Good morning, dear readers, this is your editor-in-chief speaking. We are currently experiencing some difficulties in academia, but we ask you to stay calm and remain in your seats with the seatbelt fastened. In the event of loss of pressure, make sure to publish your own paper first (to increase the pressure on your peers). Yes, it’s me! Your favourite (and only) editor-in-chief! And because runn ...[Read More]
Doing a PhD is one of the most rewarding experiences in life. You get to conduct your own research, develop your skills, and ultimately become a doctor! Think back to when you were told that your application was accepted, and you were going to start the PhD position. I bet you were excited and nervous; I know I was! However, after starting your PhD, the excitement may fade and stress can start to ...[Read More]
My dog, Roxanne (Roxy for short), has been by my side for my entire graduate career. I adopted Roxy before starting a two-year Master’s program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She moved with me to the University of Maryland for my PhD program. Now in the second year of my PhD, I cannot imagine PhD life without her. Roxy has helped me navigate the most challenging aspects of academi ...[Read More]
With a fresh start this year, Amaia is trying to forecast her scientific activities for the year. Weary by these thoughts, and considering last year’s efforts, she is puzzled: How do you re-energize yourself for a whole new (academically daunting) year? Dear Amaia, You don’t. Where did you get the idea from that re-energizing yourself is an actual thing for academics? You do realize that a couple ...[Read More]
As we are 11 days into November, you might have started to become suspicious of the increased number of people around you growing out their moustaches. While this could be due to the fact that many of us are sequestered at home and may have forgotten the point of personal grooming, there is a good chance these people are participating in Movember (yes, that is a word play on November and mo, for m ...[Read More]
With real-life water cooler time at a premium, Paul has found that talking about the weather and Emily in Paris just isn’t breaking the ice. By Zoom, he asks possibly the worst qualified person in geodynamics: How can you turn your colleagues into friends? Dear Paul, Why would you want to? You only have a contract of up to three years, so by the time you’ve moved on from Emily in Paris ...[Read More]
In this week’s post, Mohamed Gouiza discusses the challenges of living under constant stress, paralysed by the possibility of failure and self-perceived inevitability of impending breakup. Continental rifting, of course! Oh… did you think I was talking about life as a researcher? Under tensile stress, the lithosphere stretches, the asthenosphere rises, the crust fails, and rifts form. During this ...[Read More]
Kamal is happy, trotting around academia with a laptop in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, and a faint grin on his face as he contemplates how to tackle the next big questions in geodynamics. Amazed that others do not consider academia as a radiant beacon on the horizon of potential career pathways, he is curious: If you were not a scientist, what would you be? Dear Kamal, I suppose I would ...[Read More]
Tatiana feels the pressure. A never-ending workload, a busy home life and unparalleled expectations of her own devising leave her with this: Why does everything have to be last minute in academia? Dear Tatiana, Last minute? Don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing is last minute in case you’ve mapped out your activities properly beforehand. Do you find it difficult planning your to-do list an ...[Read More]
As frustrating as it seems every once in a while, Dara is confident still that his student will prevail and work out their troubles somehow. He contemplates his options, and seeks help to discern the correct approach: I am disappointed that my PhD student is going in circles. How shall I put pressure on them to finally get results? Dear Dara, Ah yes. The ol’ disappointing student. Life’ ...[Read More]