Yes, today I dropped the first "NO" on a senior faculty member. Since the time I have started working as a TT faculty I have been pulled at various directions by various faculty members. Some of these directions I want to be pulled at because it is essential for me to set up here and get the ground going. But other kinds of requests or possible collaborations are just too much stress on my time.
I just politely told said a No to a possible collaboration. Although it would have been a fun thing to do it was mostly teaching related and I do not see it enhancing my career forward as of now.
Now I see what all other new TT's have been complaining about and advising how to say No's to multiple people. This advice is right on the money. Otherwise you might get pulled in too many directions to handle.
So my first advice as a new TT faculty: Learn to say NO (but in a nice way so that you don't offend people who are ultimately going to determine your tenure :D)
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Need for speed
With all the proposal deadlines I have been wondering how fast can be write up a successful grant proposal from scratch provided that one has the idea and the required preliminary data to write such a grant.
So the blogosphere: What is your minimum number of days needed to write up a successful grant proposal?
So the blogosphere: What is your minimum number of days needed to write up a successful grant proposal?
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Let the politics begin !
Today a colleague (lets call hir YY) of mine came to my office. This person is very senior and has had many successful grants and students.
I told hir that I have discussed some of my idea with another colleague (lets call hir XX). This is what YY said to me:
"you do not want to discuss your ideas. If you have some one senior come to you, just tell them that you are if they have an idea you will be happy to work with them. You will get your ideas and money stolen especially with XX".
There are few senairos that arose in my mind:
1) YY wants to work with me (this was mentioned in our conversation) and wants to keep me for hirself.
2) XX is as is described. There is some evidance to it since XX has not worked with any one in a substantial way
3) I cant think of the third. May you can :P
So I have these questions from the blogosphere:
1) How often does your ideas get stolen in academia? Not scooped as in when you are in competition and want to out do each other. But stolen !
2) How often you had problems with a senior collegue for using funds i.e. you were junior but a PI and the senior was a co-PI. Do you happen to have problems such as the senior trying to use your money etc.
3) How do you know who to trust. There can be a lot of overlap between expertise but you do want some on who you could trust right. How do you decide who to discuss your ideas with?
I often heard in my pre-academia-existance that academia is very political. I am coming to taste it now. Hopefully it will be fun.
I told hir that I have discussed some of my idea with another colleague (lets call hir XX). This is what YY said to me:
"you do not want to discuss your ideas. If you have some one senior come to you, just tell them that you are if they have an idea you will be happy to work with them. You will get your ideas and money stolen especially with XX".
There are few senairos that arose in my mind:
1) YY wants to work with me (this was mentioned in our conversation) and wants to keep me for hirself.
2) XX is as is described. There is some evidance to it since XX has not worked with any one in a substantial way
3) I cant think of the third. May you can :P
So I have these questions from the blogosphere:
1) How often does your ideas get stolen in academia? Not scooped as in when you are in competition and want to out do each other. But stolen !
2) How often you had problems with a senior collegue for using funds i.e. you were junior but a PI and the senior was a co-PI. Do you happen to have problems such as the senior trying to use your money etc.
3) How do you know who to trust. There can be a lot of overlap between expertise but you do want some on who you could trust right. How do you decide who to discuss your ideas with?
I often heard in my pre-academia-existance that academia is very political. I am coming to taste it now. Hopefully it will be fun.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Too many things
Here are the random thoughts in my mind.
Recently I visited the country where I grew up. It was a rather long trip of 5 weeks and I got to spend a significant time with family and friends. Everything was nice and pleasurable; except for it didn't look real. It didn't felt like home. It was nostalgic sure but it wasn't home. I came back to the US and it felt nicer, familiar, home...
I don't know how to comprehend it because it felt nicer, familiar when I went back to the place I grew up in. It has been a decade since I left that place and things have changed. People have changed. Their thinking and living styles have changed. It reminds me of my childhood but it does not constitute a home any more.
On another front I am in the middle of a large move for me and my family. It is a cross country move and the first major move since our child. It is rather sooner than I had expected and wanted but I do not see any other choice. Things have to be packed, things have to be moved, apartments have to be cleaned and handed over, apartments have to be looked and decided up on in the new place, I have to make a short visit to the department, move has to be arranged for my car and the family. All of this has to be done within two weeks. Wife is a big help since she is taking care of all the scheduling along with a sick child.
I am taking up a position that I have dreamed about since the day I started doing science. It is a tenure track position with startup funds and my own lab-setup. I will have my own PhD students and my own equipment. I will be the director of my own lab and will be responsible for every one working in it. I will have to bring in money and teach as well. I will have to do service and learn the new ropes of tenure track position. I don't know if I am excited or scared.
Recently I visited the country where I grew up. It was a rather long trip of 5 weeks and I got to spend a significant time with family and friends. Everything was nice and pleasurable; except for it didn't look real. It didn't felt like home. It was nostalgic sure but it wasn't home. I came back to the US and it felt nicer, familiar, home...
I don't know how to comprehend it because it felt nicer, familiar when I went back to the place I grew up in. It has been a decade since I left that place and things have changed. People have changed. Their thinking and living styles have changed. It reminds me of my childhood but it does not constitute a home any more.
On another front I am in the middle of a large move for me and my family. It is a cross country move and the first major move since our child. It is rather sooner than I had expected and wanted but I do not see any other choice. Things have to be packed, things have to be moved, apartments have to be cleaned and handed over, apartments have to be looked and decided up on in the new place, I have to make a short visit to the department, move has to be arranged for my car and the family. All of this has to be done within two weeks. Wife is a big help since she is taking care of all the scheduling along with a sick child.
I am taking up a position that I have dreamed about since the day I started doing science. It is a tenure track position with startup funds and my own lab-setup. I will have my own PhD students and my own equipment. I will be the director of my own lab and will be responsible for every one working in it. I will have to bring in money and teach as well. I will have to do service and learn the new ropes of tenure track position. I don't know if I am excited or scared.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Ethical Issue?
I want to know how ethical it is to:
1) accept an academic offer i.e. sign your name on the offer
2) and tell the department that you are not going to join (due to circumstance or better job offer)
Isn't this that regularly happens in industry? Is it different for academia?
I will love to know your thoughts !
1) accept an academic offer i.e. sign your name on the offer
2) and tell the department that you are not going to join (due to circumstance or better job offer)
Isn't this that regularly happens in industry? Is it different for academia?
I will love to know your thoughts !
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
I haz the Job
Thats right.
I have a tenure-track offer from a research university. It is the kind of department that I am looking for with a balance of teaching and research. They are supporting me a lot for my research activities. I am carefully considering but I think I will accept the offer.
Got to go and sign the letter, put in a resignation from my current position and making all the arrangements for the move. Oh did I mention travel schedules in between.
More details later. Wish me luck !
I have a tenure-track offer from a research university. It is the kind of department that I am looking for with a balance of teaching and research. They are supporting me a lot for my research activities. I am carefully considering but I think I will accept the offer.
Got to go and sign the letter, put in a resignation from my current position and making all the arrangements for the move. Oh did I mention travel schedules in between.
More details later. Wish me luck !
Thursday, September 26, 2013
How much to smile?
I thought about this in the morning. How much should one smile while on an interview?
We have all heard that apart from your research and other credentials search committee is also looking for a good colleague and manner et. al are also part of the interview. I am generally a happy person so in my normal life I smile and laugh a moderate amount (at least this is what I think).
But I wonder if smiling a lot in an interview gives the impression of non-seriousness? incompetence? of-a-pleasing-personality (not in a good way)? or something more sinister?
On the other hand not smiling at all will give an impression of non-approachable. Also smiles can be of different kinds and would be perceived in different way by different people.
The wise blogosphere I ask you. What do you think about the effect of smiling on the search committee in general and what is the "right" amount of smiling and the "right" kind of smiling?
We have all heard that apart from your research and other credentials search committee is also looking for a good colleague and manner et. al are also part of the interview. I am generally a happy person so in my normal life I smile and laugh a moderate amount (at least this is what I think).
But I wonder if smiling a lot in an interview gives the impression of non-seriousness? incompetence? of-a-pleasing-personality (not in a good way)? or something more sinister?
On the other hand not smiling at all will give an impression of non-approachable. Also smiles can be of different kinds and would be perceived in different way by different people.
The wise blogosphere I ask you. What do you think about the effect of smiling on the search committee in general and what is the "right" amount of smiling and the "right" kind of smiling?
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