Frank freely admits he did a PhD because he didn’t feel ready to join the corporate world. Ties strangle him and he’s only ever seen 7am from the wrong side. But as universities and funding agencies request more performance metrics and research valorisation plans, he reached out to the Sassy Scientist to ask: What can geodynamicists learn from the business world? Dear Frank, Low-hangin ...[Read More]
Paleogeography – A window into past mantle dynamics

Paleogeography refers to the past distribution of landmasses and oceans and gives important insights into the state of previous tectonics. This is a useful cornerstone for many aspects of geodynamics and this week Boris Robert – previously postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics Oslo (Norway) and currently visiting scientist at GFZ Potsdam (Germany) – tells us how we may ...[Read More]
First time… publishing a paper
I can’t speak for anyone else, but finally getting a paper through comes with the great satisfaction of not having to deal with the project anymore. There’s a sense of relief, hope, and maybe excitement that the time that is now freed up can be used on other, new projects. Anyway, I am currently still in this honeymoon period so please don’t ruin it by telling me it will end soon. After recently s ...[Read More]
The Sassy Scientist – Out of Orbit
After reading last week’s post Ilona asks how to switch research topics to something more impactful during their lifetime: How do I transition from a PhD in mantle convection to a postdoc in satellite geodesy? Dear Ilona, What a moon-shot you are aiming for! But, have no fear, nothing is impossible. Undoubtedly, space is cool. And looking from a distance at our lovely rock spinning and float ...[Read More]