Teresa has attended a conference or two. She published a paper or three, co-convened an EGU session or four and was ‘part of a research team’ or five (meaning: did most of the work and ended up as co-author number ‘who-cares’ in the list). Disillusioned she sighs: How do I get senior scientists to take …[Read More]
We live in crazy times! Remember the times when we could just hang out with people without fear of being infected by a life-threatening desease? Me neither. Fasim asks a question that must be keeping a lot of us up at night: First day on new job in quarantine…what do I do? Dear Fasim, First …[Read More]
While savouring a refreshing beverage and browsing through news of [yet another] dystopian summer, Ethan keeps receiving notifications from his e-mail. It turns out that he is insistently being asked to review (again and again) a paper. Naturally, he turns to me to ask: How can I refuse doing paper reviews? Dear Ethan, A question …[Read More]
Annalisa is in the final stretch of her PhD. Just a couple of paragraphs to jot down, an introduction to write and some final touches to finalize the figures. Whilst looking around for new opportunities, she comes across an opportunity in her own department. Struggling to decide what to do, she inquires: Should I do …[Read More]
Winning a prestigious fellowship is the dream of any early career scientist. It provides the freedom to waste a couple years of public funding without having to answer for that to a supervisor. The first step to reaching this academic Nirvana is to write a proposal. Blerta dares to ask what’s on everyone’s mind: What …[Read More]
How to write a reply to reviewers for the first time? Dear Marcelo, Oh my, oh my! First off, congrats for finally getting that ‘final_manuscript_v10.doxc’ out of your computer and into the submission portal. And congrats for not being desk rejected. You have already made it where many others have failed. The first reply to …[Read More]
Giusy is throwing some deep dives into the trenches of scientific literature. Deep they are indeed. Almost running out of oxygen whilst frantically flapping through the murky waters near the surface, she comes across a not-yet-published paper (or better: a non-peer-reviewed paper) that’s floating around the internet. Apparently well-written and soundly researched, she goes looking …[Read More]
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the impressive speed at which new science is published. How to keep up with all this is an art that few have mastered. Rami is looking for some pointers: Which are the must-follow journals to keep up to date with new geodynamic research? Dear Rami, Carefully checking the table …[Read More]
Interdisciplinary research are the buzzwords all funding agencies want to hear these days. After reading my blog on how to write an interdisciplinary proposal researching the interior of planets, Ruby decided to approach a geochemistry group to collaborate. They have kindly invited her to present her latest research at their group meeting, which left Ruby …[Read More]
After snoozing their alarm for the 50th time, Alex gets started with their day. They should be writing their thesis first thing after breakfast, but instead they write to the Sassy Scientist: How do you manage to meet writing deadlines as a PhD student? Dear Alex, Ah! You have reached the writing stage. I assume …[Read More]
