“Everyone else is going. It’s so unfair. They just don’t understand. Everyone else’s supervisor said yes.” Denis has been sent to his scientific bedroom and he isn’t impressed. He contacted the Sassy Scientist via Tiktok to ask: My supervisor has banned me from going to conferences. What shall I do? Dear Denis, You supervisor is a mean, heartless seg-fault who w ...[Read More]
Despite finishing his experiments and writing up his thesis during a pandemic, Markus wants to keep climbing the academic pyramid. Reflecting on some of his choices during his PhD, he now asks: I didn’t spend anytime building my network during my PhD. Can I get a postdoc? Dear Markus, Of course! Academia represents the pursuit of scientific knowledge and the expansion of our collective under ...[Read More]
Despite the emergence of some minor ailments, Antti is still going strong with his research. With a slight declination in his productivity levels whilst stubbornly grunting along, he feels he should (and perhaps could) do better. Annoyed, he growls: Academia has cost me my 20/20 vision (and given me a sore ass). Who do I blame? Dear Antti, Blame me. I apologize unreservedly for prolonging your scr ...[Read More]
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]
