I am a university professor and research scientist - AMA

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I work as a professor and research scientist at a UK university, in a field linked to biomedical sciences.

AMA, except admissions to first year (I don't deal with them ).

@perimenofertility - it is sometimes a bit tiring, especially since i work on topics related to health that feature in the news often.

I only push back when i m in a conversation with people and feel that there is a genuine misinterpretation- i don t go to battle on social media, as it never yields a positive outcome in my experience.

[quote StickyEnterKey]@2022changenotecho - when it comes to the actual lecturing in front of a big class, i usually do 1.5h of prep per hour taught - this includes refreshing the material which is based on the latest literature (not just the same old stuff, biomed science moves fast) and also creating in class activities to help with learning of core concepts in context (this changes year on year).

I teach 3 modules per year - which is about 4h per week contact in terms 1 and 2, plus approx 1 hour of pastoral 1 to 1s (+ prep as above).

With 3 modules, I also mark 3 exams (approx 20min per copie) and 3 essays (approx 30 minutes per copy with detailed feedback) for 80ish students.

I also supervise between 2 and 4 under grad dissertations in term 2 and 5 to 6 postgrad dissertations in term 3. This is about 2h per week each, plus ad hoc meetings and feedback on results and drafts (and then marking). This is kind of research, but not really.

then there is the admin - the exam boards, the progress boards, the ethics board meetings, the open days, EDI committee, health and safety committee, the reference letters, dealing with human resources, finance, registration services and international / visa office for tutees and staff, phd application reviews and interviews, convening vivas, etc - plus the research adjacent admin like grant panel work, ordering and financial management - on average easily 5 to 6 h per week

the rest goes to research (writing grant, papers, doing analysis, planning experiments, project management, reading / keeping up to date, as well as reviewing the work of others) and supervision of research students (same as research plus training and feedback on write ups and regular meetings with each of them - i have between 5 and 8 working with me a different stages of training).

i ve probably forgotten a lot of little things which can take a long time...

During terms 1 and 2, my bandwidth for anything but teaching and students / postgrads is limited. I manage maybe 1 to 1.5 day equivalent of research which is not linked to supervision - usually keeping the lab in order, projects on track.

Semester 3 is a bit better, i usually manage to be more creative, to read, apply for funds etc[/quote]
Wow thank you for such a detailed response!! It seems there really isn't much time for research in the main teaching terms. Are you under pressure to do research in the summer when you ideally want to be on holiday?

Also, I'd really like to know since you mentioned having DC above - whats being an academic and managing your family/work life balance like? I thought it might be good because you get to choose when you give your lectures, office hours etc and can technically work anytime, not 9-5. But does that make it hard in a way, because there's always more reading/work you can do with an academic career and you don't get to just 'shut off' at 5 PM? If you did a PhD while with kids, how did you find that?

@NotRainingToday - not rude, it's OK.
I m in a RG uni, but not London / South of England.
Compared to some of my colleagues who ve been profs for >15yrs and will make much more than me, I was promoted fairly recently. I need to gear myself up to apply for an increment, but the pandemic has been hard on research outputs and activities important to demonstrate that i deserve it. I need to rebuild a bit first.

Really interesting OP, thanks for posting this. I’m a Microbio student in my second of four years (integrated Masters), intend to do a PhD and would, ideally, be doing the same sort of job you are, but I’ve found that people don’t want to talk about it?! About post docs, salary, work load.

I’m 35, have been studying for 3 years now (did a years Access course), at an RG Uni and finished Y1 and should be finishing Y2 with a 1:1 (unless I tank my exams ) DCs are 13/11/6, I’m a lone parent.

Hit me with the hard truth - given my DCs ages, and my age when I complete my education, am I likely to even be a candidate for Academia, let alone be able to juggle it with DCs?

@BitcherOfBlakiven

I am 34 and a lone parent, I do have support from my parents though. I'm a 3rd PhD student in education, so not science which obviously comes with lab time and more rigidity.

I think its do-able if you have the drive, and your subject allows for your circumstances.

@2022changenotecho - in the teaching terms I struggle to find significant chunks of undisturbed time to do research and generally deeper thinking - i feel like i m firefighting a lot. So most of the research happens at the WE or in the evening if I need to (e.g. grant deadline).

I teach Masters as well as undergrads, which means that I have MSc projects to supervise. By the time they are done, the DCs holidays are over - I usually manage 2 week of holidays, when i check my emails daily. Research happens in summer, regardless of holidays, because that's when I have more time to read, think and be creative. Deep down it is what i really like to do, like a hobby - the fact that the university set financial targets linked to research is what makes it stressful.

In term of worklife balance, I did not have kids when I did my PhD - DC1 was born at the end of my last postdoc. I ve enjoyed the flexibility of academia, the fact that I don t have a real boss to be accountable to in term of when i start and stop working, as well as approximate flexibility on when i teach (however, we rarely have full control on timetables, so that s not so flexible). If i need to stop at 3pm to get DC2 and take her to sport, that s fine, I can catch up late evening. However, work never really stops at 5pm, it s a 24/7 fest with colleagues who also have very blurred worklife boundaries becoming friends. The DCs are used to see me work on grants and papers at home, and know that if I have a big deadline, it will invade our evenings and WE. They have benefited a lot too - when I (used to) go on conference in fancy places, DH and DCs would join for mini breaks for example. I also used to take DCs in work a lot before covid if needed, this used to be quite common with other colleagues too.

@BitcherOfBlakiven - I think it is doable, especially with older kids (mine are same ages as yours, ish) - there are many different flavours of academic jobs, some with or without research, with employers who are more or less committeed to supporting lone parents / women. My employer is ok, could be worst, could be better.

A couple of my colleagues are single parents, and they manage well now their kids are older (neither have families around, but they have a good friend network). One of the real killer was nursery fees, which they (and I) are done with...

No family around here either, and friends all work full time!

Nursery fees, they are crippling - for my college course, my youngests daycare was covered 3 days a week, my eldest two their wrap around was not and I had fund that £50 a week out of my benefits which I have no idea how I managed that.

The first year of Uni - costs were £2400 a month with 85% of the total covered - then I switched Unis and courses (from Bio to Microbio) dropped to £1600 when DD started secondary school in my (second) first year, and then youngest DD started school and changed wrap around care which is £1200 a month, still with 85% covered.

It’s insane amounts of money. Middle DD starts secondary this September so costs will half again. I’ve been sterilised, intend to remain single forever so will never have go through the Hell of childcare and costs again

My course leader knows I want to do a PhD, and is very encouraging - my Uni and the other local one have recently secured a lot of funding (millions…) for stipends for a huge ongoing project and that’s the one I’m aiming for (I’m also learning Python on the side which is in partnership with Code First Girls and my Uni, so free).

They’re also great with my caring commitments and my ADHD so I’d love to stay there and work there after.

Is a pure research role realistic for a post-doc life scientist?

People in pure research roles are on contract or fellowships for the most, and I found this too stressful in term of job security.

I know of handful of permanent members of staff who have no teaching at all - they bring loads of research money, and / or have a technological remit or a service remit (e.g. labs).

Not many of these posts around though?

I'm 39 and want to get into lecturing

I have an M.A and a diploma..I'd like to lecture either subject really
I'm quite good at teaching, in general but I never managed to get a job related to my M.A and now I've become rather restless in my current job.
My supervisor has suggested I try something like what certain colleges do, allowing one to do a PGCE 'on the Job', but i can't find anywhere offering this. She's now suggested I apply for volunteering teaching positions in colleges or universities.

Have you any suggestions as to how id get into it? When I first graduated I did some stints as lecturing assistant, but that was years ago so wouldn't count for much now.

@Fredastaireschair You can do a PGCE but for FE and it's funding by student finance like a regular PGCE. You'll do a couple of days in uni/online and then teaching the rest of the week in a partner institution for placement.

You can ask at whichever uni you are near/you want to work in if they offer a PGCAP which is aimed at HE teaching. Sometimes that's only available to employees of the uni, but not always.

daisygrey

Thank you, I didn't know it had a name! :)