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Original poster

Academics Chat Thread

999 replies

LRDtheFeministDragon · 02/09/2017 22:32

I believe the old Chat thread has fallen off the front page of this section, and I thought it might be time to reinstate it. I know it's only sporadically useful, but sometimes it's nice, right?

I am a lowly postdoctoral English Lit type. Finished my PhD in 2014, teaching associate for a couple of years, and now part-time while DD is a baby. I'm currently working frantically to get my book manuscript to the publisher by my deadline (October), and also trying to regain enthusiasm for the job market.

Who else is lurking around here?

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ArbitraryName · 16/09/2017 15:37

I was also just remarking that Strictly is very popular with academics IME. So those of us tv license refusers have little to contribute to many conversations with colleagues.

Maybe actually getting a tv license just to watch strictly is the answer. It might be where I've been going wrong! Smile

bigkidsdidit · 16/09/2017 15:48

Your anti-networking skills really made me laugh!

ArbitraryName · 16/09/2017 15:58

So now you know that you definitely want to avoid talking to me at a conference. Because it's a sure sign that you're in the wrong place! Grin

DNAwrangler · 19/09/2017 18:36

Hi all! Can I join? I'm the PI of a bioscience lab at a university in Germany. I'm on mat leave with DC2 right now (DC1 is 3 years). DH also an academic at the same Uni.

God I'm knackered.

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 19/09/2017 19:56

Hello!

Welcome in.

Congratulations on your DC2. How old?

I'm feeling less exhausted than I have in months because I, DP and baby DD all had a bug this last few days and consequently DD slept a lot, and I had to sleep, so I actually got a full night's sleep and then some. It's amazing, but it makes me realise how little I was getting given that being ill feels like a rest.

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Yogafire · 19/09/2017 20:06

I've instigated a new early to bed regime so a little less tired. But trying to achieve it is a mission in itself - with cooking, dcs bedtimes, chores, my own bath (my one indulgence), a bit of reading. I'm falling behind on my monograph schedule. lrd how is your writing going?
Welcome dna !

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 19/09/2017 20:47

Well, yoga, I got a whole hour done today. Joy of joys.

OTOH I am making some progress and I did spend a lot of today looking after baby/partner.

I hope your regime works out well. Are the DCs also on the early bedtime routine?!

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Yogafire · 19/09/2017 21:53

Kind of. I'm managing to get two of them down together half an hour earlier, but the toddler (who I do last) suddenly needs lengthy cuddling to sleep so I lose that time again. I used to be able to just put him in his cot and turn the lights out, job done. But he's getting big so kind of happy to cuddle him for a bit too before he grows out of it

murmuration · 19/09/2017 23:02

I'm constantly not managing my 'early bed' routine! Today being no exception, although I'm at a meeting and just back from dinner so all wired up so couldn't sleep anyway. Hopefully I'm not networking as poorly as arbitrary :) At least I'm so tired I'm not replaying conversations in my head although I'm sure I made some faux pas. Maybe no one will remember. Maybe I won't remember... I think at least I'm not coming off as pitiful as I do here. I talk about my research like it actually exists, for example! Instead of just being endless rejected grants (oh, grant 5 of 5 this year was rejected... but another opportunity just passed by so I may try for 6 out of 6... got to NOT think that way...)

ArbitraryName · 19/09/2017 23:20

You'd probably have to try to
(anti)network like me. Not that anyone would want to! You may be thinking 'that's 5/5 rejected' but I am thinking 'wow, 5 applications'. At least you stand some chance of getting it when you actually apply, rather than intending to and not getting round to it/deciding that no one would give you money anyway so what's the point?

I'm actually waiting to hear back from the only grant I've applied for in years. It's not for much money but will come back a 'no'. I've just told our new head of research that I'm going to submit another bid this year and one next year. So I should probably actually do that!

Sorry to hear everyone is exhausted. I'm exhausted too but I have no babies in the house.

DNAwrangler · 20/09/2017 08:38

I hope the same happens here LRD, wrt being ill = rest! We've all got some horrid fever bug. DS is 3 months old and can't breathe through his nose, poor little thing.

All these grants everyone's applying for have reminded me that I will need to do it next year again. Writing five is impressive murmuration!

I have some PhD students whom I've left working during my mat leave. I left some supervision in place for them but I worry about them still.

murmuration · 21/09/2017 13:14

Five, but some were easier than others - I'm working on number 6 now, but it's just a 2-page proposal plus CV! Just found out about something and this is my last year of eligibility (I hate these things that say X years from first post, but don't have any scope for consideration of things like maternity leave), so figure I have nothing to lose by going for it now - it will never be available to me again.

So, regarding that, my HoD in my last review said that I should include major speaking invites that I could not attend on my CV - in particular I recently got a major international one which was cancelled because they didn't get enough attendees so had to cut the meeting in half both time-wise and in number of keynote speakers. Then there were two big ones (my last major invites!) that I could not attend because I was having DD at the time! So, I can see his point, because it does show international reputation even if I couldn't make it... But how do you do that without being weird? Right now I've tried putting a little star at the start of the line and saying "cancelled: conference shortened due to budget" or "unable to attend due to maternity" after the name of the meeting. But it feels deceitful - it wasn't really a talk! Yet how can I show it? Any wisdom/suggestions?

worstofbothworlds · 21/09/2017 13:34

@murmuration Sometimes you can write to the foundation or wherever and point out they are being a bit unfair not including maternity leave. They have just never thought of it because they are all men with little wives.

On the speaking invitation issue, make a section entitled:
Invitations to speak and give keynotes:
Because they ARE invitations.

ArbitraryName · 21/09/2017 19:06

Yeah. I would go with an invited presentations section. You don't need to say anything about whether they went ahead or not because you've simply listed the presentations you've been invited to give.

murmuration · 22/09/2017 13:28

Oh, wow, just saying invitations... I guess that solves it! Although I think I'd be scared to leave off an explanation about not going - what if someone was there and thinks, "hey, no she didn't?" (or they actually go look up schedules online or something)

worstofbothworlds · 22/09/2017 14:29

Nobody has the time to do that!

ArbitraryName · 22/09/2017 14:53

Yes. No one would check. and if they ask you probably have the emails inviting you, and you can explain what happened.

DNAwrangler · 22/09/2017 19:42

Personally I'd add a brief explanation murmuration. In my field it's reasonably likely that the recruiter would know if something had been cancelled. I doubt anyone would be impressed at a misleading CV, even if it were technically correct...

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 22/09/2017 21:06

Can I ask a quick question about referees here?

I'm looking at a job advert that (as is quite common in my field) specifies someone who works half in my time period, half in a closely related period. It is a permanent lectureship, so my research needs to be the focus. I'm not worried about proving my teaching experience, based on what they ask for and what I have.

Referee no. 1 is my mid-career colleague, who knows my research and teaching and admin, and will sing my praises. She represents my current employer.

Referee no. 2 is the editor of the series publishing my book and a mentor who's invited me to do conference presentations/articles for things she's organising. She is a prof and would speak about my research.

Both 1 and 2 are in my specialist period. I can also teach into the other period. I have a senior colleague who invited me to teach a summer school he runs, which relates to the other period. He's been very complimentary about my teaching of this and of mainstream lectures. His reference would only refer to my teaching, but would cover part of the later period.

Should I ask him, or someone who can't talk about the later period but could talk more about research? The other people I could ask would be my PhD supervisor or my external examiner (both of whom I've now not worked with for three years). What do you think?

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Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 22/09/2017 21:06

Gosh, that was not quick. Blush Sorry!

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worstofbothworlds · 22/09/2017 21:22

How senior are you?
If applying for first lectureship, then maybe the teaching ref.
If more senior, then you need senior referees who can talk about your research and make it sound perfect for the job.
So you need to prime one of the referees to talk up both aspects of your research.

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 22/09/2017 21:26

Yes, first lectureship, although my teaching experience is very solid as I had a teaching fellowship that involved a lot of designing my own lecture courses/masters seminars and quite a bit of postgrad supervision. That's what gives me pause a little.

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murmuration · 22/09/2017 21:35

LRD, sorry, my brain isn't working great at the moment, but I'd say not worry about someone being 3 years out of date - that's pretty recent, really. (I got my entry position with 1 letter from my postdoc supervisor and 2 from PhD people 3 years previous). Do they ask for only 2? Or are you trying to pick a third? I might even send 4 even they ask for 3 - I've found these things tend to run counter to my rule-governed tendancies and be okay if you send extra stuff...

Yeah, DNA, I think I have to leave the cancelled things. Just in case somebody was at the event - I won't know who's reading it. I'm just too uncomfortable otherwise.

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/09/2017 04:28

They ask for 3, but I think it is a strict 3 because it's one of those 'give us an address and we'll contact them if we take it further' things. But good to know that 3 years is recent. I think I worry too much that I really should have stopped using my supervisor/external, and I shouldn't. Probably if I had a closer relationship with either of them I would worry less.

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bigkidsdidit · 23/09/2017 09:28

Morning all!

Does anyone fancy an Autumn Writing Challenge? Even if no one else does, I'm writing mine down here to be accountable to myself.

By Christmas:
-submit one paper
-full draft of paper 2
-5 out of 8 assignments for HEA fellowship done
-a good chunk of an ethics application drafted.

These are stretch targets but I have no teaching this term, only three project students and two PhD students to supervise.... should be doable if I go full pelt