Latest Comments on Science and Academia
-
Dear ministry, are you serious?
Translated from the (German) instructions on the final step of submitting a project plan for funding: Please specify exactly how many and which publications you will publish over the next three years. Yeah, right.
-
Lecturing is getting increasingly bipolar
In this fifth semester of the COVID-19 pandemic, I can’t help but predict that teaching by way of lectures will be getting more bipolar. I foresee two main modes of lecturing: This may hardly sound surprising, but some of the underlying mechanics that are leading me to this prediction may. There are two noteworthy developments:…
-
Best practices for page numbers in article submissions
Should you add page numbers to articles you submit for review? Absolutely. Why? Because it will make it easier for reviewers to comment. Should you have page numbers in an article you are preparing for submission? Absolutely. Why? Because your coauthors will find it easier to comment. (Not everyone will always be online; I still…
-
Using open source to align academic client-supplier relationships
Open source is a boon for academic project collaboration. As long as the collaboration is not only voluntary, but also on equal footing, everyone can contribute and benefit under the guidance of an open source license and processes. However, as soon as money flows between the partners, the lawyers will want to have their say,…
-
What does customer success mean for a professor?
A professor raises funds, manages projects, and publishes about it. Next to teaching, university committees, self-administration, recruiting and hiring, people management, peer reviews, community leadership, etc. Fundraising is called sales, if done by a company. Now, companies have something called customer success. What does this imply for a professor? Customer success means making sure that…
-
Top three career advice for students
These are the three top pieces of career advice I give to my students: In more detail: If you don’t feel comfortable with the people you are going to work with, your job will be miserable. Chances are that even after moving within the organization, it won’t get much better. If you help generate revenues…