items etc). ​ Last week, when I was working late, a member from that group came and intimidated me, swearing and getting uncomfortably close, asking me about an office item which was misplaced quite often (I knew of it, but not really the specifics), to which he ended up smacking me on the back and head several times (a very aggressive way that could've seemed casual if anyone was watching). ​ Since then, I've been feeling quite shaken, I don't really trust the environment I'm in anymore and certainly not anything around me, I've been keeping my food locked and putting all my work in a binder at the end of the day and taking all my data/books home in case there is any further conflict that gets worse than physical. ​ I understand academia can be a stressful environment but I don't anyone has ever tried to physically confront me over something that I was not directly involved in (other than having a vague knowledge of the events). Is this a common occurrence that people brush off? ​ I'm a junior research fellow if this helps anyone. Assistant: You should certainly report this! That person's behavior was 100% uncalled for, and they have absolutely no right to make you feel uncomfortable in your workplace. No one should touch you, ever, unless it is welcome. Please let your chair know, in writing, and with as much detail as possible. Best of luck.

Human: Is it realistic to want to be interdisciplinary? My favorite Wikipedia pages are the ones that say “John/Jane Doe was a philosopher, scientist, historian, sociologist, mathematician, and artist.” Those are the kinds of people I look up to. Those are my role models. But there’s a lot of information out there. More than there was 100 or 200 years ago. Which means it takes longer to become an expert in a discipline than it once did. Are there still polymaths in the 21st-century? Assistant: Being a 16th or 17th century style polymath is difficult to impossible, but interdisciplinary studies are basically required at this point. Where do you draw the line between compsci, biology, and chemistry in genetics? Where is the line between biology, chemistry, and psychology when you're working in neuroscience? Toss in some physics for flavoring when you're talking about acoustics, or fMRI, or...

Human: Is it realistic to want to be interdisciplinary? My favorite Wikipedia pages are the ones that say “John/Jane Doe was a philosopher, scientist, historian, sociologist, mathematician, and artist.” Those are the kinds of people I look up to. Those are my role models. But there’s a lot of information out there. More than there was 100 or 200 years ago. Which means it takes longer to become an expert in a discipline than it once did. Are there still polymaths in the 21st-century? Assistant: Buckaroo Banzai is a physicist, neurosurgeon, test pilot, and rock musician.

Human: Is PhD regret a thing? Just wondering if anyone has ever felt like getting a PhD was ultimately the wrong move for them and why. Assistant: Many are disheartened by job opportunities and the overall BS of post-doc life, but I have never met anyone who regretted getting the degree.

Human: Is PhD regret a thing? Just wondering if anyone has ever felt like getting a PhD was ultimately the wrong move for them and why. Assistant: I really regret getting a PhD. I'm in the UK and went to a top school, top of my class, but it seems to have closed more doors than it opened. I'm now a data scientist, but having a math/stats/programming PhD doesn't help that much. I should have become an accountant or plumber; I think I'd be far, far happier.

Human: Got revisions to do on a paper but I graduated and left, PI pushing me to do revisions but I have a full-time job and don't need the paper We submitted the paper to a journal and preprinted it, then I graduated and took a job. I don't need the paper for my career but obviously it helps my PI. My PI keeps bugging me about getting the paper resubmitted and I don't want/have time to do it. I'm the only author along with PI, PI older and pretty hands off. How do I tell my PI I can't work on the paper anymore? Feel hostage. Assistant: Can you estimate how many hours the revisions and resubmission would require? Keep in mind ... even though you have graduated and are working your first job, this relationship with your PI, and your reference from him, is and always will be a critical one in your career. My perspective is as an industry person: universities do not do a good job of teaching that relationships, more than any particular technical skills, are the major drivers of career success.

Human: Got revisions to do on a paper but I graduated and left, PI pushing me to do revisions but I have a full-time job and don't need the paper We submitted the paper to a journal and preprinted it, then I graduated and took a job. I don't need the paper for my career but obviously it helps my PI. My PI keeps bugging me about getting the paper resubmitted and I don't want/have time to do it. I'm the only author along with PI, PI older and pretty hands off. How do I tell my PI I can't work on the paper anymore? Feel hostage. Assistant: Why not let them take first authorship and have them do the revisions?

Human: Accepted offer for TT position Signed contract today with only a few minor adjustments. I’m grateful for this group with helping field mh questions about negotiations, campus visits and everything about this process. I love the numbers we landed with and happy to see it all in writing! Thank you all! I’m sure I’ll be on this thread again with questions but for now I’m just gonna let it sink in! 🎉☺️🎉 Assistant: Congratulations! You did a really hard thing! Celebrate yourself.

Human: Accepted offer for TT position Signed contract today with only a few minor adjustments. I’m grateful for this group with helping field mh questions about negotiations, campus visits and everything about this process. I love the numbers we landed with and happy to see it all in writing! Thank you all! I’m sure I’ll be on this thread again with questions but for now I’m just gonna let it sink in! 🎉☺️🎉 Assistant: I commented on a couple of your earlier posts and read your later ones. I'm so thrilled for you! This has really made my day. Negotiating is so daunting and it's easy to sit on the sidelines and egg someone on, less easy to do it yourself (as evidenced by my dallying about asking for a payrise). Good luck with the transition!

Human: Is Academia really as bad as it can be made out to be? Is there any benefit to going into academia? I stumbled across this sub a few weeks ago and had been browsing popular posts and comments that all appear to highlight the negative aspects and stresses associated with an academic career. For context, I’m an Australian that completed my undergraduate at the end of last year and have been working clinically in my sport and exercise role for almost 12 months but have been very keen on getting into academia via masters by research or mPhil with either a subsequent or upgrading masters to PhD (either in public health, cancer research in relation to exercise or more specific. (Honours is not a financially viable route fo me). I have tried to start transitioning into the space with some other projects and research assistant work on the side but reading through some of these experiences have really given me some cause for concern about my desired career choice. Assistant: If you really love your field and cannot imagine doing anything else but contribute to the scholarly understanding of it for the rest of your life, then it's a good fit. If things like a good work-life balance and fair compensation are important to you, it's not the best. It's also not the only career to suffer from this, but the expectations can get demotivating when you see that the rewards are mostly from self-fulfillment.

Human: Is Academia really as bad as it can be made out to be? Is there any benefit to going into academia? I stumbled across this sub a few weeks ago and had been browsing popular posts and comments that all appear to highlight the negative aspects and stresses associated with an academic career. For context, I’m an Australian that completed my undergraduate at the end of last year and have been working clinically in my sport and exercise role for almost 12 months but have been very keen on getting into academia via masters by research or mPhil with either a subsequent or upgrading masters to PhD (either in public health, cancer research in relation to exercise or more specific. (Honours is not a financially viable route fo me). I have tried to start transitioning into the space with some other projects and research assistant work on the side but reading through some of these experiences have really given me some cause for concern about my desired career choice. Assistant: I literally love my job. Are there shitty parts? Yes.

Human: Professor I am interested in working with has only ever worked with Chinese students and researchers. Is this a red flag? There is a professor who is doing research in an area that I am very interested in but when looking at all his research I became a bit concerned. He has only worked with Chinese students and various Chinese researchers from industry and other universities. Looking through all his work, it doesn't seem that he has ever worked with a non Chinese person. Also, every summer he invites 5 students from various Chinese universities to work with him fully funded. As a non-Chinese student I feel like I may just be wasting my time contacting him. Assistant: Feel free to contact him. However when I see a professor who only has international students in his lab (his own race doesnt usually matter) I worry about abusive relationship between them. This is because with a US student/postdoc, usually you can leave the lab if you aren't happy. However with international students, if you decide to leave the lab, you also have to leave the country. So I have seen a lot of professors really abuse their international students because of this.

Human: Professor I am interested in working with has only ever worked with Chinese students and researchers. Is this a red flag? There is a professor who is doing research in an area that I am very interested in but when looking at all his research I became a bit concerned. He has only worked with Chinese students and various Chinese researchers from industry and other universities. Looking through all his work, it doesn't seem that he has ever worked with a non Chinese person. Also, every summer he invites 5 students from various Chinese universities to work with him fully funded. As a non-Chinese student I feel like I may just be wasting my time contacting him. Assistant: Is the professor himself Chinese? I'm a white professor and all my students have been either white or Chinese. Every Chinese student I've had has done well, while it's 50/50 for whites. But of course each person is an individual and despite observing trends I give any individual a chance without stereotyping.

Human: What does your research look like as a non STEM Researcher Hello there! I am an experimental condensed matter Physics PhD candidate and I was wondering what a day in the life of a non STEM researcher looks like. All of my academic career has been in STEM and my work solely revolves around physically conducting experiments. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no clue what the research process looks like for the rest of academia and would love to know more about how y’all conduct research and what your average day looks like! Thank you for your time! Assistant: Historian; databases, old newspapers, human resources. Usually in that order, look in a database, get a reference from an old newspaper, identify a human being you want to interview. Look in the death notices to see if that's even a thing. Like being a detective, who deals exclusively in cold cases, and needs ethics approval to do anything.

Human: What does your research look like as a non STEM Researcher Hello there! I am an experimental condensed matter Physics PhD candidate and I was wondering what a day in the life of a non STEM researcher looks like. All of my academic career has been in STEM and my work solely revolves around physically conducting experiments. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no clue what the research process looks like for the rest of academia and would love to know more about how y’all conduct research and what your average day looks like! Thank you for your time! Assistant: Lots, and lots of reading. And then either making an argument for a particular interpretation of an existing law or a particular approach to tackling a 'gap' in the existing law, some of which may involve reinterpretation (i.e. we've been thinking about this problem wrong). As long as I've got my laptop and a wifi connection I can work from anywhere.